Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) Defence Ministers meet to underline the significance of regional defence cooperation for Europe-wide security

State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Defence Marian Majer attended the two-day Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) Ministerial Meeting in Austria's Krems an der Donau, while Western Balkan (WB) Defence Ministers were invited into the CEDC Plus format (CEDC+WB) on the second day of the meeting.

In-depth discussions on the central themes of the agenda were held, with a particular focus on the security challenges posed by Russia's aggression against Ukraine as well as on the support for the Western Balkan countries' integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures and for deeper collaboration.

During the talks with the Defence Ministers of Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary and Slovenia, State Secretary Marian Majer praised the CEDC as a platform for facilitating the political and security integration of the Western Balkans into the EU.

State Secretary Marian Majer stated: “Without a free, stable and secure Western Balkans, Europe as a whole can be neither stable nor safe. The countries of this region are learning their lessons of democracy, which requires them to take a courageous approach to reforms and engage in pro-active collaboration. That is why, meetings like this one can be an excellent way of demonstrating our support and interest in their European future.”

The CEDC delegations tackled a number of issues related to Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) and the implementation of the EU's Strategic Compass across the European bloc. In this regard, Mr Majer reaffirmed Slovakia's commitment to Op EUFOR ALTHEA, which the Slovak side views as a major stabilising factor contributing to building the security environment of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and perhaps even beyond the region.

At the ministerial meeting, Defence Ministers signed a renewed Joint Declaration on the CEDC, thereby committing to promoting closer defence cooperation and ties between the participating countries, as well as to beefing up the security of the European continent, coupled with the support for the Western Balkans, which, from the European perspective, is treated as a strategic priority.