The Minister of National Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos met today at the Ministry of National Defence with the Ambassadors and Defence Attaches of EU member-states.
Mr. Avramopoulos presented the results of the activities of the Greek Presidency of the EU Council in the field of Defence and Security.
The meeting was also attended by the Alternate Minister of National Defence Fofi Gennimata and the Deputy Minister of National Defence Ioannis Lampropoulos.
In his speech, the Minister of National Defence, among other, stressed:
“We took over the chair, in the aftermath of the very important European Council on Defence at the end of December 2013, where the Head of States and Governments adopted important conclusions on issues of European Defence and Security.
A roadmap for implementation of the December EU Council conclusions has been initiated and developed.
This roadmap is a good starting point for a new chapter on European defence. I am sure, that the Italian Presidency, which takes over from today, will succeed in moving forward this new agenda for European Defence and Security. Most, it links those initiatives to an important strategic concept, such as comprehensiveness, responsiveness and the identification of new security challenges.
The roadmap addresses shortfalls, such as the lack of a competitive European defence industry. It also pinpoints the capabilities considered as key (drones, air-to-air refuelling, satellite communications) and recommends concrete steps forward for their development;
All these issues are still open and very important for the security and defence of our continent and should be reviewed by June 2015 when the EU Council will examine their implementation progress.
The Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers, held in Athens, last February, advanced the discussions and actions on critical issues.
Maritime security, Cyber security, Sustainability in Defence, and Capability development were the core issues and essential elements directly linked to our efforts towards strengthening our Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and thus ensuring its full potential.
The adoption of the European Union Maritime Security Strategy (EU MSS) is a concrete step towards this direction.
Moreover, having in mind the strengthening of the European Defence Technology and especially the role of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), our Presidency set as one of its main objectives the further promotion of their role and their unimpeded access to the defence market.
Therefore, we have managed to underline the role of the SMEs as an important link in the supply chain, having in mind the development of a genuine internal market that will not only ensure, but also promote and secure fair access to all EU enterprises thus avoiding exclusions and discriminatory practices…
…The geopolitical developments in Europe’s imminent and broader neighbourhood highlight the vivid relevance between internal and external security. We only have to consider the security issues in Eastern Europe and in the South-East Mediterranean, especially keeping in mind the Ukrainian crisis, the continued internal conflicts in Syria and the recent uprising in Iraq and its broader area.
The Ukrainian crisis constitutes a major strategic evolution, which illustrates the return to challenges linked to the use of force and to the threat of force on the European continent.
I must stress the fact, that in this geopolitical environment, Greece remains a pole of stability and the South-Eastern European arm for the defence of European values and interests…
…But today as never before, collective action and our firm faith in the European vision must serve as our compass in meeting all the challenges posed by the crisis of the social state, the uncontrolled rise in illegal migration, environmental and other global issues.
We all need to seriously reflect upon what we have achieved together with our EU partners.
We need to commit ourselves to defend the European Union architecture– our new common country – and work together to revitalize faith in the European vision, defying the dangerous sirens of populism and nationalism.”