Speech of the Minister of Defence
Mr Fotis Fotiou
at the “European Security:
Military and Political Approach” conference organized by the Russian Ministry
of Defence in Moscow
“On the
way to the European Council (December 2013): Cyprus Perspectives’’
23/5/2013
It is a great pleasure and privilege for me to be here today and I look forward to sharing my
perspectives, in view of the upcoming European Council discussion on Defence in
December 2013.
It is essential to recall that during the December
2012 European Council,
the 27 Heads of State of the EU Member States, reiterated their commitment to undertake
their responsibilities, for maintaining international peace and security and guaranteeing
the interests of their citizens. Furthermore, they acknowledged the significance
of crisis management tasks, and the substantial role of international actors,
as well as partner countries in cooperative security.
Notably, the
last European Council meeting that dealt with defence and military capability
issues was held in 2008. Since then many things have changed; the ratification
of the Lisbon Treaty in 2009 and the subsequent establishment of new posts and
institutions, in the realm of the Union’s external relations, such as the multifaceted
posts of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy and the creation of the European External Action Service. Additionally,
national defence budgets have tremendously decreased due to the ongoing global
financial crisis.
The fact that the
Russian Federation has a leading role in international security fora such as
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), is a member of the G8 and the World
Trade Organization (WTO), just to mention a few facts, constitutes a
substantial feature that the EU should take into account, in defining its
strategic objectives and formulating its strategic partnerships.
Our collective
security system also needs to continue to evolve and adapt to new challenges
and threats. The Arab Spring and the
establishment of international terrorist networks in sub-Saharan Africa is only
to name a couple.
Against this
backdrop, in the December Summit, it is expected that political leaders will reflect
on these multifaceted challenges. They need to deliver concrete strategic
guidelines for the future direction of the CSDP, define objectives, priorities,
and threats and ensure that the Union will remain a credible, relevant and
capable actor on the international scene. Amidst the financial recession, the
political leaders will face the challenge of justifying the reasons, for taxpayers
to continue investing in security and defence issues.
Now
allow me to proceed with the second component of my speech, which is how far the Union should expand in the
domain of security and defence, or to what extent the Member States are willing
to compromise, part of their sovereign rights, in order to meet the Union’s level of ambition in crisis
management? Apparently, with national defence budgets shrinking, the immediate
challenge today is to match the available and envisaged capabilities with the
Union’s strategic objectives.
While the majority
of EU Member States agree that the Union needs to undertake its
responsibilities, in producing more security and ensuring its own interests, it
is evident that it relies exclusively upon the individual Member States, to
decide how far the Union can contribute to international peace and security. Of
course, one should note that in our interdependent and interconnected world,
there is no one single actor that is capable of responding to the wide spectrum
of international security challenges.
From my point of
view, “Pooling and Sharing” comprises
the most promising tool, to address our identified capability shortfalls in
crisis management, in a cost – efficient and effective manner. If the Member
States want to ensure that the Union will be in a position to fulfil its full
spectrum of crisis management tasks, as envisioned in the Lisbon Treaty, then they
need to identify the capabilities that will be required in the next 10 to 15
years and beyond, so as to generate them in a collective and complementary
manner and avoid duplications. As the High Representative of the Union correctly
stated, at the annual European Defence Agency (EDA) conference, “The choice is
simple: either cooperate to acquire capabilities; or risk losing those
capabilities altogether”.
Only new systems
of advanced technology can ensure the EU’s activities remain relevant and
efficient in the future. Only an integrated, sustainable, innovative and
competitive European Defence Technological and Industrial Base, with relevant
benefits in the domain of employment and growth, can guarantee the Union’s
efficiency, competitiveness and credibility. In parallel, due focus should be given
to dual-use future-oriented capabilities, which can conduct a wide variety of
functions in certain phases of military and civil EU-led operations.
The
implementation of the above-mentioned proposals can lead to substantial savings,
which in turn may be re-invested in other domains of defence. Technology,
Research, Innovation and Development should be in the forefront of the Union’s
future policies. A great opportunity for developing sophisticated, affordable
and versatile capabilities could also emerge in the following years, through
the joint decision of the EU and the Russian Federation, by rendering 2014 as the
“EU-Russia Year of Science, Technology and Innovation”.
It is vital that
Member States pool and share their capabilities, infrastructures and
facilities, but also their security concerns. The latter element is
particularly important, since sharing our security concerns is crucial. It
gives us the opportunity to move one step further and to implement the Lisbon
Treaty’s provisions, on “mutual aid and assistance”, as well the “solidarity
clause”, thus connecting the Union’s external and internal security.
Ladies and gentlemen,
we are on a path
of defining the foreign security and defence policy in the post-Lisbon
environment. The December 2013 European Council is a major challenge, due to
the existing financial and security challenges. At the same time, it should be
perceived as a historic landmark for boosting the domain of defence in Europe
and for ensuirng that the European Union will remain relevant, capable,
competitive, coherent, cooperative and a credible actor on the international
scene. There is a substantial need for a renewed push, so as to stimulate
collective action and address the identified strategic capability shortfalls,
and reflect on the Union’s responsibility to act globally as a credible
security provider. However, such action, in order to be effective, requires
robust political determination, more solidarity and trust among Member States,
as well as with third states and other international interlocutors.
Finally,
allow me to briefly elaborate on the importance of the strategic partnership between
the EU and Russia. In
our assessment, having Russia as a strategic partner strengthens the visibility
of the EU as a global player. It is to the advantage of both the EU and Russia,
to keep cultivating a modus operandi, based on the principles of transparency,
constructive engagement, and mutual accountability, within the various security
and economic domains. We are looking forward to the 31st EU - Russia
Summit, which will take place in the beginning of next month, in order to deepen
and strengthen this strategic partnership.
To
summarize, I hope that the
2013 European Council will constitute a turning – point and a results - driven
Council, in order to take stock of progress concerning the implementation of
the Lisbon Treaty and the 10 years of lessons - learned in CSDP. I hope that
this Summit will reflect on the Union’s strategic policies, security threats
and financial challenges, and pave the way for tangible results in the years to
come. In this regard, I would like to stress that the Ministry of Defence of
the Republic of Cyprus, welcomes all the efforts coming from the EU, as well as
the input of our strategic partners for enhancing the role of the EU in the
security and defence nexus.
To conclude my speech, I would like to thank you for inviting and giving me
this opportunity to present my thoughts and expectations, regarding the
forthcoming European Council in December 2013.
Thank you for your attention.
