NATO Secretary General to visit Bulgaria

Source: NATO

On Thursday, 19 December 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will travel to Bulgaria.

Mr Rutte will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Ivan Kondov, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Atanas Zapryanov.

He will also address troops of the NATO Multinational Battle Group Bulgaria at the Novo Selo Range Army Base.

Media Advisory

16:15 (CET)  Joint press statements by the Secretary General, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Defence

Media Coverage

The Secretary General’s press statements with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defence will be streamed live on the NATO website, and broadcast live on EBU News Exchange.

Transcripts of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available on the NATO website. Video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

For more information:
For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X: @NATO@SecGenNATO and @NATOPress

NATO delivers Special Operations Forces’ equipment to Mauritania

Source: NATO

From 1 to 6 December 2024, NATO Defence Capacity Building (DCB) experts visited Nouakchott to support the implementation of key initiatives of Mauritania’s DCB package, including in support of special operations forces (SOF), maritime security, intelligence, military career transition, military education and addressing challenges related to small arms and light weapons.

During the visit, NATO delivered special operations forces’ equipment – such as ballistic protection, communications and medical equipment – to help enhance Mauritania’s defence and security capabilities. The event was attended by the SOF Commandant and Army Chief of Staff, General El Mokhtar Menny, as well as the Secretary General of the Ministry of Defence, General Saidou Dia.

NATO experts also met with other Mauritanian officials, including the Minister of Defence Ould Sidi Hanana, to discuss how to further strengthen Mauritania’s defence and security apparatus and ensure continued support and collaboration between NATO and Mauritania. Specific working sessions were also conducted to review and plan further work on the key aspects of the DCB package. In addition, a live exercise was conducted with officers of the Mauritanian Navy during the stopover of the Portuguese ship “NRP Viana do Castelo” in Nouakchott. This exercise demonstrated the practical application of NATO’s training and capacity-building efforts.

By providing essential resources and expertise and engaging in high-level dialogue, NATO continues to support Mauritania in building stronger, more resilient defence capabilities, essential for maintaining regional stability and security.

Allied Chiefs of Defence meeting with Partners – 15-16 January 2025

Source: NATO

NATO’s highest Military Authority, the Military Committee, will meet in person on 15 and 16 January 2025 in Brussels. Allied Chiefs of Defence will meet with over 20 of their counterparts from NATO Partner nations. The meeting will be presided by Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the Military Committee and supported by General Christopher Cavoli, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT).

The Chiefs of Defence will discuss issues of strategic importance to the Alliance, while focusing on cooperation with Partners and unified responses to global challenges.

NATO Secretary General, Mr. Mark Rutte, will join the Military Committee for the opening session to address the Alliance’s key priorities and challenges.

The first session will see Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Cavoli brief the Chiefs of Defence on NATO’s readiness to deter and defend the Euro-Atlantic area and to safeguard the region’s one billion inhabitants. SACEUR will also have broader discussions on NATO’s ongoing missions, and on support to Ukraine, including the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which has begun to assume responsibilities to support Ukraine.

During the second session, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Admiral Vandier, will lead a discussion on Interoperability by Design. Additionally, SACT will update the Military Committee on :

  • The NATO Defence Planning Process;
  • The status of the Joint Analysis Training and Education Centre (JATEC);
  • The implementation path for a multi domain-enabled Alliance by 2030.

In the third and fourth sessions, together with their counterparts from NATO Partners nations, the Chiefs of Defence will discuss the different manifestations of pervasive instability around the globe.

Exchanges with partners will continue on the second day, when Allied and Partner Chiefs of Defence will discuss military cooperation, standardization and interoperability.

This will be followed by thematic sessions on the Global South and the Indo-Pacific, with briefings on the strategic security situation of both regions, their regional challenges and implications for world-wide security.

The MCCS will wrap up with a Joint Press Conference by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Supreme Allied Commander Transformation.

Media Opportunities

Wednesday 15 January 2025

08:30          Livestreamed Opening Remarks by:

  • Admiral Rob Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee,
  • NATO Secretary General, Mr. Mark Rutte.

Thursday 16 January 2025

17:30          Press Conference with

  • Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer
  • Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli
  • Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Admiral Pierre Vandier.

Media representatives holding a valid 2025 NATO Media pass will have access as usual to the NATO HQ. Media representatives wishing to attend the press conference are invited to contact the NATO IMS Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Office via email (pascad@hq.nato.int) with a completed accreditation form no later than 1200hrs on Monday 6 January 2025.

Media accreditation form

Media passes will not be mailed to applicants; they must be collected in person upon presentation of an ID card or passport and a valid national press pass (or accreditation letter from a recognized media organisation). Media representatives will be given their accreditation at the Guard House South, NATO Headquarters, Boulevard Leopold III, Brussels, Belgium.

Passes must be worn visibly at all times, and security personnel may ask to see another form of ID at any time. Media representatives are informed that security personnel will examine and may test equipment and personal effects carried onto the site. They are also advised to arrive with sufficient lead-time to clear security checks.

The opening remarks delivered by the Chair of the NATO Military Committee and the NATO Secretary General will be streamed live on the NATO website.

The press conference will also be streamed live on the NATO website and the live feed will be provided to EBU.

