View source for European Union–NATO relations

{{Multiple issues|
{{Original research|date=January 2020}}
{{Expand French|date=October 2019|topic=gov}}
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{{Infobox bilateral relations|European Union–NATO|European Union|NATO|map=European Union NATO Locator.svg}}
[[File:P061521-785055.jpg|thumb|NATO Secretary General [[Jens Stoltenberg]] meet with President of the European Council [[Charles Michel]] in [[Brussels]], 29 June 2023]]
The [[European Union]] (EU) and the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]] (NATO) are two main treaty-based [[Western world|Western]] organisations for cooperation between member states, both headquartered in [[Brussels]], Belgium. Their natures are different and they operate in different spheres: NATO is a purely intergovernmental organisation functioning as a military alliance, which serves to implement article 5 of the [[North Atlantic Treaty]] on collective territorial defence. The EU on the other hand is a partly supranational and partly intergovernmental ''sui generis'' entity akin to a [[confederation]]<ref>Kiljunen, Kimmo (2004). The European Constitution in the Making. Centre for European Policy Studies. pp. 21–26. {{ISBN|978-92-9079-493-6}}.</ref><ref>Burgess, Michael (2000). Federalism and European union: The building of Europe, 1950–2000. Routledge. p. 49. {{ISBN|0-415-22647-3}}. "Our theoretical analysis suggests that the EC/EU is neither a federation nor a confederation in the classical sense. But it does claim that the European political and economic elites have shaped and moulded the EC/EU into a new form of international organization, namely, a species of "new" confederation."</ref> that entails wider economic and political [[European integration|integration]]. Unlike NATO, the EU pursues a [[Common Foreign and Security Policy|foreign policy]] in its own right—based on consensus, and member states have equipped it with tools in the field of defence and crisis management; the [[Common Security and Defence Policy]] (CSDP) [[Structure of the Common Security and Defence Policy|structure]].

The memberships of the EU and NATO are distinct, and some EU member states are traditionally neutral on defence issues. The EU and NATO have respectively [[Member state of the European Union|27]] and [[Member states of NATO|32]] member states, of which 23 are members of both. Another four NATO members are EU applicants—Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey—and another one, the United Kingdom, is a [[Brexit|former EU member]]. Iceland and Norway have opted to remain outside of the EU, but do participate in the [[European Single Market]] as part of their [[European Economic Area]] (EEA) membership. Four non-NATO states are members of the EU: Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, and Malta. Several EU and NATO member states were formerly members of the [[Warsaw Pact]].<ref name="eda.europa1">{{Cite web |title=Defence Data Portal |url=https://eda.europa.eu/publications-and-data/defence-data |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Default |language=en}}</ref>

The EU has its own mutual defence clause in Articles 42(7) and 222 of the [[Treaty on European Union]] (TEU) and the [[Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]] (TFEU), respectively. The [[Command and control structure of the European Union|CSDP command and control structure]] is however much smaller than the [[Structure of NATO#Military command structure|NATO Command Structure]] (NCS), and the extent to which the CSDP should evolve to form a full defence arm for the EU that is able to implement the EU mutual defence clause in its own right is a point of contention. The [[United Kingdom]] (UK) had objected to this, when it was still an EU member state. At the UK's insistence in the negotiations leading to the [[Treaty of Lisbon]], Article 42.2 of TEU specified that [[NATO]] shall be the main forum for the implementation of collective self-defence for EU member states that are also NATO members.

The 2002 [[Berlin Plus agreement]] and 2018 Joint Declaration<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/official_texts_156626.htm?selectedLocale=en |title=Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation |author1= President of the European Council |author2=President of the European Commission |author3=Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization |date=10 July 2018}}</ref> provide for cooperation between the EU and NATO, including that that NCS resources may be used for the conduct of the EU's CSDP missions.

