Van Rompuy calls for closer EU-NATO cooperation

The President of the EU Council Herman Van Rompuy said here Sunday that the NATO summit will provide an opportunity for the EU to demonstrate how the 27-member European bloc can contribute to global security in cooperation with NATO. "I will deliver three key messages," he said as he arrived for the two-day summit noting that the EU was well placed to address today's complex security challenges. He stated that the EU operated side-by-side with NATO in the Western Balkans, in Afghanistan and in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia. Secondly, he said, "the EU is committed to assuming a greater security role in our neighbourhood. "European cooperation in the area of development of military capabilities has become urgent in the current financial situation and the fast-moving geo-strategic environment," he said. "In Chicago, I will be able to announce concrete progress by EU Member States in pooling and sharing their military capabilities, most notably air-to-air refuelling, which was a critical capability shortfall during the Libya operation," said Van Rompuy. Thirdly, he called for more frequent political dialogue, enhanced cooperation in crisis management and further synergies in the development of military capabilities are the between the EU and NATO.