Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen

Good morning.
President von der Leyen,
dear Ursula,
President Michel,
dear Charles,

Welcome to both of you. It is great to see you back at NATO headquarters and a very warm welcome to both of you.
This is a great way of starting the New Year.

We have just signed the third NATO-EU joint declaration.
To further advance the strategic partnership between NATO and the European Union.
This is more important than ever.

Almost a year ago, hours after Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the 24 February, the three of us met together here at the NATO Headquarters.
President Putin wanted to take Ukraine in a few days.
And to divide us.

On both counts, he has clearly failed.

Russian troops have been pushed back by the brave Ukrainian forces.
And NATO and the European Union have stood united in support of Ukraine.

The regime in Moscow wants a different Europe.
It wants to control its neighbours.
And it sees democracy and freedom as a threat.
This will have long-lasting consequences for our security.

So we must continue to strengthen the vital transatlantic bond in NATO.
We must continue to strengthen the partnership between NATO and the European Union.
And we must further strengthen our support to Ukraine.

In a world of growing strategic competition, authoritarian actors challenge our interests, values and democratic principles.
Through military, but also political, economic, and technological means.

China's growing assertiveness and policies present challenges that we need to address.

Persistent conflict and instability in our neighbourhood undermine our security.
And provide fertile ground for both strategic competitors and terrorist groups.

Our declaration makes clear that NATO remains the foundation of our collective defence and remains essential for Euro-Atlantic security.

It also recognises the value of a more capable European defence that contributes positively to our security and is complementary to, and interoperable with, NATO.

Today's declaration builds on the previous two, from 2016 and 2018.
Based on these declarations, we have developed concrete actions.
And we have reached unprecedented progress in our cooperation.

We are determined to take the partnership between NATO and the European Union to the next level.

To address in particular the growing geostrategic competition, resilience issues, and the protection of critical infrastructures. As well as emerging and disruptive technologies, space, the security implications of climate change, foreign interference and information manipulation.

Our partnership will become even more important once Finland and Sweden become full NATO members.

With their accession, NATO will be protecting 96% of the citizens in the European Union.
And a higher share of its territory than ever before.

We encourage the fullest possible involvement of the NATO Allies that are not members of the EU in its initiatives.
And we encourage the fullest possible involvement of EU members that are not part of the Alliance in its initiatives.

So dear Ursula, dear Charles,
Thank you for your personal commitment and your leadership in taking our cooperation forward.

So then, I pass the floor to you, President Michel.

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