Portugal wants Atlântico to be more present in the new EU Defense Strategy
Speaking to Lusa and on the sidelines of a meeting of this informal meeting of defense ministers of the European Union, which has among its points the «Strategic Compass», Gomes Cravinho once again highlighted the importance of the document, because, “for the first time, the EU assumes itself as having a geopolitical beginning and explains how it should demonstrate in the next five years” and said that he believes in its adoption in March, as planned, but if possible with some changes.
“This new version we now have some even better concerns, including a strengthening of the parts dedicated to maritime security, but we believe that by March it will see some positive changes,” he said, referring to the latest version. ` from the document presented by the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell.
The Defense Minister, who advocated the dimension, that maritime security was reinforced to meet the tensions in Portugal, however, which is yet to be.
“We want [essa dimensão] if March still reinforces the «Strategic Compass», and we hope that from now on it will happen, namely with references much more clearly marked to the Atlantic Ocean”, he said.
Gomes Cravinho explains that, in the current version of the document, “the Atlantic is a little absent”, which makes no sense, given its importance.
“We have the Mediterranean, references to the Indian Ocean and the I, we lack very clear references to the Atlantic, which is an ocean of the greatest geostrategic importance for Europe and which is increasingly a space of contestation and competition between great powers , and so it makes sense that they are there,” he said.
João Gomes Cravinho did not fail, however, to welcome the convergence between the 27 in a matter of security and defense, which was not a consensual rule.
“I think we see now that the Europeans are degree of concern, which is important to talk about aspects that are not considered at risk of what are not adopted in March,” he said.
An informal meeting of defense ministers in Brest ends this afternoon with a joint working lunch with the ministers of Foreign Affairs – including Augusto Santos Silva -, dedicated precisely to the «Strategic Compass», the new «roadmap» for the Defense of EU that the European Council should adopt the agenda for the summit of heads of state and government for March in Brussels.