On 29 November 2024, the Director General of the European Union Military Staff (DGEUMS), Lieutenant General Michiel van der Lann welcomed the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS), Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak and his team to the EEAS Schuman Building for the 22nd iteration of the bi-annual EUMS-IMS Directors' General Conference.
The EUMS-IMS DGs Conference enables both Director Generals and their respective staffs to report on the progress of the joint work plan agreed by the EUMS and the IMS, as well as to exchange views and discuss ongoing collaboration and cooperation between both organisations.
In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Van der Laan welcomed Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak and his team to EEAS HQ, adding that this conference is one of the best examples of the fruitful cooperation between NATO and the EU. He outlined "the current security situation on the eastern borders of the EU, in the Middle East and in the African continent" emphasising how it "affects our organizations and motivates us to cooperate even closer than before to achieve our goals." Speaking on the format of the conference itself, Lieutenant General Van der Laan highlighted the aim of todays conference "is to ensure that each session promotes mutual understanding and identifies actionable steps for enhanced cooperation".
Taking the floor in response, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak thanked Lieutenant General Van der Laan and his staff for their kind welcome and reiterated how crucial this event is stating, "it is a key part of the larger effort to increase the over-all level of NATO-EU cooperation." He further highlighted how "the global security environment is confronted by the harsh reality that conflicts, instability and violence continue to disrupt our lives, not only in Europe, but around the world". Lieutenant General Adamczak emphasised that, 'the collaboration between the EU and NATO is so decisive and has to be as close and deep as possible now, and even more in the future."
Following both Directors' opening remarks, the EUMS Deputy Director General, Major General Gabor Horvath, introduced the agenda for the meeting and guided the participants through the sequence of the conference which included follow on tasks form the previous conference held in May 2024. The agenda points also included discussions on; the Development of Education, Training and Exercise plans, Informal Defence Capability and Conceptual Cooperation Plan, Cooperation in Military Logistics, CIS Interoperability, cooperation on Cyber Defence, Protection of Civilians and Gender Perspective and guidance on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).
During the Free Discussion phase of the conference, dialogue turned to improving EU-NATO cooperation and information exchange on new files such as the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) and the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU). Additionally, there was discussion on EU-NATO Space cooperation.
Both Directors General closed the conference by thanking their respective staffs for organising the event and highlighted the valuable discussions and exchange of ideas that took place, laying a solid foundation for future collaboration and strengthening the EU-NATO partnership.
The next EUMS-IMS DGs Conference will be hosted by NATO and is scheduled to take place in May 2025.
