February 1992: The EU adopts the Maastricht Treaty, which envisages an intergovernmental Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the eventual framing of a common defence policy (ESDP) with the WEU as the EU’s defence component.
Close cooperation is established between NATO and the WEU.
June 1992: In Oslo, NATO Foreign Ministers support the objective of developing the WEU as a means of strengthening the European pillar of the Alliance and as the defence component of the EU, that would also cover the “Petersberg tasks” (humanitarian search and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks, crisis-management tasks including peace enforcement and environmental protection).
January 1994: Allied Leaders agree to make collective assets of the Alliance available, on the basis of consultations in the North Atlantic Council, for WEU operations undertaken by the European Allies in pursuit of their CFSP. NATO endorses the concept of Combined Joint Task Forces, which provides for “separable but not separate” deployable headquarters that could be used for European-led operations and is the conceptual basis for future operations involving NATO and other non-NATO countries.
June 1996: In Berlin, NATO Foreign Ministers agree for the first time to build up a European Security and Defence Identity (ESDI) within NATO, with the aim of rebalancing roles and responsibilities between Europe and North America. An essential part of this initiative was to improve European capabilities. They also decide to make Alliance assets available for WEU-led crisis-management operations. These decisions lead to the introduction of the term “Berlin Plus”.
December 1998: At their summit in St Malo, France and the United Kingdom make a joint statement affirming the EU’s determination to establish a European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).
April 1999: At the 1999 NATO Summit in Washington, NATO Heads of State and Government decide to develop the “Berlin Plus” arrangements.
June 1999: A European Council meeting in Cologne, Germany decides “to give the European Union the necessary means and capabilities to assume its responsibilities regarding a common European policy on security and defence”.
December 1999: At the Helsinki Council meeting, EU member states establish military “headline goals” to allow the EU to deploy up to 60,000 troops by 2003 for ‘Petersberg tasks’. EU members also create political and military structures including a Political and Security Committee, a Military Committee and a Military Staff. The crisis-management role of the WEU is transferred to the EU. The WEU retains residual tasks.
September 2000: The North Atlantic Council and the EU’s interim Political and Security Committee meet for the first time to take stock of progress in NATO-EU relations.
December 2000: Signature of the EU’s Treaty of Nice containing amendments reflecting the operative developments of the ESDP as an independent EU policy (entry into force February 2003).
January 2001: Beginning of institutionalised relations between NATO and the EU with the establishment of joint meetings, including at the level of Foreign Ministers and ambassadors. Exchange of letters between the NATO Secretary General and the EU Presidency on the scope of cooperation and modalities for consultation.
May 2001: First formal NATO-EU meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers in Budapest. The NATO Secretary General and the EU Presidency issue a joint statement on the Western Balkans.
November 2002: At the 2002 NATO Summit in Prague, NATO members declare their readiness to give the EU access to NATO assets and capabilities for operations in which the Alliance is not engaged militarily.
December 2002: The EU-NATO Declaration on European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) is agreed on 16 December 2002. It reaffirms the EU assured access to NATO’s planning capabilities for its own military operations and reiterates the political principles of the strategic partnership: effective mutual consultation; equality and due regard for the decision-making autonomy of the EU and NATO; respect for the interests of EU and NATO member states; respect for the principles of the Charter of the United Nations; and coherent, transparent and mutually reinforcing development of the military capability requirements common to the two organisations.
March 2003: Agreement on the framework for cooperation on 17 March 2003. As part of the framework for cooperation, the so-called “Berlin Plus” arrangements provide the basis for NATO-EU cooperation in crisis management in the context of EU-led military operations that make use of NATO’s collective assets and capabilities, including command arrangements and assistance in operational planning. In effect, they allow the Alliance to support EU-led operations in which NATO as a whole is not engaged.
Entry into force of a NATO-EU security of information agreement. Transition from the NATO-led Operation Allied Harmony to the EU-led Operation Concordia in the Republic of North Macedonia (then known as the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia).
May 2003: First meeting of the NATO-EU Capability Group.
July 2003: Development of a common strategy for the Western Balkans.
November 2003: First joint NATO-EU crisis-management exercise.
February 2004: France, Germany and the United Kingdom launch the idea of EU rapid-reaction units composed of joint battle groups.
