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Is the EU prepared for a pandemic flu?
The event launched the debate on EU Preparedness for a pandemic flu. Speakers discussed the need to prepare for pandemics – and bioterrorist attacks - at all levels: international, national, regional and local. At the end of the debate, it was clear that a certain amount of consensus had been reached on how to best prepare Europe for a pandemic influenza. Several things were clear: -
Sharing is key; information, expertise and best practices all need to be pooled -
Central coordination is ideal -
Funding is inadequate, with few EU Member States willing to contribute to a central fund -
Vaccine development and deployment are critical -
Local delivery of vaccines is still a problem
From the European Commission, DG SANCO’s Robert Madelin argued that business continuity was the key, with the impact of a pandemic making it an issue that went far beyond the realms of healthcare. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s Angus Nicoll described Europe as being much more prepared than in 2005, though everyone agreed that more work needs to be done.
December 2006
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The Private Security Phenomenon: Policy Implications and Issues
At the end of an enlightening debate on the private security phenomenon, there was clear agreement that further regulation of the sector was required. With a scope that was seen to include security sector reform (SSR), disarmament, demobilisation & reintegration (DDR), the administration of voter registration programmes, static guarding of critical infrastructure, monitoring activities, police training, assistance in prison services, peace negotiating, protection of senior figures, protection of humanitarian aid workers and airport security – at Baghdad airport – that was no surprise. No agreement was forthcoming, however, on the type of regulation that was required. Options under discussion included EU-wide or global legislation, national regulations that centred on the main protagonists – the US, UK and South African companies – and self-regulation. The EU, with the Council’s Director General, DG for External and Politico-Military Affairs, Robert Cooper, leading the way, favoured a set of international standards but actions from the Commission were seen to be several years away.
December 2006
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What prospects for a single European defence and security market?
Speaking at the latest SDA Dinner, EU Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry Günter Verheugen placed cooperation at the top of his priority list. All of the major players had to work together if Europe was to develop a defence and security culture, and thereby guarantee the protection of the EU’s borders and critical infrastructure. At the same event, Dr. Thomas Diehl, CEO of the Diehl Stiftung, said industry was ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. To do this, however, he wanted a level-playing field for the EU’s defence and security companies, internally and externally. Regarding the internal level playing field, intra-EU export regulations and offsets were addressed.
December 2006
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Challenges for the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base
The event launched the debate on the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). Speakers discussed why the EDTIB is needed for ESDP to be effective, what industrial capacities will be needed in the future, the particular characteristics of the defence sector, and the importance of security of supply and industrial sustainability.
Nick Witney, Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency acted as a moderator and the high-level panellists included Seppo Kääriäinen, Minister of Defence, Finland, Christian Schmidt, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence, Germany, Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Defence, Poland, Günter Verheugen, Vice-President and Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, European Commission and Charles Edelstenne, Chairman of AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association in Europe (ASD).
Once the panellists had had their say, it was clear that a certain amount of consensus had been reached on how the European defence industry, or rather the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB), could be revitalised.
Several things were clear:
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An increase in effective research spending was essential
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The approach to rationalise the EDTIB had to be long-term and strategic
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Cooperation, not replication, was seen to be the way forward
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SMEs’ expertise had to be promoted
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Centres of excellence should play a pivotal role in any plan.
November 2006
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Global NATO: Overdue or Overstretch?
The conference took place on 6 November 2006 and focused, in advance of the NATO Riga Summit, on the expectations of NATO in terms of partnerships and on policy regarding Afghanistan. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, opened the conference by highlighting six priorities: improving capabilities, burden-sharing, coordination with other actors, developing partnerships, enhancing political dialogue and cooperation between NATO and the EU. He concluded there should be no ‘beauty contest’ between the two institutions and offered Afghanistan, where much of the work is of civilian nature, as an example of where the EU can help. The Secretary General added that NATO has never been in as much demand as today: it is not a global NATO, but a NATO responding to global threats.
November 2006
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Is Europe serious about Space and Security?
