NATO Foreign Ministers agree to take NATO-EU cooperation to a “new level”

A review of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting, 

Brussels, 5-6 December 2017

By Dr Ian Davis, NATO Watch

Key decisions taken:

  • It was agreed to step up cooperation with the EU on a ‘common set of proposals’, including in three new areas: military mobility, information sharing in the fight against terrorism, and promoting women’s role in peace and security.
  • Practical and political support for Georgia was reaffirmed, as well as a commitment to the country’s eventual membership of NATO.
  • NATO’s ‘Open Door’ policy was also reaffirmed, and progress of each aspirant country will be reviewed at the next Foreign Ministers meeting in April 2018.
  • NATO’s role in ‘projecting stability and fighting terrorism’ was discussed, but no new measures were adopted.

The two-day meeting agenda was focused on five main issues: expanding cooperation between NATO and the EU; a discussion of global threats, including North Korea and Russia; NATO’s role in ‘projecting stability’ and counter-terrorism, including a review of the training mission in Afghanistan and NATO’s role in the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS; a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission; and a discussion on NATO’s ‘Open Door’ policy.

Read the attached pdf briefing to find out more