On Thursday, The European Union and Norway held their third Structured Dialogue on Security and Defence in Oslo. The annual dialogue was launched on 25 March 2021.

The EU and Norway stand united in condemning in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine. They will stand with Ukraine as long as it takes.

Both parties expressed a firm intention to continue their excellent cooperation as they combine efforts to support Ukraine. Both sides confirmed their strong commitment to work together for securing ammunition to Ukraine. Norway is a leading and long-term contributor of financial and military support to Ukraine. In partnership with the EU, Norway contributes with significant military support to Ukraine, through a second voluntary contribution to the European Peace Facility (EPF), as part of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base and as party to the Project Agreement for joint procurement of ammunition with the European Defence Agency.

The parties also took stock of the very good results from the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine), which is another example of forceful EU-Norway cooperation. Norway supports the EUMAM Ukraine through the EPF and with instructors. The Dialogue further provided an opportunity to express a joint ambition to increase the level of Norwegian participation in EU missions.

The reinforced cooperation on security and defence between Norway and the EU helps to bolster Europe’s resilience. Both sides committed to continue close partnerships in line with the ambitions reflected in the EU`s “Strategic Compass for Security and Defence” of March 2022, where Norway is described as the most closely associated partner.

Norway welcomed the establishment of the Schuman Security and Defence Partnership Forum, where Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram participated on 20-21 March.

It was agreed to swiftly establish a new work strand under the Structured Dialogue concerning Security and Defence in Space, with a view to work closely together in the follow-up of the first-ever EU Space Strategy for Security and Defence.

The dialogue also included exchanges on EU-led initiatives in the area of security and defence, regional security issues (in the Sahel, South Caucasus and Moldova), maritime security and EU-NATO cooperation, including on the resilience of critical infrastructure.

The meeting was co-chaired by Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence at the European External Action Service, as well as Eivind Vad Petersson, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway and State Secretary Anne Marie Aanerud of the Ministry of Defence of Norway.

A symposium on the EU-Norway partnership on security and defence was organised in conjunction with the dialogue by Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI) and the European Union’s Institute for Security Studies (EUISS). The symposium allowed for a broad and forward-looking exchange with the key Norwegian stakeholders on the future of EU-Norway security and defence cooperation.