international
A common strategic
CULTURE
European Defence Ministers analyse lessons learned and
Spain offers to host the first EU Congress on Military
Medicine
the pandemic for the common good.
In this respect, Margarita Robles
proposed that Spain, in collaboration
with the European External Action
Service, host and organize the first
EU Congress on Military Medicine in
order to ensure a military health link
between European countries.
Minister Robles, aware and proud of
the crucial role played by the Military
Medical Corps in the fight against the
coronavirus, stressed that “this role
should be extended to
the European level”, and
recalled that the Spanish
Armed Forces continue to
be “very involved in this
fight, in support of civilian
actors, while continuing
with all their defence tasks
and overseas missions”.
For all these reasons,
and thanks to the lessons
learned, the Minister made
other proposals to her
EU counterparts: on the
one hand, and in order to
keep our commitments
and ensure the health
of the troops deployed,
“a protocol model will
be presented for the
training, deployment and
withdrawal of military
forces in the COVID-19
environment”, which
could also be useful for
the Atlantic Alliance.
KEEPING its citizens safe
and exporting stability,
responding in real time to
an unprecedented situation
such as the COVID-19 pandemic
and, at the same time, ensuring the
capabilities and mechanisms that would
help maintain and promote a Europe of
Defence, are all ambitious objectives.
However, Defence Ministers agreed
that the European Union has proved
capable of taking them on. But now the
focus must be on further
progress. “We know what
we are facing and what
is ahead of us. Now we
need to put into concrete
objectives what needs
to be done to respond
to the growing threats
and challenges that the
EU will be facing in the
coming decade”, summed
up Mr. Josep Borrell,
the High Representative
of the European Union
for Foreign Affairs and
Security Policy, after the
video conference of EU
Defence Ministers held
on 20 November 2020.
Among other issues,
Ministers took note of the
threat analysis with the
aim of making progress
on the Strategic Compass
(a project launched by
the German Presidency
seeking to unify Member States’
threat perceptions and create a
common strategic culture); approved
conclusions on Permanent Structured
Cooperation (PESCO) in which they
assess progress made, define the criteria
for the next phase (2021-2025) and
set up mechanisms for third country
participation; agreed on the progress
made in the funding of the European
Peace Facility; and discussed how to
maximize the lessons learned during
Rubén Somonte/MDE
Defence Minister Margarita Robles highlighted the Armed Forces’ effort
to support civilian authorities in the fight against COVID-19.
46 Revista Española de Defensa April 2021