== Organization comparison ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!
![[European Union]]
![[NATO]]
|-
|Flag
|[[File:Flag of Europe.svg|center|130x130px]]
|[[File:Flag of NATO.svg|center|130x130px]]
|-
|Headquarters
|[[Brussels]]
|[[Brussels]]
|-
|Type 
|[[Continental union]], [[confederation]] ([[de facto]])
|[[Military alliance]]
|-
|Members
|{{Collapsible list|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 |title = [[Member state of the European Union|27 members]]
 |{{flag|Austria}}
 |{{flag|Belgium}}
 |{{flag|Bulgaria}}
 |{{flag|Croatia}}
 |{{flag|Cyprus}}
 |{{flag|Czech Republic}}
 |{{flag|Denmark}}
 |{{flag|Estonia}}
 |{{flag|Finland}}
 |{{flag|France}}
 |{{flag|Germany}}
 |{{flag|Greece}}
 |{{flag|Hungary}}
 |{{flag|Ireland}}
 |{{flag|Italy}}
 |{{flag|Latvia}}
 |{{flag|Lithuania}}
 |{{flag|Luxembourg}}
 |{{flag|Malta}}
 |{{flag|Netherlands}}
 |{{flag|Poland}}
 |{{flag|Portugal}}
 |{{flag|Romania}}
 |{{flag|Slovakia}}
 |{{flag|Slovenia}}
 |{{flag|Spain}}
 |{{flag|Sweden}}
 }}
|{{Collapsible list|titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;
 |title = [[Member states of NATO|32 states]]
 |{{flag|Albania}}
 |{{flag|Belgium}}
 |{{flag|Bulgaria}} 
 |{{flag|Canada}}
 |{{flag|Croatia}}
 |{{flag|Czech Republic}}
 |{{flag|Denmark}}
 |{{flag|Estonia}}
 |{{flag|Finland}}
 |{{flag|France}}
 |{{flag|Germany}}
 |{{flag|Greece}}
 |{{flag|Hungary}}
 |{{flag|Iceland}}
 |{{flag|Italy}}
 |{{flag|Latvia}}
 |{{flag|Lithuania}}
 |{{flag|Luxembourg}}
 |{{flag|Montenegro}}
 |{{flag|Netherlands}} 
 |{{flag|North Macedonia}} 
 |{{flag|Norway}}
 |{{flag|Poland}}
 |{{flag|Portugal}}
 |{{flag|Romania}}
 |{{flag|Slovakia}}
 |{{flag|Slovenia}}
 |{{flag|Spain}}
 |{{flag|Sweden}} 
 |{{flag|Turkey}} 
 |{{flag|United Kingdom}} 
 |{{flag|United States}}
 }} 
|- 
|Current Leaders 
|President of the European Council [[Charles Michel]]<br> President of the European Commission [[Ursula von der Leyen]]
|Secretary General of NATO [[Mark Rutte]]
|-
|Official languages
|[[Languages of the European Union|24 languages]]
|[[English language|English]] and [[French language|French]]
|}

==History==
{{Further|History of NATO|History of the Common Security and Defence Policy}}
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 480
 | image1=Badge of the Western Union Defence Organisation.svg | alt1=2
 | image2=Coat of arms of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.svg | alt2=3
 | image3=Coat of arms of the European Union Military Staff.svg | alt3=4
 | footer = Emblems of former and present European and trans-Atlantic command and control structures: [[Western Union Defence Organisation]] (WUDO, l., 1948-1952), its ''de facto'' successor: NATO's [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE, m., 1952-present) and the EU's [[Military Planning and Conduct Capability]] (MPCC, r., 2017-present).
}}
{{multiple image
 | total_width = 480
 | image1=Henri IV quarter, Palace of Fontainebleau.jpg | alt1=2
 | image2=SACEUR change of command ceremony 130513-A-IL200-669.jpg | alt2=3
 | image3=150kortenberg.jpg | alt3=4
 | footer = Premises of former and present European and trans-Atlantic command and control structures: WUDO (l.) in [[Fontainebleau]], France, its ''de facto'' successor: NATO's SHAPE (m.) in [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]], Belgium, and the EU's MPCC (r.) in [[Brussels]], Belgium.
}}

