At Brussels Rose-Roth seminar, European and NATO parliamentarians commit to strengthen democratic resilience and defence

As NATO, the European Union (EU) and their respective members make historic commitments to bolster defence, resilience and preparedness, the need to increase cooperation in a new era of strategic competition is critical.

NATO and the EU “share so many of the same objectives for democracy and for our security”, underlined Marcos Perestrello (Portugal), President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as he opened the 107th Rose-Roth Seminar, which took place in Brussels from 14 to 15 July. “The partnership between NATO and the EU is not an option. It is a necessity. We need a genuine strategic partnership, rooted in our shared values and in a shared strategic vision and supported by concerted action.”

In particular, the seminar focused on efforts to: 

• secure democracies through strength by investing in defence, resilience and preparedness; 
• enhance democratic resilience in the face of coordinated hybrid operations and foreign interference by authoritarian regimes; 
• support the democratic future of Ukraine, the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova, and Belarus.

More than 50 parliamentarians from 18 NATO member and partner countries gathered to consider these critical priorities at the seminar. It was the first Rose-Roth seminar jointly organised by the NATO PA and the European Parliament (EP), which was also the host. This was the first Rose-Roth seminar after a 2024 reform intending to refocus these seminars on democratic values and the rules-based international order. The Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport / Security Policy and the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) supported the event with, respectively, financial and in-kind support.

Securing democracies through strength by investing in defence, resilience, and preparedness

Speakers and participants were united around the need for Europe to urgently build up its defence capacity. 

“NATO remains the cornerstone of our collective defence. And for all of us, whether we are EU members or not, this Alliance is indispensable,” stressed President Perestrello. “But sustaining and strengthening NATO means Europeans and the EU must deliver more. More investment. More capabilities. More resilience.”

As Russia has brought war back to Europe and teamed up with China, Iran, and North Korea to reshape the global order, Radmila Shekerinska, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, highlighted three ways to further strengthen the strategic NATO-EU cooperation:

• combining efforts to increase defence industrial production; 
• boosting resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure; and 
• comprehensively supporting Ukraine, not just militarily, but also, for example, through EU integration, which is an important driver of reform in Ukraine.

Sabine Verheyen, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, argued that Europe must assume its full responsibility as a strong and reliable pillar within NATO. The EP contributes through a legislative agenda that includes ReArm Europe, the European Defence Industry Programme and the Defence Readiness Omnibus. Equally, she expressed determination to ensure that these initiatives are firmly grounded in democratic processes and oversight.

Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space, also emphasised the critical complementarity between NATO and the EU. NATO Allies have set an ambitious commitment of 5% of national gross domestic products (GDP) on defence, he noted, and the EU can help them reach those goals through sheer scale and funding. With the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument, the increased allocations for defence in the EU’s next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and other mechanisms, he argued that NATO’s EU members could achieve spending more than 4 trillion euros on defence by 2035, even if they only spend 3% of their respective GDPs on defence annually. 

Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud, Head of the Mission of Switzerland to NATO, noted that the commitment of 5% of GDP dedicated annually to defence and defence-related expenditures by 2035 was a bold figure. However, “what comes next is the hard part: moving from words in a communiqué to actual budgets, and from budgets to real military capabilities.” Parliaments had a key role to play in this regard, including on the appropriate oversight.

Enhancing democratic resilience in the face of coordinated hybrid operations and foreign interference by authoritarian regimes

Europe and North America needed to better counter autocrats’ hybrid attacks against democracies and societies, said President Perestrello. That is why the Assembly has placed democratic resilience at the top of its priorities.

Advocang for a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters, he declared: “Our aim is simple: to give ourselves the political means and the practical tools to defend the fundamental values enshrined in NATO’s founding Treaty: democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.” He emphasised that “those values are not rhetorical. They are strategic. The cohesion of our Alliance depends on them.”

To counter constant attacks on critical infrastructure, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns, coordination between EU institutions, with NATO and other public and private sector partners is essential. That was the key message of Henna Virkkunen, EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. To further bolster NATO-EU cyber cooperation during crises, Commissioner Virkkunen advocated for dedicated points of contact between entities. She also highlighted several new EU actions, including regulations for election-related advertising on social media and the Digital Services Act and Code of Conduct on Disinformation.

Nad’a Kovalcikova, Senior Analyst and Project Director at the EU Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), noted that disinformation campaigns are almost always combined with other attacks. She therefore argued for a series of measures, for example better inter-institutional coordination; pre-bunking; publishing threat assessments; training against artificial intelligence (AI) misuse; more early warning systems; and increased funding within defence budgets.

NATO and the EU must also consider the actions of a foreign hostile actor in a more holistic way, moving away from focusing solely on content, stressed Chris Riley, Head, Data Insight and Information Threat, Public Diplomacy Division at NATO. Strong coordination allows NATO to concentrate on the behaviour of threat actors, while the EU covers other areas comprehensively.

Tom Goffus, Assistant Secretary General for Operations at NATO, highlighted that peace and conflict exist on a spectrum, with no clear divide between them, and that resilience is by nature a whole-of-society effort, involving both civilian and military activities. The approach of the Nordic Allies sets the standard, he argued.

