This is more than a psychological matter. The support of, say, Turkey, Norway, or Poland for an EU-led operation is as important politically as it could be militarily. Nor must the other NATO Partners nations be forgotten, from Romania to Albania to Ukraine. A key lesson of Kosovo is that we need their political and military support as well. Third, focus on capabilities, not just on institutions.
Institutional changes are faster to implement and certainly cheaper than capabilities.
Indeed, ESDI is meaningless if the right capabilities are not delivered. As far as I am concerned, as NATO Secretary General, I will keep on pressing on Allied Governments to remind them of their commitments on capabilities to make sure they deliver. Fourth, avoid unnecessary duplication. No one questions the need for the EU to establish the structures necessary to exercise political control and strategic direction over EU-led operations, regardless of whether they use NATO assets and capabilities. What should be avoided, however, is competitive structures, in particular when it comes to defence planning.