EUISS Annual Conference 2023

On 27 June, to mark the 20th anniversary of CSDP missions and operations, the Institute held its annual conference in Brussels. The event brought together high-level speakers and over 150 participants from the EU institutions, member states and think-tanks to examine the future of European security and defence.

Given the rapidly changing geostrategic landscape and the evolving role of the EU, the event sought to shed light on possible trajectories for European security and defence. During the keynote speech by HRVP Josep Borrell and over the course of three panels, the conference addressed the increased securitisation of trade and energy as well as thematic issues such as transnational security, climate change and international diplomacy. 

The keynote speech by HRVP Josep Borrell is available here. 

Panel 1 was moderated by Senior Analyst on security and defence, Jan Joel Andersson, and discussed ongoing and future developments in EU defence such as the European Peace Facility and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP). 

Speakers 

• Robert Brieger, Chairman, EU Military Committee
• Charles Fries, Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defence, EEAS
• Diego De Ojeda Garcia-Pardo, Head of Unit, External Relations, Secretariat-General, European Commission
• ​Margarita Šešelgytė, Director, Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University

Panel 2 which was moderated by Senior Analyst on transnational security, Nad’a Kovalčíková, reviewed an array of new security threats facing the EU today including energy, food security and supply chains. 

Speakers 

• Hervé Delphin, Head of Policy Planning and Strategic Foresight, EEAS
• Belén Martinez Carbonell, Managing Director, MD-Global, EEAS
• Yana Popkostova, Associate Analyst, EUISS
• ​Nathalie Tocci, Director,Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

Panel 3 was moderated by EUISS Director Gustav Lindstrom and focused on EU partnerships and the need to cooperate with international partners across a number of fora.

Speakers

• Delphine Pronk, Chair of Political and Security Committee, Deputy Political Director, EEAS
• ​Pernille Rieker, Head, Centre for European Studies, NUPI