Taking uniform European action is of critical importance

Speaking at a conference held for the Hungarian press, General Dr. Gábor Böröndi, Chief of HDF General Staff stated that the military diplomacy summit – where the representatives of participating nations primarily discuss how to strengthen the independent military capabilities of the European Union – sheds light on the critical importance of taking uniform European action. “This event has special importance, not only because it is being held during the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU, or because this year we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hungary’s accession to the EU, but also because this is the second time that the European Union Military Committee is holding an official session at such level outside of Brussels, the host country of which is Hungary” – said the general.

The Chief of HDF General Staff reminded his audience that besides the chiefs of defence from 27 member states of the European Union, the chiefs of defence of Western Balkans partner nations are also attending the meeting. “During our presidency, one of our most important goals in the field of defence policy is to strengthen the defence and crisis management capability of the European Union. The times we live in are characterized by increasingly greater security challenges, therefore the strengthening of the EU’s resilience and operational capabilities is of fundamental importance” – underlined the Hungarian chief of defence, who went on saying that the multinational Exercise Brave Warrior 24-EU and next year’s EU-exercise MILEX-25 will play a key role in European military development, in consolidating the common capabilities and in strengthening the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB).

“We all would like to see the European Union taking on a lead role in guaranteeing its own security” – stated Dr. Gábor Böröndi. The general pointed out that the introduction of new weapon systems and the expansion of our capabilities are indispensable for being able to take action against changing security threats.

Austrian General Robert Brieger, Chairman, European Union Military Committee noted that armistice can only be achieved by making joint efforts. “Peace is teamwork, and we are committed to discussing and tackling the challenges together” – he said.

On the second day of the EUMC session, chiefs of defence from 27 EU member states and five Western Balkan countries discussed several topics of strategic importance such as the EU’s conducting maritime operations on the northwest Indian Ocean, fulfilling the EU’s military ambitions through mitigating capability shortfalls, attaining full operational capability (FOC) of the European Union Rapid Deployment Capacity (EU RDC), supporting Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War and the changing security situation of the Western Balkans – this was how the Chairman of the EUMC (founded in 2001), who is to relinquish his position in May next year, summed up the topics of the meeting. He is of the opinion that cooperation, consensus and intensive work make the European Union a credible actor in defence policy.