The Council of Ministers takes up the subject of Defense Europe

(BRUSSELS2) Before leaving for Algiers, with President François Hollande, Laurent Fabius and Jean-Yves le Drian, respectively Ministers for Foreign Affairs and Defense presented to the French Council of Ministers a communication relating to Europe of defense . “In a strategic context characterized by the emergence of new threats, France is convinced that the European Union must make a stronger contribution to international security, in its neighborhood and beyond” they point out. A sentence which should also serve as a red thread for the future White Paper in preparation. " By jointly defining the actions to be undertaken, both in terms of operations, capabilities and the defense industry, France wants the European Union to play its full role, alongside its strategic partners and at the within international organisations, foremost among which is the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. » As France wished, a " ambitious mandate » given by the European Council of 13 and 14 December 2012 for the December 2013 Council. The preparatory work will take place throughout 2013 and will focus « in particular on the development of capabilities, the development of the European defense industrial and technological base, as well as the synergies to be created between the civil and military aspects of research and developmentrecalls the communication.

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