NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed the progress being made in closer cooperation between the Alliance and the European Union in a meeting with EU Defence Ministers on 18 May 2017. He highlighted that this cooperation has reached a new level.

The Secretary General highlighted cyber defence as an example of tangible progress. During the recent ransomware attacks, NATO issued a warning to all Allies, as well as the EU, and exchanged information with the EU. The EU’s cyber security hub CERT-EU has also been granted access to NATO’s Malware Information Sharing Platform. ‘Now NATO and the EU are able to share information in real time on cyber-attacks,’ said Stoltenberg.

The Secretary General and EU High Representative (Foreign Affairs & Security Polocy) Federica Mogherini will report on the progress of NATO-EU cooperation to the Councils of both organisations next month. This cooperation will also be highlighted at the upcoming meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels on 25 May.