EU-NATO Partnership to Focus on Protection of Critical Infrastructure - Von der Leyen

MOSCOW, (Sputnik) - The protection of critical infrastructure will be a crucial aspect of cooperation between the European Union and NATO, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday.

"We will also be reaching out to international partners, first and foremost NATO, the resilience of critical infrastructure is bound to became a crucial aspect of our EU-NATO cooperation," Von der Leyen said at a press conference after the informal EU 27 summit and meeting within the European Political Community in Prague.

On July 12, the EU expressed its readiness to forge ahead in negotiations with NATO on the joint declaration after the approval of the European defense strategy, the Strategic Compass, and the adoption of a new strategic concept at the Madrid summit. Secretary General of the EU External Action Service Stefano Sannino said that the EU-NATO declaration should reflect the "geopolitical context," new areas of cooperation, including hybrid threats, space, disruptive technologies, the impact of environment and climate change on security, the fight against disinformation and interference in internal affairs, as well as cooperation in the areas of defense planning.

Von der Leyen's statement also comes following explosions on the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic Sea on September 26. The European Union believes the gas link was sabotaged, while Russia says this was an act of terror, with an international investigation underway. Moscow has since indicated that it believes the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland and Ukraine were likely involved in the attack.