===1948–1951: Common origins, where NATO cannibalises intra-European initiatives===
{{Main|Treaty of Brussels|Western Union (alliance)|North Atlantic Treaty}}
The [[Western Union (alliance)|Western Union]], established to implement the 1948 [[Treaty of Brussels]] signed by Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and the United Kingdom, represents a precursor to both NATO and the EU's defence arm, the [[Common Security and Defence Policy]] (CSDP).
{{WUDO structure}}

{{EU evolution timeline}}

===1954: Failure to establish an autonomous European pillar in NATO===
{{Further|Treaty establishing the European Defence Community}}
Had its founding treaty not failed to acquire ratification in the French Parliament in 1954, the European Defence Community would have entailed a pan-European military, divided into national components, and had a common budget, common arms, centralized military procurement, and institutions. The EDC would have had an integral link to NATO, forming an autonomous European pillar in the Atlantic alliance.
[[File:Organisation of the European Defence Community.svg|thumb|center|700px|Diagram showing the functioning of the institutions provided for by the Treaty establishing the European Defence Community (EDC), the placing of Member States' armed forces (European Defence Forces) at the disposal of the Community, and the link between the EDC and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).]]

===1996–present: Tensions and mutual interests as EU gains autonomous defence structures===
{{Main|Berlin Plus agreement}}
Following the establishment of the ESDI and the St. Malo declaration, [[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Madeleine Albright]] were among others who voiced concern that an independent European security pillar could undermine NATO, as she put forth the three famous D's:
{{Cquote
|text=Our [...] task is working together to develop [the ESDI] within [NATO], which the United States has strongly endorsed. We enthusiastically support any such measures that enhance European capabilities. The United States welcomes a more capable European partner, with modern, flexible military forces capable of putting out fires in Europe's own back yard and working with us through [NATO] to defend our common interests. The key to a successful initiative is to focus on practical military capabilities. Any initiative must avoid preempting [NATO] decision-making by <u>'''d'''</u>e-linking ESDI from NATO, avoid <u>'''d'''</u>uplicating existing efforts, and avoid <u>'''d'''</u>iscriminating against non-EU members. [...]
|author=[[United States Secretary of State|US Secretary of State]] [[Madeleine Albright|Albright]] |source=[[North Atlantic Council]] (8 December 1998)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://1997-2001.state.gov/statements/1998/981208.html|title=12/8/98 Albright Statement to the North Atlantic Council|website=1997-2001.state.gov}}</ref>
}}

===Eastern enlargement===
{{Further|Enlargement of the European Union|Enlargement of NATO}}

==Present cooperation==
{{Main|Berlin Plus agreement}}
[[File:SACEUR change of command ceremony 130513-A-IL200-669.jpg|thumb|Change of command for the post of [[Supreme Commander Allied Forces Europe]] (SACEUR) at [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE), the main headquarters of the [[NATO|North Atlantic Treaty Organisation]]'s [[Allied Command Operations]] (ACO). SHAPE's main building also flies the [[Flag of Europe|EU flag]], reflecting the [[Berlin Plus agreement]].]]
The [[Berlin Plus agreement]] enables [[List of military and civilian missions of the European Union|EU operations]] to be planned and conducted at the military strategic and operational level with recourse to assets and capabilities in the [[Structure of NATO#Military command structure|NATO Command Structure]] (NCS). In such an event, an Operational Headquarters (OHQ) would be set up within NATO's [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE) in Mons, Belgium. SHAPE is the main headquarters of [[Allied Command Operations]] (ACO).

When the NCS provides the OHQ, the [[Supreme Allied Commander Europe#Deputy|Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe]] (DSACEUR) acts as Operation Commander (OpCdr).