Video footage will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

Imagery

Following each event, photos, video and audio files will be made available on the NATO IMS webpage www.nato.int/ims, as well as on the Military Committee in Chiefs of Defence session (MCCS) event page.

Social Media

We will post the latest information and photos from the MCCS on the following X accounts: @NATO_PASCAD and @CMC_NATO.
Please use the hashtags #NATOCHoDs and #NATOMC when posting about the NATO Military Committee.

Media Enquiries:

Ms Eleonora Russell, Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.
Tel: + 32 471 61 09 55
E-Mail: russell.eleonora@hq.nato.int  

Cdr Grzegorz Łyko, Deputy Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Advisor to the NATO Military Committee and the NATO International Military Staff.
Tel: + 32 477 57 07 46    
E-Mail: lyko.grzegorz@hq.nato.int

For more background information about the NATO Military Committee

NATO Secretary General commends Lithuania for defence production, support to Ukraine

Source: NATO

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nausėda to NATO Headquarters on Wednesday (18 December 2024), to discuss NATO’s deterrence and defence and support to Ukraine.

The Secretary General thanked Lithuania for its significant contributions to NATO and shared security, including its leadership in defence spending and its efforts to boost defence production. He noted that Lithuania is “investing over 3% of GDP” in defence, adding that this figure is “set to rise to 3.5% soon”. Mr Rutte also referred to the recent agreement between Lithuania and Rheinmetall to establish a 155mm artillery shell factory in Baisogala, which, he said “highlights your commitment to ramping up defence production”. Lithuania hosts a German-led NATO forward land forces presence, which is expected to scale up to brigade level by 2027 – to include around 4,800 troops. “This will significantly strengthen our deterrence and our defence on the eastern flank of our Alliance,” said Secretary General Rutte.

The Secretary General also thanked Lithuania for its strong support to Ukraine, including €1 billion in military assistance since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Lithuania has “pushed for all of us to do more, in particular to invest in Ukraine’s defence industry,” Mr Rutte said. He emphasised NATO’s continued commitment to Ukraine, referencing the pledge to provide €40 billion in security assistance in 2024 and NATO’s Security Assistance and Training Command in Wiesbaden which is already taking over responsibilities to support Ukraine.

Mr Rutte underscored the need to go further in supporting Ukraine to change the course of the war. “I know that I can count on Lithuania’s support,” he concluded.

Criminal group disrupting public services by stealing power cables arrested

Source: Eurojust

The criminal group consisting mostly of Bulgarian nationals, set up a large-scale operation to steal power cables in three states in Germany, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hesse and Saarland. After stealing the power cables, the group sold them for substantial profits. Afterwards, the proceeds were then transferred to Bulgaria. 

Through investigations, the authorities were able to link 45 individual cases of power cable theft to the criminal group. The total value of the stolen cables is around 1 million euros.

After German authorities discovered that the criminal group behind the theft was partly residing in Bulgaria and was moving their profits to Bulgaria, cooperation between the authorities was set up at Eurojust. The authorities worked together to plan the joint operation to arrest the suspects and stop the thefts. Europol supported the action day by deploying an expert with a mobile office to Bulgaria. Leading up to this, Europol organised an operational meeting, provided operational analysis and supported the cross-border surveillance with a virtual command post.

In the early hours of 17 December, authorities in Bulgaria and Germany took action with nearly 200 officers, investigators and prosecutors deployed. The operation was coordinated from Eurojust’s headquarters in The Hague. Twenty-four house searches, nine personal searches and six car searches took place in Bulgaria. During the searches, authorities were able to seize items such as telephones and document that will now be used to continue investigations into the group. Eight suspects were arrested, five in Bulgaria and three in Germany.

The following authorities were involved in the actions:

  • Germany: Public Prosecution Office Heilbronn; Heilbronn Police
  • Bulgaria: Public Prosecution Offices Varna and Shumen; Property Crime Department of the General Police Directorate, National Police; Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Home Affairs-Varna

Europol analysis reveals how criminal networks exploit legal businesses to strengthen their grip on the economy

Source: Europol

The key findings of today’s report cover the following areas:The types of businesses prone to abuseOrganised crime activities enabled by legal businessesMethods used by criminals to exploit these structuresA critical enabler of organised crimeThe report identifies the abuse of legal businesses as a key enabler of organised crime. Legal business structures are integral to laundering criminal proceeds, distorting economic competition,…

9 drug traffickers arrested and EUR 27 million in cryptocurrencies seized

Source: Europol

Paper trail on euro banknotesIn 2021, cash was seized during a house search in connection with an investigation into cocaine trafficking. Some of the five-euro notes had handwritten inscriptions that provided information on who was coordinating and facilitating the financial aspect of the drug trafficking.The Spanish Guardia Civil submitted this information to Europol, which cross-checked it against the data gathered…

NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Croatia

Source: NATO

On Wednesday, 18 December 2024, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will meet the Prime Minister of Croatia, Mr Andrej Plenković, at NATO Headquarters, in Brussels.

Media advisory

+/-12:30 (CET) Official handshake between the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Croatia

Media coverage

  • Media representatives with annual accreditation to NATO can attend the event in person. 
  • The pool of visual media covering the official handshake will meet in front of the Press Shop at NATO HQ at 12:00.
     
  • Photographs will be on the NATO website. Video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

For more information:
For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X: @NATO@SecGenNATO and @NATOPress