December 2004: Beginning of the EU-led Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
October 2005: Agreement on Military Permanent Arrangements establishing a NATO Permanent Liaison Team at the EU Military Staff and an EU cell at SHAPE.
November 2005: A permanent NATO Liaison Team is set up at the EU Military Staff.
2005 – 2012: Transatlantic informal NATO-EU ministerial dinners are held in New York (Sep. 2005 and Sep. 2006); Sofia (Apr. 2006); Brussels (Jan. 2007); Oslo (April 2007); New York (Sep. 2007); Brussels (Dec. 2007); New York (Sep. 2008); Brussels (Dec. 2008); Brussels (March 2009); and New York (Sep. 2010, 2011 and 2012).
March 2006: An EU cell is set up at SHAPE.
November 2010: At the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, the Allies underline their determination to improve the NATO-EU strategic partnership and welcome recent initiatives from several Allies and ideas proposed by the Secretary General in this regard.
11 February 2013: President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso visits NATO Headquarters.
May 2013: The NATO Secretary General addresses the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Subcommittee on Security and Defence.
June 2013: The NATO Secretary General participates in an informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers.
December 2013: The NATO Secretary General addresses the European Council in Brussels.
5 March 2014: NATO and EU Political and Security Committee (PSC) ambassadors hold informal talks on Ukraine during Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea. A second round of talks takes place on 10 June 2014.
10 February 2016: A Technical Arrangement on Cyber Defence was concluded between the NATO Computer Incident Response Capability (now known as the NATO Cyber Security Centre) and the Computer Emergency Response Team of the European Union (CERT-EU), providing a framework for exchanging information and sharing best practices between emergency response teams.
11 February 2016: At the request of Germany, Greece and Türkiye, NATO Defence Ministers agree that the Alliance should join international efforts to stem human trafficking and illegal migration in the Aegean Sea, cooperating with the European Union’s border management agency, Frontex.
10 March 2016: Visiting the European Commission to meet Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stresses the vital importance of the NATO-EU relationship and welcomes the organisations’ deepening ties.
12-13 May 2016: An informal EU-NATO Directors General Conference takes place at NATO Headquarters to enhance staff-to-staff interaction between the organisations’ respective military staffs on topics of current relevance and common interest related to security and defence.
20 May 2016: EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini visits NATO Headquarters for a meeting with NATO Foreign Ministers to discuss areas for expanded NATO-EU cooperation ahead of upcoming EU and NATO summit meetings.
July 2016: At the 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw, a Joint Declaration expresses the determination to give new impetus and new substance to the NATO-EU strategic partnership in light of common challenges. Areas for strengthened cooperation include: countering hybrid threats; operational cooperation including at sea; cyber security and defence; defence capabilities; defence industrial cooperation; exercises; and building the defence capabilities of partners to the east and south.
27 October 2016: NATO Defence Ministers meet with EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and the Defence Ministers of then-partners Finland and Sweden (now NATO members) to discuss ways to deepen NATO-EU cooperation in the areas of countering hybrid threats, cyber defence, coordinated exercises and supporting partners. Ministers agree to extend NATO’s deployment in the Aegean Sea in support of the efforts of Greece, Türkiye and the EU’s border agency Frontex to break the lines of human trafficking. They also decide that NATO’s new Operation Sea Guardian will support the EU’s Operation Sophia in the Central Mediterranean with NATO ships and planes, ready to help increase the EU’s situational awareness and provide logistical support.
15 November 2016: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with EU Defence Ministers for talks on European defence and closer NATO-EU cooperation. He stresses that efforts to strengthen European defence can contribute to a stronger NATO, through better defence capabilities and higher defence spending in Europe.
7 December 2016: NATO Foreign Ministers approve a series of more than 40 measures to advance how NATO and the EU work together including on countering hybrid threats, cyber defence, and making their common neighbourhood more stable and secure.
15 December 2016: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with EU leaders for talks on European defence and closer NATO-EU cooperation.
10 February 2017: NATO convenes an informal workshop on how to reinforce security dialogue in the Euro-Atlantic region, focusing on the importance of NATO, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) supporting each other to improve existing arms control mechanisms.
24 March 2017: The North Atlantic Council and the EU’s Political and Security Committee meet to discuss NATO-EU cooperation, in particular the implementation of the Joint Declaration signed in Warsaw in July 2016, which led to a common set of proposals endorsed by the respective Councils of both organisations in December 2016.
