Laar: EU defence cooperation is growing stronger

September 27, 2011 defpro.com

At the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Wroclaw, Estonian Minister of Defence Mart Laar said that the defence cooperation of the Union is becoming ever stronger.

The main focus of the discussions was military cooperation, and according to Minister of Defence Laar, European military cooperation, despite its shortcomings, is being considered with increasing specificity and seriousness.

“In addition, cooperation with NATO has become clearer, which, considering the future, is a good sign”, said Laar.

A separate topic at the meeting was the foreign missions of the European Union, with special emphasis on the situation in Libya and the fight against piracy.

Countries contributing to the anti-piracy operation Atalanta, including Estonia, were recognised.

The common agreement was that the decision to use more forceful means against pirates has proven to be justified. In addition, most European countries supported the proposal to destroy empty pirate vessels on the coast.

“Poland, the current holder of the EU Presidency, has declared security and national defence to be a priority and is devoting serious attention to it”, said Laar.