Fittex

The Russian aggression against Ukraine has highlighted the relative confusion that exists over the obligations that states have under Article 5 of the (NATO) Washington Treaty and Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union. Clarification and explanation of these articles has become particularly urgent as overlap between NATO and EU membership increases, following Finland and Sweden's application to join NATO.

The thirty NATO member states agreed on 29 June to invite Finland and Sweden to join the Western military alliance, accepting the Nordic countries' accession bids, which came after Russia launched its war on Ukraine nearly five months ago. The June NATO Summit in Madrid also endorsed a new Strategic Concept and branded the Russian Federation as 'the most significant and direct threat to Allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area'. NATO also agreed to boost significantly ...

Russia's war on Ukraine has been a wake-up call for many EU Member States when it comes to their defence budgets and capabilities, leading them to announce significant increases in their defence budgets after collaborative spending reached new lows in 2020. EU leaders made significant commitments on defence investment and capabilities at the Versailles Summit, which were subsequently underlined in the Strategic Compass. As a first step, the Commission presented a defence investment gap analysis on ...

The end of the Cold War and the 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA changed the face of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The alliance has developed, with interventions both within and outside Europe (the Balkans, Afghanistan, the African Horn, and Sub-Saharan Africa). More recently, the alliance has increasingly organised exercises in Europe, in order to reassure its members in the face of military build-up to the East of its borders.