The Berlin Plus agreement requires that the use of NATO assets by the EU is subject to a "right of first refusal", i.e. NATO must first decline to intervene in a given crisis,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/eeas/security-defence/csdp-structures-and-instruments/eu-operations-centre?lang=en|title=EU Operations Centre|access-date=2019-10-12|archive-date=2013-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406212008/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/eeas/security-defence/csdp-structures-and-instruments/eu-operations-centre?lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[[The Heritage Foundation]], March 24, 2008. [http://www.heritage.org/Research/Europe/wm1863.cfm] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217084606/http://www.heritage.org/Research/Europe/wm1863.cfm|date=2010-02-17}}</ref> and contingent on unanimous approval among NATO states, including those outside of the EU. For example, Turkish reservations about [[Operation Concordia]] using NATO assets delayed its deployment by more than five months.<ref>Bram Boxhoorn, ''Broad Support for NATO in the Netherlands'', 21-09-2005, {{cite web|url=http://www.ataedu.org/article_new.php?id%3D107 |title=Article |access-date=2007-08-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218090444/http://www.ataedu.org/article_new.php?id=107 |archive-date=2007-02-18 }}</ref>

The [[European External Action Service]]'s (EEAS) [[European Union Military Staff|Military Staff]] (EUMS), situated in the [[Kortenberg building]] in Brussels, has a permanent NATO liaison team and runs a permanent EU cell at NATO's [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE) in [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]].

==Comparison==
===Command structures===
The CSDP entails [[alliance|collective self-defence]] amongst member states. This responsibility is based on Article 42.7 of TEU, which states that this responsibility does not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain member states, referring to policies of neutrality. See [[Neutral country#European Union|Neutral country§European Union]] for discussion on this subject. According to the [[s:Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union/Title V: General Provisions on the Union's External Action Service and Specific Provisions on the Common Foreign and Security Policy#SECTION 2: PROVISIONS ON THE COMMON SECURITY AND DEFENCE POLICY|Article 42.7]] "If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States." Article 42.2 furthermore specifies that [[NATO]] shall be the main forum for the implementation of collective self-defence for EU member states that are also NATO members.

The EU does not have a permanent military command structure. However it has been agreed that [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO) military structures may be used for the conduct of the EU's CSDP missions under the [[Berlin Plus agreement]]. The [[Military Planning and Conduct Capability]] (MPCC), established in 2017 and to be strengthened in 2020, does however represent the EU's first step in developing a permanent military OHQ. In parallel, the newly established [[European Defence Fund]] (EDF) marks the first time the [[Budget of the European Union|EU budget]] is used to finance multinational defence projects.

====European Union====
{{Main|Command and control structure of the European Union}}
{{location map+ |European Union |float=right|width=300 |caption= Location of alternative OHQs for EU-led military operations: EU headquarters, NATO headquarters and national OHQs offered by member states are shown with red, blue and yellow marks, respectively|places=
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=50.500444|long=3.98325|label=[[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe|SHAPE]] |position=left|mark=Blue pog.svg}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=50.8425 |long= 4.385556 |label=[[Military Planning and Conduct Capability|MPCC]]|position=right}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=48.8567|long=2.3508|label=[[:fr:Centre de planification et de conduite des opérations|CPCO]] |position=bottom|mark=Yellow pog.svg}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=52.386286|long=12.97102|label=[[:de:Einsatzführungskommando der Bundeswehr|EinsFüKdoBw]] |position=right|mark=Yellow pog.svg}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=39.641667|long=22.416667|label=[[First Army (Greece)|EL EU OHQ]] |position=right|mark=Yellow pog.svg}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=41.9|long=12.5|label=[[:it:Italian Joint Force Headquarters|ITA-JFHQ]] |position=top|mark=Yellow pog.svg}}
{{location map~ |Europe |lat=36.620763|long=-6.331558|label=[[Naval Station Rota, Spain|ES OHQ]]|position=right|mark=Yellow pog.svg}}
}}
{{European Union command and control structure}}

====NATO====
{{Main|Structure of NATO}}
{{NATO commands}}
NATO's command structure, under the [[North Atlantic Council]] and the [[NATO Military Committee]], is split into [[Allied Command Operations]], responsible for all military operations, and [[Allied Command Transformation]] responsible for capability development.

