On Wednesday, European Union and NATO top officials announced the creation of a joint task force charged with offering better protection for the bloc’s critical infrastructure.

“we have seen the sabotage of Nord Stream. That has shown that we need to be ready and that we need to confront this new type of threat,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels.

In September, four leaks were discovered on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines following explosions in the Danish Baltic Sea, with Swedish authorities determining the cause to be sabotage.

“Our experts from NATO and the European Union will work hand in hand to identify key threats to our critical infrastructure, to look at the strategic vulnerabilities,” she added.

Ms Von der Leyen said the unit would cover critical transport, energy, digital and space infrastructure.

“Resilience and the protection of critical infrastructure are a key part of our joint efforts, as we have seen, both with Russian President Putin’s weaponising of energy and the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

The task force “will be an important step in making our societies stronger and safer,” he added.

The announcement came a day after the signing of a declaration on NATO-EU cooperation aimed at increasing cooperation between the institutions. 

(dpa/NAN)