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SDA's sister think-tank, Friends of Europe, is a prominent and lively Brussels-based think-tank for EU policy analysis and debate. |
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The Security & Defence Agenda (SDA) is based in the Bibliothèque Solvay in the Parc Léopold next to the European Parliament. |
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The building houses the SDA team and serves as the venue for almost all SDA events in Brussels. |
© Security & Defence Agenda
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NATO's European dimension
Report from annual NATO conference |
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SDA presents the conclusions of the 8th annual NATO Conference, in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, which brought together a high level panel of experts to debate the NATO-EU relationship in a changing global security environment.
The paper includes discussion of NATO's current outlook and the future of the alliance, whether transatlantic defence procurement is a 'two-way street' and the implications of better coordination in Afghanistan.
Also included is the transcript of a keynote speech given by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of NATO, at the conference on the theme of "Security in an Era of Budgetary Scarcity".
The paper highlights recommendations for a more modern alliance such as drawing from the experience of member states in the face of economic austerity and pooling defence procurement and multinational industrial cooperation.
Download a copy of the report here
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Report of debate on 2010 UK Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) |
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In June 2010 the SDA welcomed several high-ranking UK officials to discuss the upcoming Strategic Defence and Security Review. Against a backdrop of the financial crisis, panellists and participants discussed what to expect from this exercise in the wake of 9/11, two wars, and an ever changing European defence project. This report presents the principal conclusions of the debate.
‘Cooperation' and 'coordination' are recurring themes in the debate, with some participants insisting that the current review presented an opportunity for the United Kingdom to become more deeply involved with partners in the EU and criticising the small number of references to the EU and the Lisbon Treaty in the early stages of the review process. Other discussion focuses on ways to maximise capabilities in an age of austerity and spending cuts.
Keynote participants include Jamie Shea, Director of Policy Planning in the private office of the NATO Secretary General, as well as Nick Pickard, Head of Security Policy in the Foreign and Commonwealth office in the UK.
Download a copy of the report here
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Debate, Hotel Renaissance, 15 September 2010 |
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Security and Defence Agenda is pleased to welcome US Deputy Secretary of Defence, William J. Lynn, as he presents the US Department of Defence's perspective on cybersecurity.
Mr Lynn's extensive experience both in government and the private sector have given him a comprehensive grasp of the threats and challenges facing America with regards to this rapidly-evolving field.
Mr Lynn's speech will be followed by a questions from the floor which will be moderated by SDA Director Giles Merritt.
See more information about this event |
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Roundtable, 16 September 2010 |
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This roundtable debate, held in cooperation with the Atlantic Council of the United States and NATO ACT, will seek to define NATO’s and Europe’s roles in protecting the global commons as well as identifying the key political, policy and operational challenges. In a world where space, maritime and cyber domains are increasingly vital, this SDA roundtable will discuss the strategic and contextual implications for the Alliance. Topics for discussion will include militarization of space, maritime security threats and the prevention of cyber warfare. Do the United States and Europe share a common vision? Could a legal framework for cyberspace resolve complex jurisdiction issues or would lack of traceability impede the effective implementation of any such rules? See the programme. |
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Roundtable, 29 September 2010 |
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Europe's free movement of people and the borderless Shengen zone has seen a growing emphasis on policing the EU's external borders. But it is far from clear whether the policy responses of national governments and of the EU institutions themselves have been cost-effective. With EU policymakers concerned to standardise practices that range from the repatriation of undesirables to personal passenger data, what level of EU-wide coordination is desirable?
Keynote speakers include Stefano Manservisi, Director General for Home Affairs for European Commission, and Executive Director of FRONTEX, Brig. Gen. Ilkka Laitinen. Sessions will focus on the strategic aims of border control and issues of EU coordination. See more. |
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Policymakers' Dinner, 21 September 2010 |
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Customs procedures across the EU are increasingly tied up in red tape. Member States now have electronic customs systems but they have yet to be inter-connected. Are Commission proposals for a paper-free customs environment viable? Discussions will focus on whether existing customs procedures can be harmonized, ways of enhancing information exchange and the optimum balance between security and privacy.
The debate will be opened by the European Commission's Director General for Taxation and Customs Union, Walter Deffaa.
See the programme. |
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Iran increases enriched uranium stockpile and is frustrating inspection efforts
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claims in its quarterly report that Iran has increased its total stockpile of enriched uranium by 15% despite the recent sanctions imposed by EU and America. The IAEA further announced that Iran was hampering surveillance of its nuclear programme by vetoing the nomination of certain inspectors. White House spokesman Tommy Vietor noted, “This again demonstrates that Iran is refusing to comply with its international nuclear obligations and continues to move closer to a nuclear weapons capability.”
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Madeleine Albright
Former US
Secretary of State |
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Margot Wallström
Former Vice President of the European Commission |
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Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega
Spanish First Vice President of the Government |
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Lt. Gen. David Leakey Director General of the EU Military Staff |
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Jamie Shea
Director for Policy Planning, Private Office of the Secretary General of NATO |
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Prime Minister of Turkey |
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Benita
Ferrero-Waldner
Former European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy |
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Zhe Song
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the EU |
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Antonios Chatzidakis
General Manager, NAMSA, NATO |
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Admiral James Stavridis
Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) |
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Ana Maria Gomes
MEP and Vice Chairwoman, Committee on Security & Defence, European Parliament |
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General Stéphane Abrial
NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation
(Jam Participant) |
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Carl Bildt
Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
(Jam Participant) |
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Marc Perrin de Brichambaut
Secretary General, OSCE
(Jam Participants) |
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Anne-Marie Slaughter
Director of Policy Planning, United States Department of State
(Jam Participants) |
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Geoffrey Van Orden
MEP, SubCommittee on Security and Defence, European Parliament |
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Kai Eide
UN Special Representative to Afghanistan, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
(Jam Participant) |
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Vladimir Chizhov
Ambassador, Mission of the Russian Federation to the EU |
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Gen. Håkan Syrén
Chairman of European Military Committee (EUMC)
(Jam Participant) |
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François Gayet
Secretary General of the Aerospace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) |
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Dmitry Rogozin
Ambassador, Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO |
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Alyson Bailes
Visiting Professor, University of Iceland |
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Peter Weilemann
European Office Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung |
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Stefanie Babst
Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO |
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Jean-François Bureau
Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO |
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Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry
Deputy Chairman of the NATO Military Committee |
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Admiral Giampaolo di Paola
Chairman of the Military Committee, NATO |
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Commander Snowy Lintern
Liaison Officer of the EU Naval Force in Somalia |
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Shirin Ebadi
2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner |
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