The High Representative/Vice President/Head of Agency and the Secretary General of NATO are submitting to the respective Councils in June a progress report on the implementation of the 42 actions. It is a factual account on concrete achievements made so far. Some specific actions are worth highlighting:
Hybrid threats
EU-NATO cooperation on countering hybrid threats is more important than ever. Ten out of the forty-two proposals are linked to the fight against hybrid threats. EU and NATO, along with Member States and Allies, will contribute to and participate in the activities of the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats set up in Helsinki.
Better situational awareness is critical for our work to counter hybrid threats effectively. The establishment of the EU Hybrid Fusion Cell and its interaction with the NATO Hybrid Analysis Cell will help us draw up a shared situational picture.
Strategic Communication
Collaboration between strategic communications teams will help convey the message that we stand united, notably in support of our partners and in delivering coordinated messages.
Maritime coordination
Cooperation and coordination between Operations EUNAVFOR Med Sophia and Sea Guardian have been enhanced through regular information sharing and logistical support. This builds on existing cooperation in the Aegean Sea and experience acquired in the Indian Ocean.
Cyber security
Recent coordinated cyber-attacks across the globe demonstrate the need to tackle vulnerabilities of our societies and institutions. The exchange of concepts on the integration of cyber defence aspects into the planning and conduct of missions and operations has opened the door to increased cooperation in this domain.
Defence Capabilities
EU Member States and NATO Allies have one single set of forces. On defence capabilities, staffs are increasing efforts to ensure coherence of output between the NATO Defence Planning Process and the EU Capability Development Plan.
Exercises
Preparations for parallel and coordinated exercises are well advanced. For the first time, next autumn NATO and the EU staffs will exercise their response to a hybrid scenario in a parallel and coordinated way.
Supporting partners’ capacity building
Assisting partners in building their capacities and fostering resilience, in particular in the Western Balkans, and in our Eastern and Southern neighbourhood is our common objective. Cooperation on the ground and at Headquarters level in this respect has strengthened substantially. Key areas of interaction have been identified such as strategic communications, cyber, ammunition storage and safety in three pilot countries, namely Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republic of Moldova and Tunisia as a first step.
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