Commissioner Günter Verheugen had no doubt that space is a strategic asset. In the 21st century, information is the key and diplomacy will never provide all of the answers. In terms of facing the many security threats, space could play an increasingly important role. The Commissioner was strongly supported by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, who said he could not understand why the link between space and security is still being debated. Elsewhere it is a done deal and for most significant space powers, security is the main driver for space, as highlighted by the new US National Space Policy.
October 2006
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Defending Europe's vulnerable infrastructure
The European Commission has been active since the SDA’s last debate on critical infrastructure protection in 2005. Following an extensive consultation process, it has issued a comprehensive Green Paper, emphasising public-private cooperation and the protection of all sectors against all hazards and will release a Policy Package this November. Giving a keynote address, President Putin’s Special Representative for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and transnational organised crime, Anatoly Safonov, outlined the global dimension that Russia was bringing to the security dialogue as part of its G8 Presidency. UNECE’s Miodrag Pesut called for a global cross-sector approach that brought together all of the major players. Several speakers listed examples of the lack of international cooperation, especially between the public and private sectors. Perhaps the most telling point describing current cooperation came from HP’s John P. Smith, who referred to US government projects that had an average time span of 11 years, while his organisation aimed to produce new products every 9-18 months. The Commission’s Tjien Khoen Liem, Policy Officer for Preparatory Action for Security Research, stated that cooperation had to go beyond the exchange of best practices - all speakers supported that view.
October 2006
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Europe's Long-Term Vision on the defence environment: sharp or fuzzy?
On June 13, 2006, European Defence Agency Chief Executive Nick Witney and Security & Defence Agenda Director Giles Merritt co-chaired an expert level seminar focussing on the nature and the drivers shaping the future military environment. The meeting came at a time as the EDA is undertaking detailed analysis, using a range of conceptual approaches, aimed at developing an initial long-term vision for European capability and capacity needs. Experts examined questions arising from consideration of European internal and global security in the coming decades. Major factors influencing future capability needs identified include continued EU geographical proximity to sources of instability, new military and technological challenges, greater EU Member State cooperation, global economic, demographic and political change, civil-military co-operation and a further shift towards crisis prevention and management.
June 2006
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Protecting Europe
The SDA conference attracted an audience of some three hundred government, EU and NATO officials, industry leaders, Members of the European Parliament, journalists and think tank experts. Speaking at the conference, European Commissioners Franco Frattini and Benita Ferrero-Waldner both called for a more comprehensive approach to EU security, underlining the need for effective cooperation between public and private efforts. Industry leaders called for more public-private partnerships to be involved in the provision of security solutions. The conference took place on the day of the ruling by the European Court of Justice that the EU-US agreement on passenger data transfers was illegal, which inevitably stirred discussion during the transatlantic satellite session with Washington DC. But speakers on both sides of the Atlantic seemed to agree that while EU and US narratives may differ, shared values remain at the core of the relationship, so it is security cooperation that must be strengthened.
May 2006
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The Issues Shaping Asian Security
By focusing on Asian security, the SDA’s Roundtable reflected the region’s growing importance. Speakers from Pakistan, South Korea, India, Afghanistan and China described an area that was teeming with major issues – nuclear proliferation, poverty, human rights, democracy, terrorism, health concerns, energy consumption, etc. It was similar to other parts of the globe, except that in Asia’s case, the issues were all major and coming to the boil at the same time. As it was, China received the most attention. On the issue of democracy, the China Institute for International Studies’ Ruan Zongze argued that China was not opposed to the philosophy but that in a diversified world, different formats of political systems could exist. The Commission’s Henriette Geiger gave an EU perspective, saying that China would remain inward-looking and that growing social imbalances if not properly addressed could have serious security implications. India’s EU Deputy Chief of Mission Ashok Sajjanhar wanted a stronger and more relevant UN as well as a successful Doha Round. Pakistan’s Ambassador to the EU, H.E. Saeed Khalid offered his country’s assistance in the nuclear dispute with Iran and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Victor Seleznev wanted a cooperative security system for the whole region with equal rights for all participants.
