Defence minister: EU, NATO should cooperate on use of military helicopters

In related news, Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanová said at the close of the two-day NATO conference on Friday that the EU and NATO should cooperate more closely over the use of military helicopters. Given the current recession, she said, individual countries could not afford to build up dual military and defence capacities for both organisations. At the same conference, EU foreign and defence policy chief Javier Solana said that the availability of helicopters was perhaps the most important factor in improving the EU’s rapid response capability.