On Wednesday, European ministers of defence convened in Berlin for an informal meeting whose importance was heightened by the increasingly worsening situations in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Belarus.
The East Med dossier was not even intended to make the meeting, but as the confrontation between Greece (and its allies) and Turkey becomes more tense, the Greek and Cypriot ministers posed the matter at the centre of the table.
At its heart, the conflict entails two Turkish ships for the exploration of natural gas reserves operating in Greek and Cypriot waters. As Turkey is the only country to recognise its right to do so, it has sparked a fiery confrontation on sea borders with European nations – chiefly Greece and Cyprus, who claim their waters have been invaded.
Trouble is, both sides of the argument are reinforced by the deployment of warships and other military assets. While the Turkish army escorts the exploration ships, Cyprus Greece, France and Italy have started joint military exercises (EUNOMIA) while shadowing the Turkish forces.
While Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hangs on to energy income while his country undergoes economic shockwaves, his stance has changed from assertive to downright aggressive. He has not ruled out the use of force in his “determination to do all that’s necessary” to protect Turkey’s perceived rights in the Aegean Sea.
In Berlin, the Italian defence minister Lorenzo Guerini joined his French counterpart Florence Parly in calling for “a balanced approach for the research of a progressively better cooperation and dialogue between the parts.”
Germany – who holds the rotating presidency of the EU and supports this line – is acting as a mediator between Greece and Turkey, although the talks have had limited success so far. The Berlin meeting was presided by the European High Commissioner Josep Borrell with the German defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
The European approach for Libya, where a frail ceasefire is on the horizon, is hinged on the same spirit of dialogue. Mr Guerini acknowledged the difficulties around the ceasefire and vowed to monitor and encourage it closely, while stressing the need to strengthen the European naval mission Irini, led by the Italian general Fabio Agostini, in charge of patrolling the Med and favouring the conditions for de-escalation in Libya.
Brussels is working on the possibility of a cooperation between Irini and its NATO equivalent, operation Sea Guardian, something that Italy has been pushing for. NATO general Jens Stoltenberg explained that Sea Guardian had supported the European mission that preceded Irini and that NATO was looking into the idea of a new collaboration, but he had no significant news on that front.
Mr Guerini also pointed out that the EU should strengthen its insight and analysis in the Sahel, where operations Takuba and Barkhane (mainly driven by France) seek to counter jihadi extremism, because ensuring the stability in the region will aid that of Northern Africa. The Italian minister also vowed to support international efforts to rebuild Lebanon’s unity “with great generosity”.
Regarding the situation in Belarus, where sweeping popular protests against president Alexander Lukashenko are underway, Mr Stoltenberg expressed his worry on the evolution of the conflict at Europe’s doorstep and pointed out that, despite allegations, NATO was not amassing forces on the borders of Belarus.
The declaration was aimed at Russian president Vladimir Putin, who has been considering sending over Russian forces to help Mr Lukashenko in quelling the protests – the pair is likely to use the “NATO threat” as an excuse to proceed.
The Berlin meeting went some way in demonstrating that Europe is moving jointly as an international actor, albeit slowly. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer has vowed to heighten ambitions for a common European defence strategy, whose funds for 2021-2027 were mostly redirected to the European post-pandemic recovery plan.
France, Germany, Spain and Italy – Europe’s “big four” – agree on the need to reinforce common defence projects, but their will is countered by smaller, “frugal” nations who seek to limit Europe’s overall resources. Still, countries are defining the Strategic Compass, which will identify and direct future actions towards shared priorities and interests.
