Conference – The defence of Europe in the face of current foreign policy challenges: between strategic autonomy and global security

Conference – The defence of Europe in the face of current foreign policy challenges: between strategic autonomy and global security

Conference – The defence of Europe in the face of current foreign policy challenges: between strategic autonomy and global security

Brussels, 1 October 2026

European Economic and Social Committee (Room JDE63)

The Conference, promoted by a group of European research institutes and think tanks, including Eurispes, the European League for Economic Cooperation, the Association Jean Monnet, the Triffin International Foundation and the Martens Centre, aims to contribute to the ongoing debate on the future of European defence by proposing a strategic, institutional and values-based framework for a European defence 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 stepped up their national defence efforts, persistent fragmentation and duplication risk undermining their effectiveness and Europe’s credibility as a global actor.

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

With this in mind, the Conference will address three key priorities:

• the rationalisation of national defence spending 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 Defence and Foreign Policy Union.

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

The Conference aims to foster an open dialogue between policymakers, experts, industry representatives and civil society, with the goal of building a shared and forward-looking European vision for peace, security and global responsibility.

Prof. Umberto Triulzi, Coordinator of Eurispes’ Laboratorio Europa and spokesperson for the promoters of the Think Tank Initiative, will attend the meeting to present the proposal drawn up by the Laboratorio together with the European network ELEC.

The Conference programme can be downloaded by clicking here.