The OCEAN2020 project, managed by a 42 partner consortium from 15 EU countries, has successfully launched its first sea demonstration in the Gulf of Taranto, Italy. The OCEAN2020 Live Sea Demonstration involves a total of 9 unmanned assets and six naval units from Italy, Spain, Greece and France. The deployment of manned and unmanned systems,…
France’s choice for its next commissioner has won the support of the EPP group. “Thierry Breton showed himself to be a very experienced person who possesses both knowledge of the content and the managerial skills to take up the position as Commissioner for the Internal Market. He has the green light from us”, said Christian Ehler MEP,…
A sensitive report into Russian interference in the Brexit referendum campaign in 2016 is being sat on by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.The report is the work of the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK parliament, chaired by Dominic Grieve. Before it can be published, the Prime Minister must give his approval for publication,…
Western nations need to build closer partnerships with the private sector to sharpen NATO and the European Union responses to hybrid security threats, participants at a unique day-long exercise concluded on Thursday. “Hybrid warfare is now real warfare,” Jamie Shea, Senior Fellow at Friends of Europe and former Deputy Assistant General at NATO. “This is an…
Socialists and Democrats have strongly condemned Turkish military intervention against Kurdish-led forces in Northeast Syria, calling Ankara to immediately and permanently halt it. The Russia-Turkey deal reached yesterday legitimises the Turkish invasion of a 32 kilometre zone along the Syrian border and the refoulement of 2 million refugees. All of these are grave violations of…
Member States’ current military capabilities and cooperation do not match the new level of ambition of the EU’s defence policy, according to a new review by the European Court of Auditors. Synergies between EU initiatives and other defence and security frameworks are essential, warn the auditors. In particular, a critical point is whether the EU…
Italy has a central role to play in Europe’s response to growing security challenges in the Mediterranean region, but the current government’s “suicide diplomacy” is reducing its influence in the European Union and NATO just when it needs their support, according to a timely new report by Friends of Europe published this week. The study…
I welcome today’s announcement by the Joint Investigation Team that four suspects will be prosecuted for crimes in relation to the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in July 2014. This is an important milestone in the efforts to uncover the full truth and ensure that justice is done for the killing of 298 people…
A NATO force of 2,500 German, Dutch and Norwegian troops and 1,000 vehicles is currently taking part in exercise Noble Jump 19 at the Zagan training range in Western Poland. Noble Jump is the main training opportunity for NATO’s Spearhead Force, the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and tests how well its different units…
In a stern rebuke to Russia for breaching international law by detaining vessels belonging to Ukraine in the Sea of Azov, the International Tribunal of the United Nations for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has ordered the Russian Federation to release the Ukrainian naval vessels Berdyansk, Nikopol and Yani Kapu, and return them to…
