Event Summary
Coherence and capabilities – MSC European Defence Roundtable in London
On the sidelines of the NATO Summit in London, the Munich Security Conference (MSC) organized a European Defence Roundtable in the British capital on December 4, 2019. European security and defense policy as well as the particular roles of Germany, France and the United Kingdom were the focus of the discussions. Organized together with the British think tank Royal United Services Institute and the French Institut Montaigne, the roundtable was part of an event series on the future of European security issues that aims to strengthen the trilateral relationship between Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
Security challenges throughout Europe's neighborhood are steadily on the rise, making the search for new ways to strengthen European defense cooperation all the more important. In addition to NATO – the transatlantic guarantor of European security – a number of European initiatives have increased in significance. To allow for in-depth discussions on these initiatives, the European Defence Roundtable in London brought together high-ranking European decision-makers from politics and the military, leading security policy experts, as well as representatives of the defense sector. Given that the event took place immediately after the London NATO Summit, the conversations also addressed most recent developments regarding the transatlantic alliance.
Coherence and capabilities: a strategic foreign policy
The discussions initially focused on the question of joint European security decision-making in the event of crises. Recent cases such as the Turkish military operation in Syria or the eruption of tensions in the Strait of Hormuz were subjects of this discussion. After all, these crises recently have triggered intense debates on new security policy approaches in Berlin, London and Paris, including a European naval mission or an international security zone at the Syrian-Turkish border. In this context, some participants stressed the importance of institutional reforms, such as the creation of a European Security Council, to build coherent decision-making mechanisms in Europe for an active, strategic foreign policy. However, institutional changes alone can only constitute the framework for a common European security policy: Germany, France and Great Britain equally have to increase their capabilities to be able to take adequate measures in the event of a crisis.
Two pillars, one policy: the EU and NATO
Further discussion sessions addressed Russia's foreign policy actions and the state of the global order, which is increasingly under pressure. Against the backdrop of recent developments, Berlin, London, and Paris have to also assume more responsibility in the field of defense policy in order to protect European security interests. All participants agreed that NATO would remain the foundation of European defense – but also that new forms of European cooperation in the field of defense were necessary to considerably strengthen the European pillar of the transatlantic alliance. In this context, concerns regarding a potential duplication of EU- and NATO-led initiatives aimed at strengthening the common defense capabilities were repeatedly voiced – although some participants emphasized that cooperation between EU and NATO has been working well so far.
Further Information
To foster this dialogue on security and defense issues, the MSC Defense and Security Series will be continued with a European Defence Roundtable from July 13-14, 2020 in Paris. If you would like to learn more about transatlantic security and European defense cooperation, read our report "More European, More Connected and More Capable: Building the European Armed Forces of the Future".
With the event "NATO Engages: Innovating the Alliance" on December 3, 2019, the MSC furthermore organized the official public outreach event on the occasion of the NATO Leaders Meeting in London. For the complete program and further information on the consortium behind NATO Engages, please visit nato-engages.org. A selection of photos from the event is available in our media library.
