MEP Victor Negrescu, rapporteur for the Constitutional Affairs Committee’s opinions on Common Foreign and Security Policy and Common Security and Defence Policy, called for an update of these policies to meet the new challenges posed by the war in Ukraine.

In a speech to the European Parliament plenary session on 13-16 January, he pointed out the current shortcomings, based on recent reports of strategic arms shortages in some European countries.

”Europe is facing an unprecedented security crisis. The war in Ukraine has shown us the limits of our defence system, the foreign policy challenges, and the fragility of European unity. Citizens expect us to guarantee their security and protect our values, interests, and borders”, stressed Victor Negrescu.

In this context, the MEP stressed the need for a ”dynamic and faster decision-making process, using all the mechanisms of the European treaties, including greater involvement of the European Parliament”.

”We need to be able to impose effective sanctions, but also to combat new hybrid threats. We need better cooperation with NATO and the United States, but also common defence capabilities, including through the development of defence industry, technologies and strategic autonomy. It is very complicated to talk about our defence or supporting Ukraine while we are divided, we have a slow decision-making process and many European states are facing a shortage of armaments or have not invested enough in this field”, added Negrescu.

In the presence of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, Romania’s representative in the European Parliament stressed the need for a more robust presence on the Eastern flank and called for additional support for frontline states, appealing for European solidarity and reiterating the importance of Schengen enlargement in the context of Romania’s consistent efforts to support Ukraine and Moldova.

”We need to protect Europe and the Eastern flank and I can tell you that the frontline states, the states in the vicinity of Ukraine, including my state, Romania, expect more European solidarity. The enlargement of the Schengen area can facilitate support to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. We have addressed all these issues in our opinion, and we hope that all these points of view will be considered”, said the Romanian MEP.

Recently, the European Union, represented by the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, and NATO, represented by its Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, signed the third Joint Declaration on cooperation in a security environment dominated by Russia’s war in Ukraine, which states that European defence is complementary to NATO, the Alliance being the foundation of transatlantic defence and security.