Foreign interference, domestic interference, and corporate interference are deepening at the same time, observed Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Programme at Carnegie Europe. The EU and NATO need a more committed political strategy of comprehensive democratic resilience. The EU’s new Democracy Shield is a step in that direction, while NATO should take a similar step by establishing a Centre for Democratic Resilience. Youngs also emphasised that “autocracy is the underlying problem, disinformation is the symptom”, warning against deals with the very regimes that drive foreign interference.

Sam Van der Staak, Director for Regional Europe at International IDEA, advised NATO and the EU to build global alliances for democratic resilience which are context-appropriate and understand the security concerns of partners. The EU should also act faster when windows of opportunity for democratic assistance present themselves and allocate a well-endowed earmark for democracy in the upcoming MFF. Van der Staak also called for NATO to explicitly detail how the 1.5% GDP commitment on defence and security-related expenditures can be used for building democratic resilience. He echoed calls for NATO to establish a Centre for Democratic Resilience.

Etienne Soula, Research Analyst, Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund (GMF), told participants that, while authoritarian regimes are increasingly working together, differences between them presented valuable opportunities to counter them. “Russia is the hurricane while China can be seen as climate change,” he argued. Russia is currently more destructive because it uses historical assets and legacy credibility, but ultimately it has no ideological direction and may eventually subside. Conversely, China has a long-term objective to reshape global perceptions and has effective tools to do so, including TikTok.

Supporting the democratic future of Ukraine, the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Belarus

Seminar participants and speakers agreed that NATO and the EU must place a particularly high priority on securing the democratic resilience and future of Ukraine, the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova, and Belarus.

President Perestrello underlined that to face today’s threats and challenges, “NATO and the EU must recommit to the geostrategic vision and project of a Europe whole, free and at peace.” This needs to start with Ukraine, he stressed, adding that “for 11 years now, Russia has sought to deny Ukraine the right to exist as a free and democratic nation.”

Ukraine’s aim is not just to survive the war but also to emerge with stronger democratic institutions, said Professor Galyna Mykhailiuk, Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Parliament of Ukraine and member of the Ukrainian NATO PA delegation. Ukraine’s strategic priority remains clear: membership in NATO and the EU is its only credible long-term security guarantee. 

The EP is rising to Russia’s threat to European security, democracy, and the international security order, said Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, including by boosting defence spending and investment and by simplifying industry frameworks. 

Assistant Secretary General Goffus observed that the war in Ukraine is a generational fight for the Euro-Atlantic community and that Euro-Atlantic societies can learn a lot from Ukraine regarding how to better secure their democracies. 

Rolf Holmboe, Head of Mission at the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, emphasised the critical role which the Ukrainian parliament plays in oversight and in the reform process, highlighting what an achievement it is to do so doing during a full-scale war

After an eventual ceasefire, the challenges to Ukraine’s sovereignty would not disappear. Indeed, “the Russian disinformation campaign will intensify”, and Ukraine needs to be ready, emphasised Pat Cox, former President of the European Parliament and Co-Facilitator of the Jean Monnet Dialogue with the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Importantly, he called on parliamentarians to urgently support and fund putting in place the conditions for Ukraine’s first post-war election, which will be an enormous task.

Ukraine is paying the price for the EU leaving blind spots on the continent by not taking full responsibility for its security, Marta Kos, Commissioner for Enlargement at the European Commission, declared. Weakness invited aggression, so it follows that strength is the best way to peace. Helping Ukraine build strength against Russia is the most critical part of this task.

Moving beyond Ukraine, Commissioner Kos stated that enlargement is about security, noting that there has not been a war on the territory of the EU. She identified enlargement as the strongest tool for building democratic resilience in Europe.

Similarly, Mathieu Bousquet, Director for Enlargement Coordination, Strategy and Investments at the European Commission, stated that “democratic resilience is at the centre of EU accession reforms, including the functioning of democratic institutions, rule of law and anti-corruption.” 

President Perestrello further underlined that “A Europe whole, free and at peace also means a stable, prosperous Western Balkans inside the European family. Full integration in the European Union would finally seal long-term reconciliation and peace in the region.”

Javier Colomina, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy at NATO and NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood, underlined the importance of NATO’s physical presence in the region, the support it provides on defence capacity-building and security sector reform and, for those who wish, NATO’s open-door policy. 

The upcoming parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova and the intense Russian efforts to undermine these were on participants’ minds as well. The need to support the country in holding high-quality elections is critical. Commissioner Virkunnen highlighted that the EU was helping, including with a new hub to help with election monitoring.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus and Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, thanked the NATO PA, the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the European Council for their support and solidarity. Speaking to the seminar only weeks after the release of her husband from a Belarusian prison, she stressed it “shows that everything is possible if we stay united, consistent, and brave.” She emphasised that only a democratic Belarus can be a guarantor of peace and stability in the region, calling for a strong stance and maximum pressure on Putin’s regime and noting that “supporting the Belarusian democratic movement is not charity. It is an investment in our common future.” 

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The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is institutionally separate from NATO but serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance.  

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