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For Carme Chacon, the “top priority” is the prosecution of pirates

(BRUSSELS2) (In Ghent) The Spanish Defense Minister, Carme Chacón, at the start of the informal meeting of Defense Ministers, asked the High Representative, Cathy Ashton, to grant "ahigh priority » the signing of agreements with countries in the region (in the Indian Ocean) to prosecute pirates arrested off the coast of Somalia and, if found guilty, to serve their sentences in these countries. Chacon also stressed the need to intensify efforts with the United Nations to create a regional tribunal to try crimes against piracy. But, in the meantime, it will be necessary to sign agreements with the countries of the region.

The weight of the law must really be effective ". It must continue and end the military action begun at sea. Only then will we be able to eradicate piracy and put an end to the practices of kidnapping and extortion, which are now conceived as a way of life. explained the Spanish minister.

Regarding the subject on the Council's agenda—the optimization of common resources in the face of significant budgetary constraints—Carme Chacón reiterated that it would be more efficient and responsible than ever to better cooperate in the use of military resources. . " It's time to think about new abilities but also to improve the ones we already have. We must do more with less, and this is possible thanks to the new instruments offered by the Treaty of Lisbon she said. The Minister spoke in this way to give more importance to the European Defense Agency, so that it becomes " the main body responsible for identifying collaborative projects and programs that can generate savings and added value ". A point of view shared by a number of defense ministers, around this dinner given at the town hall of Ghent. Except one... (guess which one!)... To be continued

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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