EU-NATO relations demand a new realism if we are to build a strong, truly strategic partnership

AFTER four years as secretary-general of NATO, I will be stepping down at the end of this year. These were four exciting years, in which the Atlantic Alliance transformed to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing security environment. Today, NATO is delivering security from Kosovo to Kabul, and my successor, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, will find an Alliance in excellent shape.