Europe’s defense amid today’s foreign policy challenges: between strategic autonomy and global security

Hosted by the EESC Employers' Group and organised by ELEC - European League for Economic Cooperation, with the support of INSME and AZIMUT, the conference will bring together EU policymakers, experts, industry representatives, and civil society with the aim to contribute to the ongoing debate on the future of European defense by proposing a strategic, institutional, and value-based framework for a European Defense Policy.

Recent geopolitical developments have highlighted both the growing external pressures on the European Union and its internal structural vulnerabilities, particularly in the areas of decision-making, coordination, and global influence. While Member States have increased national defense efforts, the persistence of fragmentation and duplication risks undermining the effectiveness and credibility of Europe as a global actor.

The initiative presented at this Conference is based on a different premise: European defense should not be conceived as a process of rearmament, but as a policy for peace, consistent with the founding values of the European project. Its objectives are to strengthen Europe’s capacity to act with one voice combining defense capabilities with diplomacy, international cooperation, and the promotion of a rules-based global order. 

In this perspective, the Conference will address three key priorities:

• the rationalization of national defense expenditures and the reduction of inefficiencies through greater integration; 
• the development of common standards and a coordinated industrial base, capable of ensuring both operational effectiveness and economies of scale; 
• the launch of a new institutional process, inspired by the experience of the “Delors Committee”, aimed at defining a roadmap for a European Defense and Foreign Policy Union. 

Beyond its technical and institutional dimensions, this initiative is also grounded in a broader reflection on Europe’s role in the world. Drawing on the legacy of Aldo Moro and the “Spirit of Helsinki”, recently recalled in contemporary debates on peace and security, European defense must remain anchored in human rights, dialogue, and international cooperation, avoiding the risks of an exclusively deterrence-based approach.

The event will take place on Thursday 1 October 2026 from 9:30 to 17:30 in room JDE63 of the EESC JDE building (Rue Belliard 99-101, 1040, Brussels).

Registrations

Register here for in-person participation.

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