NATO Deputy Secretary General welcomes renewed European defence efforts at the European Parliament
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On Thursday (20 March), NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska addressed the European Parliament’s Security and Defence Committee (SEDE). She commended Europeans for stepping up investment in defence to deliver security, praised cooperation with the European Union (EU) and answered questions from Members of the European Parliament (MEPs).
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Ms. Shekerinska hailed initiatives at the European and national levels to boost defence spending, capabilities and readiness, while noting that the transatlantic relationship remains the cornerstone of European security. In her remarks to MEPs, she stressed the need for a stronger European pillar within a strong NATO.
The Deputy Secretary General emphasised the importance of continuing to strengthen NATO-EU cooperation. She underscored that NATO and the EU are natural and indispensable partners, and that the EU can use its unique economic leverage to boost defence production, innovation, and military mobility in line with NATO’s military plans, capabilities, and standards. In this regard she also pointed to the need to involve non-EU allies as much as possible in the EU’s initiatives on defence. Ms. Shekerinska welcomed the ReArm Europe plan, as well as European support for Ukraine.
In a security context where Europe faces instability and threats from many directions, the Deputy Secretary General highlighted that “keeping our people safe is our most sacred duty.”