Ladies and Gentlemen, please allow me to make six introductory remarks before we start today’s discussion on the topic of „The Transatlantic Bond“.

Firstly, referring to a very simple question I got when I was Ambassador to the NATO: What is the Transatlantic Bond about? My simple, but very serious answer to that is that the Transatlantic Bond is about our freedom. It’s about our freedom today and tomorrow, on this continent and beyond.

I would add that we should not forget the deeper meaning of the transatlantic bond to us Europeans: I am deeply convinced that after World War II, European integration succeeded because the United States decided to stay engaged on this continent, because the United States decided to translate for togetherness and made, with NATO, the security frame for the European integration happen. There is a lot we owe to the transatlantic bond and it is our presence and future as well.

Secondly, today, the transatlantic bond is challenged, it is under pressure – some people would say like never before. I would say like never since the end of the Cold War – it’s challenged from the outside, but at the same time from the inside as well, and this is unique.

Thirdly, the transatlantic bond will remain essential. What does this mean? First of all, 80 years after the Second World War, nobody in Europe should be surprised when the United States is asking us Europeans to take more of the joint burden for security on our European shoulders. Our answer to that in my words hast to be that our interest as Europeans is to stay transatlantic and at the same time become much more European in security rapidly. Time is of the essence; we Europeans have to speed up.

Fourthly, the transatlantic bond in the future will very much depend on the quality of burden-sharing, and I mean burden-sharing in a double-sense: burden-sharing between the United States and the Europeans and Canada, but also burden-sharing amongst the Europeans as well, a fair and high-quality burden-sharing.

Fifthly, time-management will be of the essence. I will just refer what I see as our most vital security interest on this continent: what we witness are first steps of the United States reducing or rearranging their presence in Europe, and we started to intensify strengthening European defense. There must not be a security gap in between the two processes. That is, I think, our most vital European security interest.

My sixth remark is about cooperation. Cooperation between the EU and NATO will be of the essence, and I see this in a double-sense as well: it’s about increased cooperation amongst the Europeans in NATO, what we may call the European pillar, and it’s about the cooperation between the EU and NATO. We simply cannot afford anymore not to get the maximum synergy out of the European and Atlantic approach to defense and security.

This is where I will end my introductory remarks, maybe you can keep some of them in mind during the discussion.