NATO HQ 4 March 2003

NATO-EU Relations Video-interview with Günther Altenburg, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs Video-interview Q: Ambassador Altenburg, you are the Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Political Affairs and the Chairman of NATO's Senior Political Committee. Thank you for agreeing to talk to us about NATO's relationship with the European Union. In December last year a breakthrough was achieved when key decisions were taken by both organizations on the future of this relationship. Meetings between the two organizations were already taking place, I think, at least six times a year at the level of ambassadors and other levels. But since December contacts have multiplied. Can you explain what you mean when you talk of a strategic partnership between NATO and the EU. What would you say were its main features? Günther Altenburg: Well I think, as you say, it is an historic decision that has been achieved on the 16th of December of last year when both organizations came up with a joint statement saying that they would in the future work together. And in particular tackle the problems of crises and crisis management together. They have been doing so already in the past, but given the different historic background of both organizations, historically, politically, institutionally, it took some time to come to grips with it. I think it is a little bit also in the aftermath of September 11, that things have been accelerated and that both organizations have been focusing on the institutional, legal framework of tackling the operational things we are undertaking in the Balkans, in particular, together. Q: And in practical terms, what do you think this strategic partnership will bring about? What will the Europeans and the Americans see as the most likely concrete tangible results? Altenburg: Well I guess it is a question of two things. It's a burden sharing question where you would see the Europeans to take over certain responsibilities when they feel they are able to do it, where the Americans will be able to joint in with their efforts. And I think it is a question of added value and a question of who is closer and fitter and better positioned to take over certain tasks. Q: And do you think it will be a partnership limited to Europe or for example, limited to the Balkans or could it go further than that? Altenburg: Well, I think we should first walk before we run. I think what we are talking about now is the Balkans. We are talking about the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (1) to be taken over by the European Union. We are then talking about, in a further perspective, about takeover of the operations in Bosnia where the European Union has already some responsibility. But as you say, it is not excluded and nothing prevents further co-operation in other areas. The framework we are talking about allows for that in the future. Q: But there are some countries, Norway and Turkey, for example, that are members of NATO, but not of the European Union, how would they be affected by these decisions? Do you think they will take part in military missions led by the European Union? Altenburg: I think that's exactly a very crucial and interesting point you're touching there. Because I think that the decisions and the statement we have come up with in December provides for their full inclusion and the key word is transparency, on the one hand, and participation on the other. So what we are looking forward to is that non-EU countries would indeed have the possibility and I guess that EU countries would also look forward to that. That non-EU countries would participate, like Turkey, like Canada, like Norway, in operations led by the EU. And that therefore in an EU-led operation there would be mechanisms, like for instance, committee of contributors where they would be present and where all the decisions would be adequately prepared so that they are fully involved. Q: You already mentioned the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the prospect of the EU taking over what has hitherto been a NATO operation there. Can you say any more about that specific operation? Altenburg: Well, I think it is an interesting operation in the sense that it allows for a limited period of time for the EU to take over responsibility. This is the wish expressed by the authorities of the former republic... former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The president himself wrote a letter. And the idea is that the EU would take over sometime in March the responsibility for something like six month where the NATO would have left it. Q: You mentioned September 11th, which of course raises the whole issue of terrorism. Can you clarify how you see the relations involving the EU and NATO developing in the area of terrorism? Altenburg: Well I would say no institution in the area of terrorism has a monopoly. You are aware that the focus on the combat of terrorism has been... the effort to focus on the combat of terrorism has been with us since September 11, with each of the organizations, with the United Nations, with the EU, with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; each organization in its own field of competence. NATO is certainly not, let's say, the overall world-wide sheriff for the hunt of terrorists. We do what we can best and that is to combat terrorism in the military field. We have to co-ordinate with other organizations, share information, share intelligence and that's what we're doing. Q: Let me ask you one more question. The Secretary General of NATO, Lord Robertson, has said that NATO and EU operational capabilities have to be complementary. How can that work out in practice? For example, with respect to the NATO Response Force and the EU Rapid Reaction Force? Sometimes they're seen as being, potentially at least, in competition with each other. Altenburg: Well, I think that is a misperception. We don't have the luxury of sort of duplicating our military capabilities. So therefore we need necessarily to be complementary in our efforts. And the NATO Response Force is a very small force in relative terms. We're talking about a force that will be a fighting force at the upper end of military operations. While the spectrum of what operations foreseen for the EU is much broader and as they say, it's rather in the area of the Petersburg activities, which is peace support operations. So there is a complementarity in these two things, and the arrangements we have agreed upon, the key word here is Berlin Plus is to make sure that there is, indeed, complementarity both with respect to command arrangements as well as with the forces employed. Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.