Twelve countries agree to take greater responsibility for maritime security in the north
Press release | Date: 08/07/2026 | Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Defence
Eleven European countries and Canada have decided to cooperate more closely on security in the North Atlantic, the Arctic and the Baltic Sea. This decision was announced at the NATO Summit in Ankara.
The initiative to establish a broad maritime partnership was proposed by Norway.
‘With this initiative, Europe and Canada are making a significant contribution to enhancing security in the North Atlantic and High North. This is a direct response to calls by the US for other countries to assume more responsibility for the security of Allied territory,’ said Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Under the initiative, Europe and Canada will be cooperating more closely.
‘We will be cooperating even more closely on Allied intelligence, defence, maritime command-and-control of the northern sea areas, freedom of navigation and secure lines of communication. This will also enhance US security. The northern sea areas are not only important for Europe, they are also vital to the defence of North America,’ said Mr Støre.
The participating countries are Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Efforts under the initiative will be coordinated with the US.
At the meeting of NATO defence ministers in June, Norway, Germany and the UK announced that they will be cooperating more closely on anti-submarine warfare.
‘These two initiatives show that Europe and Canada are taking greater responsibility for maritime security and are helping to promote more equitable burden-sharing in NATO. The result will be a stronger Europe and a stronger NATO,’ said Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik.