Luxembourg, German Defence Ministers Agree on Importance of EU Strategic Compass

Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, François Bausch, today met with his German counterpart, Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, during the latter's visit to the Grand Duchy.

The focus of this meeting was an exchange on the measures taken by Luxembourg and Germany in the context of the COVID-19 crisis as well as joint commitment at NATO and the European Union (EU) level. Both ministers reaffirmed their intention to continue working closely together on these issues.

Germany and Luxembourg agreed on the importance of the "Strategic Compass" in pursuing a common strategic direction for EU security and defence policy goals. The EU's Strategic Compass will take the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) to a new level and align strategic priorities for the years to come.

With regard to Luxembourg's commitment in the Sahel zone, Luxembourg's Defence Minister emphasised the close collaboration that exists with Belgium and Germany. Luxembourg's contribution to the United Nations (UN) Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) has received recognition and there has been an interest in further expanding this successful and profitable cooperation. Both ministers agreed that local and regional security players need to be further strengthened, including through education and training. They particularly welcomed the planned enlargement and regionalisation of the EU Training Mission (EUTM), to which the German special forces mission "Gazelle" in Niger will also contribute.

However, Minister François Bausch expressed the fear that the crisis in the Sahel could not be solved militarily alone and that it was necessary to address its main causes, namely poverty, conflicts in connection with natural resources and state and governance.

In addition to these security issues, the two ministers exchanged on specific projects. Both countries intend to intensify their cooperation in the areas of cyber, geographic information and space, including in the context of space-based earth observation capabilities. The focus here was on the use of space as one of the most important future topics and the participation of Luxembourg in the PESCO project "Geo-Meteorological and Oceanographic (GeoMETOC) Support Coordination Element" (GMSCE). Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasised that Germany (like the EU as a whole) will benefit in the long term from Luxembourg's active participation and the skills development achieved through GMSCE.

Furthermore, the defence ministers discussed the effects of global environmental changes on the security situation in the world. Particular attention was paid to global climate change. The respective armies can and will provide support in coping with the already visible consequences. Here, too, both ministers are counting on a successful cooperation. Minister François Bausch called for climate issues to be systematically included in security and defense within the EU and NATO.