Report

All at sea?

This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform analyses UK, German and NATO/EU interests in the Nordic-Baltic region.

Britain and Germany are keen to deepen defence co-operation. The two countries should work together more closely in the Nordic-Baltic region, where they have long-standing shared interests. That is the conclusion of a new policy brief for the Centre for European Reform, with generous support from the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) UK & Ireland.

Regardless of how the war in Ukraine ends, Russia will remain a threat to the interests of EU and NATO countries in the Nordic-Baltic region, and the UK and Germany are both contributing to the defence of their allies there. But Anglo-German co-ordination could be improved. The policy brief, ‘All at sea? UK-German co-operation in the Nordic-Baltic region’, analyses UK, German and NATO/EU interests in the Nordic-Baltic region, and their vulnerabilities, including the risks to sub-sea infrastructure. The policy brief recommends that the UK and Germany deepen their dialogue on the threats in the region and how to counter them jointly. It suggests that the UK and Germany should launch a discussion with the countries of the region on NATO’s current complex command arrangements, and whether a holistic approach to the security of the Nordic-Baltic region would be more effective.

It recommends that the UK start a discussion with its Nordic and Baltic partners on the future of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which could be more valuable if integrated into NATO’s plans for the region. And it proposes that the UK and Germany should consider how they could jointly make a bigger contribution to the security of critical infrastructure in region.