In the joint statement adopted on Wednesday in Bucharest, the leaders of the B9 NATO countries and the Nordic countries of the Alliance talk about “our determination to build NATO 3.0 by promoting a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO”. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte then explained that “NATO 3.0 means a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO together with the US, both nuclear and conventional, but the Europeans assume more responsibilities for conventional defense.”
Meeting on Wednesday at the Cotroceni Palace, the leaders of the B9 NATO countries and the Nordic countries of the Alliance adopted a statement in which Russia is defined as “the most significant and direct long-term threat” to NATO.
“Today's meeting reflects our shared commitment to strengthen security and defense cooperation across NATO's Eastern Flank, recognizing the continuous strategic line from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea and into the Nordic and Arctic regions, as well as our determination to build NATO 3.0 by promoting a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO. The transatlantic link remains the backbone of our collective security,” the signatories say.
What does NATO 3.0 mean? Mark Rutte's answer
In a joint press conference held at the end of the summit, President Nicușor Dan and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte came up with explanations for the notion of “NATO 3.0”.
“NATO 3.0 means a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO, but this together with the United States, both nuclear and conventional, but the Europeans assume more responsibility for conventional defense. I still think that one of the biggest successes of President Trump's foreign policy was in The Hague, when all the allies agreed on this 2%. Then we agreed to go to 5% and equalize our spending with the US, to make sure that everyone it can be defended. (..) There are countries that have gone beyond 5%, countries that were moving towards 5% even before the previous Summit, but we must be honest that we also have our discussions among ourselves, in NATO”, answered the NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, when asked by journalists, the conference at the end of the B9 Summit, what exactly does “NATO 3.0” mean.
He said there were disappointments in the US regarding, for example, the reaction to the Iran war:
“We must say, to be very clear, that the allies have heard the message. And this is on two fronts. First of all, in terms of compliance with all previous commitments, both from the alliance and bilaterally, we noticed that there is a huge increase in this movement, this transition towards compliance with these commitments. And in Romania we saw the same thing. Yesterday, we saw planes refueling here, at the airport, US planes, a clear sign that Romania is also doing its part in what concerns the observance of these commitments”.
Nicușor Dan: “NATO returns to a defensive alliance regarding its territory”
Answering the same question related to the phrase NATO 3.0 from the joint statement of the summit, President Nicușor Dan said that NATO is returning to a defensive alliance with regard to its territory and, on the other hand, “in NATO, the issue of equity in the defense contribution is very directly raised in a partnership way”:
“NATO 3.0. NATO was established during the Cold War, when Russia was a threat to the European continent. After 90, it seemed that Russia was no longer this threat, and then NATO tried to redefine itself. Now, on the one hand, we have returned to this threat and NATO is returning to a defensive alliance regarding its territory, and on the other hand, in NATO, the question of an equity of contribution”.
Nicușor Dan said that the fact that the United States and Europe contribute fairly does not mean that Europe defends Europe and the United States defends the United States, because NATO operates with some defense protocols that have been built over years, with scenarios for different types of threats, and these things cannot change from one day to the next.
“NATO 3.0 simply means that, on the same protocols that we are obviously updating, the contribution of the allies is proportional. And the Europeans have understood this. It is a visible progress, from The Hague until now, and this process will continue. So we are already in NATO 3.0 and the obligation of 3.5 plus 1.5 (no – GDP allocation for defense) is until 2035 and we are on this trajectory”, he added the president.