April 2006
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Borders & People: the liberty and security balance
Among many questions posed, the latest SDA session asked one that dwarfed all the others: did the EU have an efficient and integrated border management framework? According to MEP Karl von Wogau, the answer was a resounding no! Giving an impressive overview of requirements, the parliamentarian said he wanted one-stop borders with commonality of systems and equipment, and an efficient exchange of information and intelligence. With the added complexity of the enlarged EU, a situation that was ongoing, von Wogau reasoned that integrated border management had to be part of the EU’s neighbourhood policy. Frontex’s Executive Director Brig. Gen. Ilkka Laitinen heartily concurred with that view, stressing that the need for a European strategy for border security is obvious. That filled a hole in the EU’s strategy as von Wogau had mentioned that Solana’s paper had paid insufficient attention to homeland security.
April 2006
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Charting the Developments and Uses of Network Centric Capabilites
At the latest SDA roundtable, there was general agreement that network centric capabilities would define the future of the defence industries on both sides of the Atlantic. However, the key word there was “future”. With such capabilities still in their infancy, it became apparent that – despite repeated requests from industry – a coordinated European approach did not exist. As SDA Director Giles Merritt noted, network centric capabilities seemed to be still in the Middle Ages and the route towards an Age of Enlightenment was not clearly lit. Ericsson Microwave Systems’ Svante Bergh wanted clear leadership from the EU, someone to act as a symbol for the development of these new and important technologies.
The German Armed Forces Command and General Staff College’s Colonel Ralph Thiele noted that the US had developed a long-term plan towards network centric capabilities that covered the period 2001to 2016. That was perhaps too theoretical a timeframe for Europe, given that this was an area where technology was changing on an almost daily basis. As Thiele said, he who had the technology led the race … and a race it certainly was. Swedish Armed Forces former Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Johan Kihl even suggested that a certain amount of risk-taking might be allowed, even to the extent of deciding who joined the network centric club (or clubs). That was an unlikely scenario, especially if the politicians were calling the shots.
February 2006
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Is a transatlantic defence industry increasingly on the cards?
Setting the scene, CSIS’s Pierre Chao explained that although figures could be used to prove anything, it was a fact that Europe’s direct sales accounted for less than 1% of the total US defence market. Taking an optimistic spin, he said the trend was in the right direction over the past few years, primarily as an increased focus on “systems of systems” meant the origin of all components was less relevant. This meant there would be an element of natural growth for European suppliers. The US presidential helicopter contract was used as an example of successful transatlantic cooperation by Lockheed Martin’s Scott Harris and Finmeccanica’sAlberto de Benedictis. Harris explained that Lockheed Martin had been familiar with the chosen platform and had backed it by its own knowledge of the US market. Alberto de Benedictis had seen a level playing field and argued that the best platform had won. Thales’ Edgar Buckley saw too much regulation on both sides of the Atlantic, while the US Mission to the EU’s Michael Ryan said impediments (on the US side) were due to a lack of agreement on the threat.
January 2006
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Utility of Force book presentation and debate
At the outset of his presentation of his new book “The Utility of Force: the Art of War in the Modern World”,General Sir Rupert Smith called for fundamental changes in the way modern warfare is approached. General Smith argued that adversaries were now “of and amongst the people”. It was no longer a case of defending territory, the goal was now to defend a way of life. Wars had to be conducted differently, with the desired outcome being defined ahead of any campaign – force alone would never be sufficient.Expounding on the ideas set out in his book, Smith argued that today’s institutions were not suited to manage the types of holistic campaigns essential in the 21st century. General Smith concluded that the EU had the most potential to conduct such operations; while it carried no baggage from previous wars, it had an impressive “portfolio of power”. Dr. Javier Solana, the EU’s High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, welcomed the content of the book and the debate it would set out. The importance of the book was the manner in which it conceptualised ideas that had been around for a period, while at the same time bringing some new ideas. It was a book to help us understand how to do politics right.
January 2006
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