An informal meeting of EU Defence Policy Directors was held in Budapest on 27-28 January 2011.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Péter Siklósi, Deputy State Secretary for Defence Policy and Planning, Defence Policy Director and Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service. The newly appointed Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency also attended the event.

At the working dinner Member States exchanged views on the ongoing operations, with particular attention to EU military engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Horn of Africa. In general, member states agreed that ALTHEA and the African military operations were successful in implementing their mandates, and they were appreciated at international level, as well.

On the second day participants reviewed issues concerning the establishment of the European External Action Service. They conducted fruitful discussions on initiatives aiming at developing the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy, such as the Weimar letter and the one on pooling and sharing. The meeting provided an opportunity to have an overview on the role of the EDA. Furthermore, Member States exchanged views on options how to develop EU-UN and EU-NATO relations.

(Ministry of Defence, Press Office)