Opening remarks by Ambassador-Designate Peter Van Kemseke: Indispensable Cooperation - Strengthening EU-Norway Security and Defence Partnership

Dear State Secretaries,
Dear Lieutenant General,
Dear Ambassadors,
Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Let me start by thanking you for joining us, in such great numbers, here at Oslo Militære Samfund.

We meet in a place with a remarkable history. 

For two centuries, this institution has brought together people to debate and reflect on defence and security issues.

Two centuries of debate. And the job is not done. 

Because when we look at the world around us, we see that the security landscape keeps changing fast.

That’s why our close partner and co-host, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), the Delegation of the European Union and the EU’s External Action Service decided to bring you together today. 

Because when it comes to security, no one, and no country can afford to stand alone.

We need cooperation, we need reliable partnerships.

The European Union and Norway are precisely such partners.

Our title today says it all: Indispensable Cooperation.

That was also the message of the EU’s High Representative, Kaja Kallas, when she visited Oslo last February for the Oslo Security Conference.

Her words were clear: “In the current geopolitical environment, we really need to stick together.”

And look at that geopolitical environment.

Russia’s brutal war of aggression against Ukraine continues. It is even intensifying.

Across Europe, hybrid attacks are also intensifying.

We see attempts to sabotage critical infrastructure. Disruption of communications. The spreading of disinformation, undermining public trust.

A damaged cable may look like a technical problem. A disrupted railway may look like a transport problem. A cyberattack may look like an IT problem.

But when these incidents threaten our security, they become everyone’s problem.

The good news is that the European Union is not standing still.

It is rapidly becoming a more determined and more responsible security actor.

You see it in budgets. In decisions. In industrial capacity. 

Over the past five years, EU Member States have increased their defence investments by almost 80%.

That is a significant shift. But the real question is: what do we get for that investment?

Can we produce the ammunition our forces need? Can we replenish our stockpiles? Can we bring new technologies from the laboratory to the battlefield before our adversaries do?

This is where the EU can make a difference.

We set up SAFE - Security Action for Europe. It makes up to €150 billion in loans available to support urgent defence investments and joint procurement.

We just adopted AGILE, our youngest initiative to accelerate defence innovation.

The goal is clear: speed up innovation, strengthen our defence industry, and get vital equipment into the hands of our armed forces faster.

And there is more to come. Building on what we have already done, we will soon publish a new European Security Strategy.

Last month, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen already outlined some of the proposals, including the establishment of a European Security Council, complementary to NATO.

This Council will of course include Norway. 

Norway is not a member of the European Union. But when it comes to expertise, capabilities and integration in value chains, Norway is one of the EU’s closest partners. 

As Norway’s Foreign Minister has put it, Norway is the closest non-EU country to the Union.

So we have a good basis. The question now is: how do we make our partnership more concrete? More effective? And fit for the challenges ahead?

That is what we are here to discuss today.

Let me highlight three priorities.

First: Ukraine.

Ukraine is of course at the heart of Europe’s security.

Our support is about more than defending a territory.

It is about defending the fundamental principles on which peace in Europe rests: sovereignty, democracy and the right of every country to choose its own future.

Dear Deputy-Ambassador of Ukraine,

I am very glad that you are with us today.

There is an old saying: you discover your true friends in difficult times.

And the message from last week’s European Council was clear: we will continue to stand by the Ukrainian people. 

Not only as we approach another difficult winter, but for as long as it takes.

And our partnership is a two-way street.

We support Ukraine. But we also learn from Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces are gaining extraordinary experience in modern warfare, in very difficult conditions - from the use of drones to cyber defence and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Those lessons matter for Europe’s security.

In other words, supporting Ukraine is an investment in Ukraine’s future. It is also an investment in Europe’s security.

Second: the High North.

Few regions combine such extraordinary natural beauty with such growing strategic importance.

It is a region with important critical infrastructure, energy pipelines, undersea cables, maritime routes, digital connections. 

These may be largely invisible to the public. But our economies, our societies and our security depend on them every day.

That is one of the key messages in the Arctic Strategy that the European Commission published yesterday. 

I am sure it will come up in today’s discussions, because few countries have more real-life experience in the High North than Norway.

And real-life experience is what we need when it comes to hybrid threats.

Germany has recently faced attempted sabotage attacks. I am glad we have the German Minister of State with us today.

Poland has first-hand experience when it comes to protecting undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

So, each country has lessons to share.

We should turn those lessons into practical cooperation,

before the next cable is damaged, the next ship behaves suspiciously, or the next time a GPS signal is jammed. 

Third: the resilience of our societies.

Security is not only about tanks, aircraft, or ammunition.

It is also about the strength of our societies.

Can our hospitals continue to function during a crisis? 

Can our energy systems keep running? 

Can our democratic institutions withstand disinformation and foreign interference?

Here, too, we can learn from Norway, just like Norway learned from other countries such as Finland.

This year marks Norway’s Total Defence Year.

The principle is simple but powerful: preparing for a crisis involves the whole of society - public authorities, businesses, journalists, local communities and citizens.

In the European Union, we are working along similar lines.

We are strengthening our preparedness and have established a new Centre for Democratic Resilience, to identify and counter threats to democratic institutions.

So, today’s discussion is a good opportunity to see where these different approaches overlap, or even more important, if there are any gaps.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good discussions matter. But they should also produce results.

And they will.

Because your contributions will feed directly into the third Schuman Security and Defence Forum, which will take place in Brussels on 17 and 18 November.

The Forum will bring together, at ministerial level, the EU, its Member States and partners from around the world to address our security challenges and the practical responses they require.

I am particularly pleased that Norway’s Minister of Defence has confirmed his participation. I also know that several people in this room will join the Forum’s side events.

So let us use today to develop ideas that can travel from this room to Brussels - and from Brussels into action.

Thank you. And I wish you all a fruitful discussion.

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