European Defence & Security Summit

"Securing Europe's future: between cooperation and integration"

2023 PROGRAMME
11 MAY 2023

The programme will be regularly updated

THE EU BETWEEN RUSSIA'S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE AND GLOBAL COMPETITION

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks a paradigm shift in European security, bringing large-scale war back to the continent. In response, the EU has sought to reinforce its capacity as a security and defence actor by leveraging existing instruments, such as the European Peace Facility, and developing new ones. These initiatives follow the adoption in 2021 of the Strategic Compass, which highlighted the EU’s ambition for greater strategic autonomy. At the same time, the war in Ukraine has brought territorial defence and deterrence back at the top of the geopolitical agenda and reinforced NATO’s role as the primary framework of European defence. Meanwhile, the global centre of gravity continues to shift eastwards amidst growing geopolitical and geoeconomic competition, particularly between the US and China. In this high-level interview, we will discuss the implications of these developments for European security, and how the EU can develop its role as a security provider in Europe, in its neighbourhood and beyond.

  • How has the implementation of the Strategic Compass been since its launch in 2022?
  • How have initiatives such as the EDF and Peace Facility helped Ukraine and Europe?
  • Is Strategic Autonomy still a valid concept in 2023, or are other concepts superior?

Which Defence Industry does Europe need?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marks the return of industrial warfare to the continent. In this security landscape, Europe must have the capacity to defend its citizens and values and to support its partners in defending theirs. The European defence technological and industrial base (EDTIB) is crucial for developing, producing, and supporting the equipment that underpins this capacity. To be fit for the new security environment, the EDTIB must therefore be able to always deliver and under any circumstances the equipment that our armed forces require to fulfil their mission. This also includes the capacity to continuously innovate in order to ensure operational superiority against potential adversaries in the future. To achieve this, there are several key questions that must be answered:

  • What threat scenarios must Europe be prepared to address?
  • What kind of capabilities, what quantities and what speed should industry be able to provide?
  • How would these industrial capacities be determined, funded, and distributed between MS?

Adapting the European Defence Industry to a new geopolitical reality

Europe today faces various geopolitical and technological challenges that affect its defence industry, from the rise of assertive competitors and the energy transition to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the vulnerability of its supply chains. At the same time, the EDTIB has suffered from decades of fragmentation and under-investment and, more recently, a hostile public perception of being unsustainable. Against this background, what needs to be done for the EDTIB to best adapt to the new geopolitical reality and avoid falling behind allies, competitors, and potential rivals?

  • Can there be an EU defence industrial policy, and what would it look like?
  • What lessons can be drawn from European cooperation until now and how can it be further improved?
  • What other EU initiatives could contribute to adapting the EDTIB to the new geopolitical reality?

Keeping the Union secure against cyber and hybrid threats

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has also highlighted the non-military security threats that the EU is facing today. While those challenges manifest in both the physical and the digital domains, their ‘cyber’ dimension is becoming increasingly prevalent. Concerted mis- and disinformation campaigns, particularly online, aim to undermine European values and democratic systems. Public authorities and key enterprises have been subjected to cyber espionage and cyber sabotage, while European critical infrastructures have been attacked. The European Commission has put in place several initiatives and instruments to protect from such hybrid threats and build a Security Union.

  • What are the key challenges to achieving the Security Union and keeping the EU safe from hybrid threats, including in cyber space?
  • How does the Commission plan to address these challenges and ensure a coordinated effort among all relevant stakeholders?
  • What role does technology, and the industry that develops it, play in this initiative and how does the Commission plan to leverage it to enhance the security of Europeans?

Protecting Europe in the Face of Cyber and Hybrid Conflict

Cybersecurity is increasingly important for the security, stability and resilience of European states, societies and economies. A secure cyberspace is essential for the control and protection of all critical infrastructures, as well as a key enabler of effective military action in all physical domains. In Ukraine, Russia has demonstrated its readiness to launch cyber-attacks against civilian and military targets, while in the EU, governments and industries face daily cyber threats, such as espionage and sabotage. In a deteriorating cybersecurity landscape, and given the rapid evolution of disruptive digital technologies such as AI and quantum computing, how can Europe ensure its capacity to secure and defend the strategic parts of its cyberspace?

  • How can the EU, NATO, and partners remain innovating and ahead of the most dangerous cyber technologies?
  • How can the cross-border implications of cyber security and defence be best managed, globally as well as regionally?
  • What role can the European defence and security industry play in protecting Europe’s critical systems and infrastructures from cyber threats?

Interview with the NATO Military Chair: NATO in a new era of collective defence

As the Alliance faces one of its most critical periods, this interview will delve into the challenges it faces in modernising its military capabilities, and the strategies being implemented to ensure the alliance remains prepared for any future threat.

  • How has NATO’s response to Euro-Atlantic security challenges impacted it’s posture and what steps are being taken to improve it?
  • How is NATO adapting its military capabilities to meet new threats and changing global security dynamics?
  • Considering the ongoing conflict, how is NATO ensuring the continuity of its military operations and the readiness of its forces?
  • Resilience: what role do societies and businesses play in collective defence and how can we make sure we use the full power of the collective?

Securing Europe’s Maritime Routes, Seabed Interests, and Critical Infrastructure

Up to 99% of global data flows are transmitted through undersea cables, over 80% of global trade is seaborne, and about two-thirds of the world’s oil and gas is extracted at or transported by sea. At the same time, maritime security challenges have multiplied in recent years, threatening Europe’s access to this vital domain. The recent sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline highlighted the importance and vulnerability of maritime critical infrastructure. At the same time, European navies face challenges from global and regional rivals that are investing heavily in modern naval capabilities and engaging in aggressive and unlawful behaviour at sea. Furthermore, Europeans are increasingly called to safeguard strategic interests in distant regions such as the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic. Against this background, the protection of Europe’s maritime interests requires modern naval capabilities, based on new technologies and data-centric systems.

  • Are European navies at risk of becoming operationally obsolete, and are we prepared for increased confrontation at sea?
  • What are the security threats to undersea communications cables and pipeline infrastructure, and how can we enhance our resilience to protect our maritime infrastructure and deep-sea interests
  • How can the European defence and security industry contribute to enhancing the EU’s maritime security, in particular as regards the protection of critical infrastructure?

Anchoring Space as a key dimension to European Security

Up to 99% of global data flows are transmitted through undersea cables, over 80% of global trade is seaborne, and about two-thirds of the world’s oil and gas is extracted at or transported by sea. At the same time, maritime security challenges have multiplied in recent years, threatening Europe’s access to this vital domain. The recent sabotage of the Nordstream pipeline highlighted the importance and vulnerability of maritime critical infrastructure. At the same time, European navies face challenges from global and regional rivals that are investing heavily in modern naval capabilities and engaging in aggressive and unlawful behaviour at sea. Furthermore, Europeans are increasingly called to safeguard strategic interests in distant regions such as the Indo-Pacific and the Arctic. Against this background, the protection of Europe’s maritime interests requires modern naval capabilities, based on new technologies and data-centric systems.

  • Are European navies at risk of becoming operationally obsolete, and are we prepared for increased confrontation at sea?
  • What are the security threats to undersea communications cables and pipeline infrastructure, and how can we enhance our resilience to protect our maritime infrastructure and deep-sea interests
  • How can the European defence and security industry contribute to enhancing the EU’s maritime security, in particular as regards the protection of critical infrastructure?

Decarbonising Defence, Making Industry and Military Sustainable Players

The fight against climate change and the associated energy transition is one of the key challenges of our time, with important implications for Europe’s armed forces and defence industries. The public, policymakers and financial markets expect the defence sector to contribute to decarbonisation. At the same time, climate change will lead to increasingly harsh environmental conditions, which will change operational requirements and put a premium on energy-efficiency and resilience. Decarbonisation therefore comes along with different challenges and opportunities for the defence industry.

  • What are militaries and the defence industry doing to reduce the defence sector’s carbon footprint and what are the key challenges in this effort?
  • What technologies are needed for European armed forces’ energy transition?
  • Wow can policymakers and the financial community support the energy transition of defence?

Laying out the path to a more secure European continent

This closing session of the conference aims to explore the current security challenges faced by Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine and potential ways to address them. The high-level panel will discuss the role of governments, international organizations, and civil society in creating a more secure Europe in the current and upcoming presidencies of the EU.

  • Is the EU fit for the new security environment, and how should its role as a security provider evolve?
  • In what ways can the EU and its member states collaborate together and with NATO and other international partners to promote security and stability in the region
  • What are some black swan events that could disrupt Europe’s defence and what longer term items are required to ensure security in the continent going forward?
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
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