NATO after the Vilnius Summit
On 20 July 2023, INCIPE held the virtual event entitled NATO after the Vilnius Summit, with the participation of Federico Torres Muro, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Spain to NATO. The meeting was introduced by the Ambassador and INCIPE Secretary General, Manuel Alabart. The presentation was followed by a round of questions moderated by Vicente Garrido, Director General of INCIPE.
Federico Torres Muro began his speech by pointing out the success, in general terms, of this Summit, in which the heads of state and government of the 31 members of the Alliance plus Sweden, as a guest state, participated. Torres Muro explained that this was a Summit that presented some short-term challenges and had to respond to other challenges of a more structural nature, with a focus on the two major threats: the war in Ukraine and terrorism.
The Ambassador then went on to describe the three sessions that took place during the Summit. The first, an internal session, served to approve the regional plans governing NATO’s activities. In addition, the defence and investment commitment signed in 2014, known as the Wales Declaration, was renewed, which set out to allocate 2% of GDP to defence investment. The action plan for the promotion of defence industry production and a plan to support Ukraine’s defence sector were also approved.
The second session focused on Asia-Pacific-4 partners (Australia, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand) together with EU representatives. This included an analysis of the challenges and threats to the international order. China was discussed and how NATO claims to remain open to a constructive relationship, but without forgetting that there are elements that concern the allies, such as China’s arms race or its relationship with Russia. There was also discussion of the fact that the concept of security and defence is now evolving; it can no longer be dealt with on a strictly geographical basis, and new domains, such as cyberspace and outer space, need to be addressed.
The third session, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenski, saw the formation of the NATO-Ukraine Council. At the same time, the G7 agreement, known as the security arrangements, was formalised and some Allies, including Spain, joined the agreement. The three fundamental elements of these arrangements consist of: support in the area of defence, support for Ukraine’s economic stability and the reconstruction of the country, and financial and technical support to make it possible to strengthen the Ukrainian authorities’ good governance agenda. Ukraine also undertakes two commitments: to strengthen transparency and to implement reforms in its institutional architecture, strengthening the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights.
Another aspect discussed at the Summit, in which Spain has a strong interest and which is reflected in paragraph 22 of the statement, is the need to reinforce NATO’s policy towards the ‘southern flank’. To this end, two fundamental pillars were established: strengthening political dialogue and reinforcing defence capabilities.
With respect to Spain’s role in this Summit, Torres highlighted the announcement of the commitment to deploy new forces in Slovakia and Romania, reinforcing its contribution to collective defence, and its support for Ukraine with the aforementioned G7 agreement.
A discussion took place at the end of the session, in which participants raised questions on issues such as Ukraine’s NATO membership, and how this is not foreseeable as long as the war lasts. The lifting of Turkey’s veto on Sweden and how this relates to the fight against terrorism was also discussed. There was also discussion of NATO’s eastward enlargement, Spain’s defence spending and public opinion, and finally the prospects for industrial cooperation in NATO and the need to coordinate and complement these efforts with the European Union.
Elena Ferro
INCIPE
