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Extraordinary summit of the EU, Britain, and NATO for European defense

by AI | 14.Jan 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The summit will be held on February 3, two weeks after the new US president takes office.

European flags in front of the Berlaymont building, the headquarters of the European Commission (Photo: The Nation / Zuma Press / ContactPhoto)

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The leaders of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the NATO Secretary General will meet on February 3 in Belgium for an extraordinary Summit dedicated to European defense, announced the President of the European Council Antonio Costa.
“I believe we share the same concerns about the threats facing Europe,” Costa stated in the invitation letter to European leaders for the informal Defense summit, which will be held at “Château de Limont,” near Brussels.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has brought back high-intensity war to our continent – violating the fundamental principles of international law and threatening European security – along with increasing hybrid threats and cyberattacks on member states, their economies, and societies. Peace in Europe depends on Ukraine achieving a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace. This geopolitical context, also characterized by the situation in the Middle East, will be full of challenges in the near future,” Costa emphasized in his letter.
As he mentioned, the purpose of this meeting is to lay the groundwork for the decisions that will need to be made in view of the “White Paper” on the future of European defense, which the Commission and the High Representative will prepare. The topic of defense will be revisited by the European Council in June.
Antonio Costa proposes that the discussion of the informal Summit be based on two key principles: Firstly, Europe should take greater responsibility for its own defense, and secondly, member states will always be responsible for their armed forces.
Costa emphasizes that European defense and security must become more resilient, effective, autonomous, and reliable. In this way, Europe “will also become a stronger transatlantic partner, including within NATO, fully respecting the security and defense policies of certain member states and considering the security and defense interests of all member states.”
He also notes that in recent years, member states have already increased their national defense spending, but “significant additional defense investments are required to replenish stocks, upgrade our defense readiness in the face of a wide range of threats – focusing on strategic priorities and critical capability gaps – and to strengthen the European Defense Technological and Industrial Base accordingly.”
The President of the European Council proposes that the discussion focus on key questions such as: What should be – and how do we define – the defense capabilities that we should prioritize developing collaboratively? Do we agree to spend more and better together? How can we accelerate private funding mobilization and through which EU instruments? How can we better use the EU budget short-term, medium-term, and long-term?
The leaders’ meeting will start late in the morning, followed by the “27” lunch with the NATO Secretary General and a second meeting at a dinner with the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. “It will be the first time the British Prime Minister will meet with the 27 EU leaders. The United Kingdom is a key partner of the EU, particularly in the field of defense,” notes Antonio Costa.

(13/01/2025)

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