Category Archives: US-European Leadership

The Netherlands Leadership in pressing a new Security Strategy in Europe

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At the last European Council of the Dutch Presidency a new Strategy was presented for the EU’s external policy. As holder of the Presidency, the Netherlands has pressed for just such a joint European Security Strategy.

‘The geopolitical Security situation in Europe has changed dramatically over the past few years,’   ‘This strategy gives a fresh impetus to the EU’s Foreign policy, with an emphasis on security and resilience. If member states act in concert, like members of an orchestra, we can accelerate Europe’s responses to world events and boost the impact of our diplomatic engagement.’  highlighted Foreign Minister Bert Koenders. June 29, 2016  © The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

 

The leadership of Israel in NATO

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin visited NATO HQ in Brussels and met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on June 21.  The meeting was to establish a closer partnership between Israel and NATO.         The new measure to deepen the NATO-Israeli cooperation followed by the decision made earlier this year, on May 4th 2016,  by NATO to agree on opening an Israel Mission at the NATO HQ.

“NATO and Israel have a long relationship and we are longstanding partners. I very much look forward to visiting Israel and to develop an even closer relationship with Israel in the coming years.” Reaffirmed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, June 21, 2016 © NATO

June 21, 2016 © NATO 

  1. Additional:  NATO agrees Israel Mission to NATO
  2. NATO Standing Maritime-2 visited Israel 

Interview with the Deputy Director of EUROPOL, Operations Department

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In the exclusive interview series, this time we have the occasion of getting a glimpse inside of the European Union’s Law-Enforcement Agency,  and the honour of an Interview with Mr Wil van Gemert, Deputy Director of EUROPOL the Operations Department.

Deputy Director of Europol, Operations Department Mr Wil van Gemert June 2016

 

 

 

 

 

Deputy Director of EUROPOL, Operations Department Mr Wil van Gemert 2016 © EUROPOL

Q:  In the recent years, EUROPOL and the U.S Law-Enforcement Agencies have been expanding their strategic cooperation by signing numbers of new agreements on various issues from Cyber Crime to Counter-Terrorism, that could enable both sides to work more effectively to tackle the un-foreseen challenges of 21 century.

  • How this close partnerships at the Law-Enforcement level can benefit the both sides, in general?

Mr Wil van Gemert, Deputy Director of EUROPOL: The US is by far the most important partner of Europol, and especially in the fight against cybercrime.  Both in the field of online child sexual exploitation and cyber-attacks, the FBI, the US Secret Services and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement are making invaluable contributions to EU efforts to arrest criminals. Because both the EU and the US face common threats from terrorism and organised crime, transnational law enforcement cooperation is particularly important to enhance the security of citizens, and even more necessary when it comes to fight against borderless crimes, namely cybercrimes. Indeed, cooperating for more than 11 years, Europol and the US recently agreed on joining efforts to counter foreign fighters and to combat illegal immigration, especially as exploited by organised crime groups. Europol cooperation initiatives with non-EU countries and international organisations are crucial to exchange strategic and technical information, such as trends and developments in the methods used to commit offences or new methods of criminal intelligence analysis. Every year, Europol supports approximately 500 cases involving US authorities and joint operations lead to the arrest of top targets on both sides of the Atlantic. Europol’s cooperation with US authorities has reached an unprecedented level. Europol is now perceived as an efficient and reliable point of contact in many key crime areas in Europe and US authorities see Europol as an instrument to maximise their engagement with investigators in the Member States.

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The Netherlands EU Presidency and the Cooperation between Europe’s Security Services

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The Netherlands thrusts forward to increase the Cooperation between Europe’s Security Services

Logo kleur hoge resolutie Protected by Copyright LawCooperation between Europe’s security services is being stepped up in order to combat terrorism and jihadist violence. A recently launched platform is allowing intelligence to be shared more effectively. This means that information on European foreign fighters is now available to all participating security services. This is important, as jihadist networks are increasingly operating across national borders. The increased cooperation has led to considerable advances in the way European security services work together.

Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk emphasised this in his speech at the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 10 June.   10 June 2016  © MFA of the Netherlands

The Netherlands EU Presidency and creating a Smart Europe

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Logo kleur hoge resolutie Protected by Copyright Law More than 160 speakers at ‘European Industrial Technologies 2016 – Creating a Smart Europe’ Conference in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is honoured to be hosting the fourth European Industrial Technologies Conference, an associated event tying in with the Netherlands EU Presidency in the first half of 2016. The conference will be held from 22 to 24 June in RAI Amsterdam. Industrial Technologies 2016 is the largest networking conference in the field of new production technologies, materials, nanotechnology, biotechnology and digitisation in Europe.  June 2, 2016© the MFA

The Netherlands EU Presidency and the EU-U.S Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial meeting

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On 2 June 2016,  the EU-U.S. Ministerial Meeting  on Justice and Home Affairs, hosted by the Netherlands Presidency of the Council of the EU, took place in Amsterdam. This meeting was held usually twice a year, to evaluate and advance Trans-Atlantic cooperation in the areas of Freedom, Security and Justice.

