TOMAS VALASEK (Slovakia) - PRELIMINARY DRAFT GENERAL REPORT
26 April 2024
NATO meets its 75th anniversary facing the most precarious global security situation in decades. Like in the Cold War, NATO once again faces a threat from the east: Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine had a transformative impact on the Euro-Atlantic community. However, the new challenges that rose to prominence in the post-Cold War era, including the revisionist China, international terrorism, spread of emerging and disruptive technologies, disinformation, the security implications of climate change, and the global onslaught of nationalism and protectionism remain as acute as ever.
Fortunately, throughout its existence, NATO demonstrated its ability to evolve and adapt to shifting geopolitical dynamics. This preliminary draft report takes stock of NATO’s ambitious endeavour to build the most robust collective defence since the Cold War as well as to provide indispensable support to Ukraine.
This preliminary draft report provides concrete recommendations to Allied policymakers on further strengthening of the Alliance in the run-up to the Washington Summit and beyond. These include: enhancing the European defence posture by delivering on NATO’s new defence plans, which will require all Allies to contribute more than 2% of GDP on defence; intensifying support to Ukraine as long as Moscow persists in its aggressive actions, including by making this support more predictable and institutionalised, and going beyond the Vilnius Summit language on Ukraine’s prospects to join NATO; operationalising Allies’ commitment to the democratic values by establishing without delay a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters; demonstrating continued convergence of views on China; shoring up Allied security on southern borders while seeking mutually beneficial cooperation with southern neighbours; and delivering on important defence innovation initiatives adopted in recent years.
