The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutte agreed to intensify their cooperation, in a move that highlights the willingness of the Commission to play an active role in shaping the European defence agenda.
Following her meeting with the Secretary-General of NATO,at his residence in Brussels, Ms. von der Leyen announced that the Commission and NATO would “work closely in the coming weeks to strengthen the EU-NATO relationship” in preparation for the annual Summit of the Alliance, to be held on 7-8 July. Mark Rutte, via a post on X, said the two leaders discussedboosting defence industrial production.
The cooperation is not an isolated event. The Commission president has made defence one of the central pillars of her term of office from 2024, taking a number of initiatives to arm member states, deepen defence ties with partners such as Australia and Canada, and enhance the Union’s preparedness against potential threats.
In the same context, Ms. In the same context, Ms von der Leyen had a meeting on 15 April with the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, General Alexis Grinkiewicz – a meeting which underlines the unusually direct role the Commission chooses to play in matters traditionally the preserve of Member States and intergovernmental structures.
The development reflects the broader shift taking place in Brussels: the EU is no longer content to play the role of economic actor, but is actively claiming a place in shaping the continent’s security architecture, at a time when geopolitical pressure is making European defence autonomy
Source: ERT
