EU and NATO launch task force to protect the critical infrastructure of member states

On Wednesday, the European Union and NATO announced the creation of a new task force to examine how to protect their member states' critical infrastructure better. They are doing so in the context of tensions with Russia and the war in Ukraine.

"We are setting up a working group on the resilience of our critical infrastructure," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The Norwegian is in Brussels to participate in the Commission's weekly college, this time focusing on defence and security.

According to Von der Leyen, the working group to which the EU and NATO will contribute will look at the efforts that can be made in transport, energy, digital affairs and space.

"Together, we want to explore how to make our critical infrastructure, technologies and supply chains more resilient to potential threats and take measures to reduce potential vulnerabilities," Stoltenberg added.

It is the second time the NATO Secretary-General has participated in a Commission college.

On Tuesday, the EU and NATO signed a declaration to take their cooperation to the next level. "Strong allies make strong alliances," European Council President Charles Michel stated.

It is already the third declaration since 2016. The document also mentions China for the first time. However, it is still mainly the war in Ukraine that makes a further rapprochement between the military giant and the economic giant even more urgent.

^{© REUTERS Johanna Geron}