Informal meeting of EU Defense Ministers in Bucharest

Defense Ministers from EU Member States gathered in an informal meeting on Thursday morning at Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, an event organized by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of European Commission, Federica Mogherini, said in a press conference that Bucharest event was well organized and discussions included current issues on the European Defense Agenda. Head of European Diplomacy Federica Mogherini said that the work atmosphere here in Bucharest was excellent and ended with fruitful discussions. Although informal meetings do not adopt decisions, talks are progressing on issues that concern common efforts, Ms.Mogherini added.

European Defense and its future was the main theme of the meeting - said Federica Mogherini - who stressed that EU Defense Ministers decided to strengthen initiatives in this area, reference to European Defense Fund. We discussed the need to integrate European defense systems into national defense systems, but also the fact that the IT field will have to be on the agenda of the future EU Ministers of Defense. Federica Mogherini also spoke about the importance of the Sophia military operation in the Mediterranean, which managed to cut 80% of the arrivals of illegal immigrants.

For his part, Romanian Defense Minister Gabriel Leş said that the meeting was a success and said that for two days, EU Defense Ministers had the opportunity to discuss current issues in the field of security, but also prospects for European Defense. Recent developments in the regional and international space urge us to pay special attention to these dimensions - Gabriel Leş said at a press conference held at the Palace of Parliament.

RRA Reporter Oana Bâlă: "This is the first ministerial event organized by Romania since taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and it proposes exchange of views on the consolidation of the European project, with a focus on security and defense dimension. Meeting is chaired by European Diplomacy Chief Federica Mogherini and has, a Special Guest, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg”.

Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei