NATO is an essential part of the European defense, the EU foreign policy chief reiterated on Friday.
“Of course the EU and NATO are natural partners as a majority of the EU members are also (in) NATO. So our collective defense (is) based on NATO,” Kaja Kallas said in doorstep remarks on day two of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
Citing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s Thursday remarks that the US remains committed to NATO but its European members should spend more on defense, she stressed that the EU’s White Paper on defense, presented last month, is about unblocking funds, doing more for defense, capabilities, and cooperation.
“This will eventually make NATO stronger. So, this plan actually goes hand in hand with NATO’s capability targets. It helps NATO countries, European countries to fulfil their capability targets that we have in NATO. In turn, it makes the whole of NATO stronger, which is our goal,” explained Kallas.
Published by the European Commission on March 19, the White Paper offers solutions to address critical capability gaps and build a strong defense industrial base.
It suggests ways for EU member states to invest more in defense, procure defense systems, and increase the long-term readiness of Europe’s defense industry.