Among world leaders and security policy decision-makers from around the world, General Paloméros outlined his proposed vision for the security of Europe at this year's Munich Security Conference (MSC).

"I'm fully convinced that both pooling and sharing and Smart Defence are the catalysts for transatlantic cooperation. We have to share not only the burden, but also the duty which is more promising," he said during the annual event held Feb. 1 - Feb. 3.

This year, the conference was attended by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden; Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen; EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso; EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton; as well as several heads of state and government and more than 50 foreign and defense ministers and other stakeholders.

Some of the major issues that led the agenda were ongoing crises in Mali and Syria, transatlantic cooperation in NATO, the role of rising power in international security, the future of Europe and the Eurozone, cyber security and others.

General Paloméros was invited to speak as part of a panel focusing on the future of Europe and the transatlantic cooperation which included Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Netherlands Minister of Defence; Michel Barnier, European Union Commissioner for Internal Market and Services; Bernard Gerwert, Cassidian Chief Executive Officer; Anatoly Antonov, Russian Federation Deputy Minister of Defence and Dr Ashton Carter, United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. The panel was moderated by Dr. Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO, former Secretary General of the European Council and former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The theme of the panel was "Pooling and Sharing – But What?"

General Paloméros said that great ideas have emerged from the MSC in the past, but it is a shared responsibility among NATO nations to ensure these ideas are subsequently executed.

The General reminded leaders the Smart Defence initiative was launched at the same place exactly two years ago by the Secretary General. Close to 150 projects of multinational cooperation have been introduced since then and about 25 to 30 of them are ready to be launched, depending on the will of NATO nations to develop them.

"We don't have much time in front of us and the time to act is today," added General Paloméros.

The Munich Security Conference is one of the most important annual forums where new ideas and approaches to urgent and important issues in international security are generated. In Munich, both urgent hot spots in international security as well as key issues that will challenge the world in the medium and long term were discussed.

Click here to access the NATO Secretary General's speech.