On 17-18 November 2014 several students and academic staff from the College of Europe attended the "European Security Forum 2014 - Defining Europe’s Strategic Priorities". This high-level invitation-only event was organized by the European Security Round Table, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, la Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique and the Kangaroo Group in cooperation with the European People’s Party Group, the Socialists and Democrats Group of the European Parliament and with support from the College of Europe and other partners.
The conference was opened by Mr Pavlo KLIMKIN, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who described the dramatic situation in his country and the strategic prospects and potential contribution of the EU in the Eastern neighbourhood. The first moderated discussion session continued this thread, followed by afternoon discussions on how to respond to the surge in migration and the recent string of deadly shipwrecks in the Mediterranean area. The final discussion of the day focused on what the EU and NATO can learn from each other.
The second day of the conference invited panellists and participants to discuss the diverging security perceptions in Europe, prompted by policy insights from Professor Stephan KEUKELEIRE, Visiting Professor in the EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies programme at the College of Europe, Bruges campus. The following panel examined the European political response to the Ukraine crisis, with the participation of Russian Ambassador to the EU Vladimir CHIZHOV, and the day was rounded off with a debate on the integration of European defence markets and the future development of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy.