As Trump eyes a return to power and the Ukraine war grinds on, Research Fellow Monika Sus and co-author urge a stronger EU-NATO alliance in War on the Rocks.
As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House and Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on, the urgency of transforming the EU-NATO relationship from a still largely symbolic partnership into a robust, operational alliance has never been clearer. The recent NATO summit in Washington, D.C., made little headway on advancing EU-NATO cooperation, highlighting the critical need for a coordinated, action-oriented partnership to address today’s escalating security threats.
“With warfare resurfacing on the European continent in February 2022 and U.S. security priorities redirecting toward the Indo-Pacific, the need to pursue a strategic partnership worthy of its name has never been more urgent.” write Centre Research Fellow Monika Sus and Dominik Jankowski. There is momentum for change, particularly as leadership has recently changed in both organisations. The new NATO Secretary General, who previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, is intimately familiar with the EU, presenting a unique opportunity for enhanced cooperation between NATO and the European Union.
While both NATO and the EU have moved toward closer cooperation over the last decade, insufficient coordination remains challenging, risking duplication and inefficiency in a resource-scarce environment. To address this, the authors propose three initiatives for the new NATO and EU leadership: a joint military training mission supporting Ukraine, a better division of labour between the EU and NATO to strengthen defence industry development, and enhanced interoperability through military transport corridors, improved logistics, and expanded training efforts. These steps aim to align the strengths of both organisations, ensuring their efforts are complementary.
With Trump’s return and today’s volatile security landscape, a strong EU-NATO partnership is essential. However, this can only be achieved with decisive political leadership. The new incoming NATO and EU leadership must prioritise cooperation to transform the partnership into a strategic alliance capable of tackling evolving security challenges both in Europe and beyond.
Read the full commentary by Sus and Jankowski in War on the Rocks here.
The Hertie School is not responsible for any content linked or referred to from these pages. Views expressed by the author/interviewee may not necessarily reflect the views and values of the Hertie School.
More about the expert
-
Monika Sus, Fellow, Centre for International Security