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NATO is intent on reinventing itself, but how realistic is this ambition? Will the new Strategic Concept be radical enough to adapt both NATO’s structures and its thinking to the challenges of the new global security environment? How should it reflect the shifts in the transatlantic relationship since 2001 and questions about European and American shared interests? Will the new Concept resolve or exacerbate the turf war with the EU? The conference will feature a keynote address and a Q&A session with Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, as well as a discussion on the 10 recommendations from the SDA’s global Security Jam session. These recommendations emerged from the online debate on security threats and policies organised by the SDA and a coalition of international think-tanks in February 2010 and featured 4,000 experts logging in from 124 countries. See more information about this event
Is Europe’s energy security policy an ambition or a reality?Policymakers’ Dinner Debate, 26 May 2010
Just under 40 high-level experts met at the Security & Defence Agenda’s Policymakers’ dinner, organised with Friends of Europe and the Eurisc Foundation. Speakers from NATO, the European Commission, and the Romanian think-tank Eurisc Foundation, presented wide and sometimes diverging views on a number of topics in relation to Europe’s energy security policy. There was general consensus that a better definition of what constitutes energy security is needed. Other issues that generated debate were infrastructure development and protection, crisis preparedness and resilience. New supply routes were also discussed bringing the discussion to the topic of Turkey and the issue of trust with energy provider countries, such as Russia and Ukraine. NATO’s role was presented as one of information sharing and as a centre of excellence. Suggestions were made that energy security should be linked to climate security and that greater efforts should be made to educate the younger generations about renewable energies. See the photos
Does Europe need ‘Homeland Security’? SDA Roundtable, 12 May 2010
Terrorist attacks in Europe since 9/11 have prompted greater efforts in European homeland security. While some participants at the SDA event, Does Europe need ‘Homeland Security’? on 12 May supported the idea of an overall European Homeland Security Department, others warned against the advisability of creating yet another new agency: “Creating new agencies can also create new problems”, said EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström in response to a question from the floor. Others maintained that the agencies needed to maintain homeland security already exist in Europe and all we have to do is “join up the dots”. During the afternoon debate Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) was a key point. Although some participants argued that from a terrorist point of view, infrastructure was a far less likely target than population, it was noted that privitisation of infrastructure management has a tendency to prioritise cost savings over security enhancement. Read the executive summary. See the photos. See the videos.
The Security & Defence Agenda (SDA) is based in the Bibliothèque Solvay in the Parc Léopold next to the European Parliament.
The building houses the SDA team and serves as the venue for almost all SDA events in Brussels.
SDA’s sister think-tank, Friends of Europe, is a prominent and lively Brussels-based think-tank for EU policy analysis and debate.
Madeleine AlbrightFormer US Secretary of State
Margot WallströmFormer Vice President of the European Commission
Maria Teresa Fernandez de la VegaSpanish First Vice President of the Government
Lt. Gen. David Leakey Director General of the EU Military Staff
Jamie SheaDirector for Policy Planning, Private Office of the Secretary General of NATO
Recep Tayyip Erdogan Prime Minister of Turkey
Benita Ferrero-WaldnerFormer European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy
Zhe SongAmbassador of the People’s Republic of China to the EU
Antonios ChatzidakisGeneral Manager, NAMSA, NATO
Admiral James StavridisSupreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
Ana Maria GomesMEP and Vice Chairwoman, Committee on Security & Defence, European Parliament
General Stéphane AbrialNATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation(Jam Participant)
Carl BildtSwedish Minister of Foreign Affairs(Jam Participant)
Marc Perrin de BrichambautSecretary General, OSCE(Jam Participants)
Anne-Marie SlaughterDirector of Policy Planning, United States Department of State(Jam Participants)
Geoffrey Van OrdenMEP, SubCommittee on Security and Defence, European Parliament
Kai EideUN Special Representative to Afghanistan, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan(Jam Participant)
Vladimir ChizhovAmbassador, Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU
Gen. Håkan SyrénChairman of European Military Committee (EUMC) (Jam Participant)
François GayetSecretary General of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD)
Dmitry RogozinAmbassador, Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO
Alyson BailesVisiting Professor, University of Iceland
Peter WeilemannEuropean Office Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Stefanie BabstDeputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Jean-François BureauAssistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO
Lt. Gen. Karl EikenberryDeputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee
Admiral Giampaolo di PaolaChairman of the Military Committee, NATO
Commander Snowy LinternLiaison Officer of the EU Naval Force in Somalia
Shirin Ebadi2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
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