Ministers hold talks in Brussels

Minister of Defence Peter Gajdoš and his partners from the EU Member States met in Brussels to hold discussions at the Council of the EU. Building on the Malta informal meeting, the Council adopted the conclusions on security and defence in the context of the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy (EUGS). The conclusions provide guidance on the way forward on implementing the EUGS in the field of establishing a Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) for military missions in a non-executive mandate; strengthening cooperation and support for partners; stepping up the efficiency of Rapid Response (RR); Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO); the projects of the European Defence Agency (e.g. the establishment of a Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD)) and those of the European Commission (especially in the context of implementing the European Defence Action Plan (EDAP), aimed at improving the EU's capabilities building to deliver a more effective and complex RR to crises in the world.