Eduardo González
The People´s Parliamentary Group in Congress has presented a Non-Law Proposal in which the Government is urged to draw up a national action plan that identifies opportunities for cooperation with the countries of NATO’s southern neighbourhood in order to improve national and regional security.
The motion, presented on November 8 for debate in the Foreign Affairs Committee, recalls that NATO’s southern neighbourhood, which covers North Africa, the Sahel and the Middle East, faces interrelated challenges ranging from terrorism and armed conflict to irregular migration and the increasingly serious effects of climate change.
“The presence of external actors such as Russia and Iran in the region has increased instability by supporting groups and actions that seek to destabilize and undermine the collective security of the Atlantic allies,” the text continues. “The security of this region is fundamental for the Atlantic Alliance, since the threats that originate there have the potential to directly affect the security and stability of NATO member countries, including Spain,” it adds.
The People’s Group recalls that, in view of the worsening situation in the southern region, within the framework of the 2023 Vilnius Summit, the Secretary General of the Alliance commissioned a Group of Experts to prepare a report that would comprehensively address the security challenges in the Alliance’s southern neighborhood, and provide practical recommendations to strengthen cooperation with partners in the region.
This report, called ‘Broad and in-depth reflection process on the southern neighbourhood’, was presented at the NATO Summit held in Washington DC in July 2024 and sets out a series of strategic guidelines aimed at strengthening stability and security in the south through collaboration in key areas such as capacity building, the fight against terrorism and climate resilience.
“The report defines essential principles to guide the actions of NATO and its Member States in the southern neighbourhood” and highlights the need for “a continued presence” of the Alliance in the south, “in order to build trust and improve cooperation with the countries of the region”, the PP continues.
“Among the key recommendations, the importance of integrating these efforts with other international organisations and local actors is underlined, as well as the development of joint initiatives to confront the manipulation of information, which threatens the stability of the region”, the motion continues.
The PP recalls that Spain, “located in the south of the Atlantic Alliance and closely linked geographically to North Africa and the Sahel”, is “a key partner in the collaboration with NATO to stabilise the southern neighbourhood, as security in this region directly affects national security”. For this reason, the participation of our country can strengthen the implementation of the report’s recommendations, especially in areas such as training in governance and climate resilience, the fight against terrorism and the creation of networks of mutual trust with our southern neighbours”, it adds.
For all these reasons, the Non-Law Proposal urges the Government to “draw up a National Action Plan that, in coherence with the recommendations made by the Atlantic Alliance Group of Experts, identifies opportunities for cooperation with the neighbouring countries of the south with the aim of improving national and regional security through ways of generating trust and mutual knowledge”.
The report is also requested by the Government to present “the report to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress, in order to monitor the evolution of the situation in the southern neighbourhood and the actions implemented by Spain and its allies in this regard.”
