Defence Minister Vasile Dincu participated in the Informal EU Defence Ministerial which took place at Brest, over 12^th-13^th January.

The activity started with a working dinner attended by NATO, UN and European Parliament members , when they tackled the challenges posed by the interferences of the statal and non—statal players in the EU theaters of operations.

The defence ministers emphasized the negative impact of certain groups such as Wagner Group in strategic interest areas for the EU - Ukraine, Libya, central African Republic and, most recently, in Mali. Also, NATO Secretary General presented the main conclusions drawn after the NATO-Russia Council.

In his allocution, minister Dincu emphasized the negative influence from the conflict areas of the above-mentioned Group, fact which contributes to the deterioration of the security situation and which has a destabilizing effect, interfering with EU's operational efforts. Also, the Romanian official pointed out the importance of the tight cooperation and dialogue with NATO and UN, also the synergies among the operational efforts with a view of combating the negative effects of the interferences of these actors by expressing Romania's support for these efforts.

During the second day of the reunion, the debates started with a session on the current issues, when the defence ministers talked about the security situation from Ukraine and its borders with the Russian Federation, generated by the massive deployment of Russian troops, including from the perspective of the results of the recent visit made by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, in Ukraine.

In his allocution, minister Dincu reiterated his concern on the consolidation of the Russian military presence in the Eastern neighborhood, appreciating that, together with other hybrid actions, these actions are part of a wider strategy of the Russian Federation which aims at increasing its influence in the areas of interest, concomitantly with the limitation of the access into the EU of its neighboring states.

The talks continued with a session dedicated to the fields of strategic interest for the European Union (maritime, cybernetic, space), where an increased global competition is noticed. The defence ministers focused on the challenges associated to the spatial field, including from the perspective of the current and future threats of the required capabilities, considering the reflection process on EU's Spatial Strategy in the field of security and defence.

Taking into account the magnitude of the threats posed by the cosmic space and emergent technologies which allow for the overlapping of the civilian and military activities, the Romanian defence minister supported the importance of the role of EU SatCen in the development of the EU's capacity in action in the spatial field, this being an important instrument for the substantiation of the planning and decision-making processes at European level.

The reunion ended with a joint session of the defence and foreign affairs ministers dedicated to the Strategic Compass. The debates' starting point was the reviewed version of the paper, the ministers offering public political guidance for the further review of the text within the working sessions of the Council. The member states emphasized the importance of agreeing on an ambitious bur realistic document, in March this year, which will guide EU's efforts with regard to an increased defence and security level over the following 5-10 years.

In this context, minister Dincu appreciated the role of this instrument, by emphasizing the importance of consolidating EU's action capacity in complementarity with NATO. The Romanian official pointed out the relevance of an adequate reflection of the security situation from the Eastern neighborhood of the EU with its implications in the field of security and defence, especially in the Black Sea region, which must remain an area of strategic interest for EU.

Also, during the reunion, the defence minister had a meeting with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, in order to discuss the issues listed on bilateral agenda, both in Allied and EU contexts.

The Press Office