19 June 2017: A first progress report on NATO-EU cooperation – authored jointly by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU High Representative / Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini – concludes that the two organisations are making substantial progress in complementing each other’s work since the agreement in Warsaw in July 2016 to work more closely together in areas ranging from resilience to hybrid threats, through greater coherence on capability development to helping build the defence capacities of partner countries.
5 December 2017: In a meeting with EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, NATO Foreign Ministers agree to step up NATO’s cooperation with the European Union through an additional common set of 32 new proposals on the implementation of the Joint Declaration signed by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of NATO. Joint work will include three new areas: military mobility, information-sharing in the fight against terrorism, and promoting women’s role in peace and security. A second progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is issued.
8 June 2018: A third progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is released to the public and highlights the qualitative and quantitative increase in cooperation between NATO and the EU.
10 July 2018: In the second Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General underline the importance of continued EU-NATO cooperation to address multiple and evolving security challenges as well as steps being taken by both organisations to strengthen capabilities in defence and security.
11 July 2018: At the 2018 NATO Summit in Brussels, Allied Leaders underline that the European Union remains a unique and essential partner for NATO. They welcome tangible progress made in a range of areas as well as the second Joint Declaration about taking further steps to implement the common set of 74 proposals, emphasising the importance of the commitment to improving military mobility.
17 June 2019: A fourth progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is published.
16 June 2020: A fifth progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is published.
3 June 2021: A sixth progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is published.
14 June 2021: At the 2021 NATO Summit in Brussels, Allied Leaders emphasise unprecedented levels of NATO-EU strategic cooperation that includes addressing challenges such as resilience issues, emerging and disruptive technologies, the security implications of climate change, disinformation and the growing geostrategic competition. They reaffirm their commitment to the full implementation of the common set of 74 proposals and highlight the importance of the development of coherent, complementary and interoperable defence capabilities.
27 November 2021: The joint visit of the NATO Secretary General and the President of the European Commission to Latvia and Lithuania demonstrates solidarity with NATO Allies and EU member states in the Baltic region, as well as further strengthening of the cooperation between NATO and the EU.
3 February 2022: NATO and EU PSC Ambassadors hold and informal meeting to discuss Russia’s military build-up in and around Ukraine and the implications for European and international security. The meeting formed part of a series of meetings, preceded by an exchange on Afghanistan in September 2021 and one on Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina in December 2021.
24-25 February 2022: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to discuss Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO and the EU stand united in condemning Russia’s actions, and in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-defence. On 25 February, European Council President Michel and European Commission President von der Leyen take part in an extraordinary virtual summit of Heads of State and Government of NATO Allies, plus then-partners Finland and Sweden (now NATO members).
20 June 2022: A seventh progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is published.
29-30 June 2022: President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen participate in talks at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, as well as at the transatlantic dinner hosted by the Spanish government and with the participation of NATO and EU Heads of State and Government. NATO and the EU underline the importance of further strengthening their essential strategic partnership, and reaffirm their common resolve in responding to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
10 January 2023: Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen meet at NATO Headquarters to sign the third Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation. The meeting underlines the importance of NATO-EU cooperation in the context of the changed security environment following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the upcoming increase of shared members.
21 February 2023: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba agree to convene NATO, EU and Ukrainian procurement experts to see what more can be done together to ensure Ukraine has the weapons it needs to defend itself against Russia’s aggression.
17 March 2023: The NATO Secretary General visits the Troll A offshore natural gas platform off the west coast of Norway, together with the Norwegian Prime Minister, the European Commission President and the CEO of Equinor. The joint visit demonstrates the unity between NATO and the EU and the shared commitment of both organisations to boosting the resilience of their societies, infrastructure and supply chains.
23 March 2023: A ceremony is held to mark the initial operational capability of the new Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) fleet developed by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, the European Defence Agency and the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation.
16 June 2023: An eighth progress report on NATO-EU cooperation is published.
29 June 2023: The NATO Secretary General participates in the European Council meeting for discussions with the EU leaders about NATO-EU cooperation in the context of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, as well as on broader common challenges.
11-12 July 2023: Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission participate in the NATO Summit in Vilnius, including the session with partners in the Indo-Pacific region.