==Membership==
[[Image:EU and NATO.svg|thumb|Map showing European membership of the EU and NATO
{{legend|#ffd617|EU member only}}
{{legend|#000|NATO member only}}
{{legend|#039|member of both}}]]
[[File:Coats of arms of Belgium Military Forces.svg|thumb|The EU's crown of stars and NATO's compass rose encircle Belgium's [[Belgian Armed Forces|defence]] emblem]]

The memberships of the EU and NATO are distinct. The EU and NATO have respectively [[Member state of the European Union|27]] and [[Member states of NATO|32]] member states, of which 23 states are members of both.

The four EU member states which are not members of NATO ([[Austria]], [[Cyprus]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] and [[Malta]]) held positions of [[neutrality (international relations)|neutrality]] during the Cold War, which they have since maintained. However, all but Cyprus are members of NATO's [[Partnership for Peace]]. Cyprus is the only EU member state that is neither a full member of NATO nor participates in the Partnership for Peace. Any treaty concerning Cyprus' participation in NATO would likely be blocked by [[Turkey]] because of the [[Cyprus dispute]].<ref name="Dempsey">{{cite news |last=Dempsey |first=Judy |date=24 November 2010 |title=Between the European Union and NATO, Many Walls |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/25/world/europe/25iht-letter.html |access-date=28 March 2014}}</ref> The [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]] reignited debate surrounding NATO membership in several countries, with Finland and Sweden both joining NATO after decades of neutrality.

Of the 32 NATO member states, 30 are European states. The 7 European states which are NATO members, but not EU members, include four states that have applied for EU membership (Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey), as well as the United Kingdom which is a [[Brexit|former EU member]]. The two others — Iceland and Norway — have opted to remain outside of the EU, however participate in the [[European Single Market|EU's single market]].

Several EU member states were formerly members of the NATO rival [[Warsaw Pact]].

{{Participation in Euro-Atlantic defence arrangements}}

==See also==
*[[United States Mission to NATO]]
*[[Foreign relations of the European Union]] 
*[[Foreign relations of NATO]]
*[[United States–European Union relations]]
*[[Council of Europe–European Union relations]]
*[[Canada–European Union relations]] 
*[[Iceland–European Union relations]] 
*[[Norway–European Union relations]]
*[[European Union–Turkey relations|Turkey–European Union relations]] 
*[[Ukraine–European Union relations]]
*[[United Kingdom–European Union relations]] 
*[[Austria–NATO relations]] 
*[[Cyprus–NATO relations]]  
*[[Ireland–NATO relations]] 
*[[Malta–NATO relations]]  
*[[Ukraine–NATO relations]]
*[[Brexit]]
*[[Western European Union]]
*[[Potential superpowers#European Union|European Union as a potential superpower]]
*[[Enlargement of the European Union]] 
*[[Enlargement of NATO]]
*[[European army]] 
*[[Neutral member states in the European Union]]
*[[Strategic autonomy]]
*[[Neutral and Non-Aligned European States]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_49217.htm NATO article on EU relations]
*[https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-Homepage/28286/eu-nato-cooperation-factsheet_en EU factsheets on NATO relations]
* [http://aei.pitt.edu/5201/1/5201.pdf EDC Treaty (unofficial translation) see pg 2]
* [http://www.ena.lu?lang=2&doc=342 EDC information on European Navigation]
* [https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/nato-and-the-european-union-a-defensive-relationship NATO AND THE EUROPEAN UNION: A DEFENSIVE RELATIONSHIP]

{{Foreign relations of the European Union |expanded=Multilateral}}
{{NATO relations}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:NATO relations}}
[[Category:European Union and third organisations|NATO]]
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[[Category:Foreign relations of the European Union]]