In this Ministerial meeting, the EU and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to closer cooperation, especially in the context of evolving and shared challenges that affect the security and rights of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic.  June 2, 2016 © MFA of the Netherlands  Continue to read

View the Press release on U.S Homeland Security:  Joint EU-U.S. Press Statement Following the EU-U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial

The Leadership of the Netherlands in NATO

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NATO Secretary General met with Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands to discuss important issues on the wide spectrum of NATO, Europe and the Global Security.  The Secretary General commended the Netherlands highly valuable contributions to the NATO’s Collective Defence.

The Hague June 9, 2016 © NATO

Related documents:  Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister Mark Rutte

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in The Hague to discuss the Alliance’s agenda for the Warsaw Summit in July. June 9, 2016

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An exclusive interview with Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack, Force Commander in Operation ATALANTA

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In the exclusive interview series, this time we have the honour of hearing views  from Force Commander in Operation Atalanta, Hon. Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack , conducted by Editor in Chief, Catherine S. Schmidt

 

Force Commander in Operation Atalanta Rear Admiral Jan Kaack EUNAVFOR June 2016 Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack, Force Commander in Operation Atalanta. June 2016 © German Navy/US EU World Affairs.com

Sir, it is an honor to have you with us in this interview. Thank you very much indeed for accepting this invitation.

Q: In your ceremonial speech, on assuming the position as the Force Commander, you indicated the necessity of remaining vigilant and the continuation of the Military presence in the Operation Atalanta (in the region).

  • Could you please expatiate on that.

Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack: Think of our mission as the bandage and dressing applied to the heavily bleeding wound of an otherwise health casualty. The wound is not going to kill the patient instantly. You have time to think about what to do next. Once you start applying pressure to the bandage, the bleeding stops almost instantly, which is good. But the very moment you ease on the pressure, the bleeding will start again. So, you need to be patient while keeping up the pressure.

And I can assure you: they are still out there! Their intentions and capabilities to resume their old business models are still existent. It has, however, so far been our common effort, military and shipping industry, that their opportunities to operate have been cut-off. And this might well be the case for the foreseeable future… as long as we – together – keep the pressure.

According to a World Bank report (Nov 2013), between 2008 – 2012 pirate leaders received over 350 million Euros in ransoms. Young men can earn up to 30,000 dollars from a successful pirating. I do not see them giving up on these potential gains easily.

Q: With the current unrest in the Northern Africa and Yemen, how do you assess the Security Environment in the Southern Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden?

Rear Admiral Jan C. Kaack: Of course we are always keeping an eye on the political developments in and around our area of operation. Because this might have an impact on our operation as well. For the forces under my command it is clearly the situation on Yemenite soil that has to be watched and assessed constantly. Thus far, the deteriorating security situation ashore does not effect dramatically our operations. It is more the side effects of the developing security environment on the Arabian peninsula and the horn of Africa, that we have to be aware of. Human trafficking, weapon smuggling, you name it…

You might remember, that my flagship, BAYERN, has just recently saved 92 lives from drowning.

Furthermore our protégés of this operation, the ships of the World Food Programme, are regularly approaching Yemeni harbours and thus need to be protected until we can hand them over to security forces at the TTW of YEM.

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Denmark will bolster its Military Support to Afghanistan

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From the time when the  International Security Assistance Force ‘ISAF’ was established in 2001, and later transformed to non-Combat ‘Resolute Support’ in January 2015, the Royal Danish Armed Forces has been playing a potent role in both Operations.  On the Financial scale, Denmark has been also providing substantial amount of Humanitarian, Economic and Educational Aid to the Afghanistan since 2001.

The recent announcement by the Government affirms with the further measures to bolster its Military support to Afghanistan– that to be applied on both: 

  • Military Contingent,  with the new increase in the numbers of Danish Troops in the region
  • And the increase of Financial support of USD 15 million annually throughout 2020 to the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces

Sponsor_Ministry_UK of Denmark protected by Copyright LAW “We have decided to continue our financial support to the Afghan Security Forces at the current level throughout 2020 and to increase our contribution to NATO’s training mission in Afghanistan. It is necessary that we stand together with the international society and continue to support Afghanistan, so that the country can get back on its feet and fight the terrorists. It is a difficult and fragile situation, but we must help the Afghans in their stabilisation efforts, so that they can see a future in their own country. This is also in Denmark’s best interests,”  states Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kristian Jensen. May 12, 2016 © Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark

“The efforts of our Danish soldiers in Afghanistan have helped to make a difference in the country. We are now building upon this by strengthening our military contribution. The security situation in Afghanistan remains under pressure, and it is therefore crucial that the international society continues to offer its support.”  Affirmed the Minister of Defence Peter Christensen. May 12, 2016 © Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Denmark    Continue to read

U.S Navy flies in the search of missing Egypt-Air

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On May 20, the  U.S. Navy P-3 Orion has launched its Operation in the search for missing Egypt-Air.

Announced by the U.S Naval Forces Europe-Africa:  

“The U.S. Navy is providing a P-3 Orion in support of the Hellenic Armed Forces, and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Greece, in response to a request by the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece for assistance in the search of the missing Egyptian aircraft.”

           The U.S. Navy is providing P-3 Orions for the search May 20, 2016 May 20, 2016 © US Naval Forces Europe-Africa

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