The Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) and the French Embassy in Denmark have the pleasure of inviting you to a seminar on:
The French EU Presidency’s Goal: Reinforcing the EU’s Defence Capacity and the EU’s Role on the International Stage
Monday, 27 October 2008, 13.30-16.30
Danish Institute for International Studies
Main Auditorium
Strandgade 71, ground floor, 1401 Copenhagen K
Background
The Russia-Georgia conflict became the French Presidency’s first international challenge. The French Presidency responded quickly to the conflict. It brokered the six-point plan and thereby the EU has become Russia’s main negotiator for the post-conflict arrangements. Maintaining peace in Georgia will certainly require a strong international commitment, both military and civilian.
A key goal for the French EU Presidency is to develop and strengthen the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) equipped with credible resources and capabilities, in order to enhance the EU’s role as a global player in crisis management. The emphasis is being put on the complementarity between the EU and NATO and the need for more interaction, trust and transparency between the two organisations. In this context, President Nicolas Sarkozy has clearly stated his wish to strengthen the transatlantic partnership between Europe and North America, not excluding a full French participation to NATO’s military integrated structure after 40 years of absence, if enough progress was made on the reinforcement of the ESDP.
At the same time, the United States has now for the first time unequivocally supported the idea of a strong European defence, contradicting the former American argument that a strong Europe means a weakened Atlantic alliance. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Chancellor Angela Merkel have symbolically offered to jointly host NATO’s 60th anniversary summit in 2009 in Strasbourg/Kehl and the issue of the future interaction between the EU and NATO is expected to be high on the agenda.
This seminar thus aims at probing whether the French Presidency’s goal of giving renewed impetus to an EU of defence and security is possible, and whether NATO and ESDP can develop a kind of complementarity.
Frédéric Charillon is Director of the Research Centre in the Social Sciences of Defence, under the French Ministry of Defence. He is Professor at the University of Auvergne and at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, which is often referred to as Sciences Po, and Vice President of the Scientific Council of the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Charillon carries out research on European defence and security policy, the Middle East and the foreign policy of France and the EU. He has published widely on these topics. His recent works include “Sovereignty and Intervention: EU’s Interventionism in its ‘Near Abroad’” in Contemporary European Foreign Policy (ed. by W. Carlsnaes, H. Sjursen and B. White, Sage, 2004), La France en 2007: chronique politique, économique et sociale (La Documentation française, 2008) and “Les enjeux de la présidence française de l'Union européenne: opportunités et limites” (La Revue Internationale et Stratégique, no. 69, 1, 2008).
Trine Flockhart is Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the Security and Defence research unit at DIIS. Before joining DIIS, she held positions in Australia, Denmark and Britain. Her research interests are European security – especially the EU and NATO, norms transfer and state socialisation and long term processes of Europeanisation. Flockhart’s books include European Security after Iraq (ed. with N. Macqueen, Brill, 2006) and Socializing Democratic Norms: The Role of International Organizations for the Construction of Europe (Palgrave, 2005). Her most recent articles have appeared in International Relations, Journal of Common Market Studies and European Journal of International Relations.
Programme
13.30-13.40 Introduction
Ulla Holm, Senior Researcher, DIIS
13.40-14.25 The French EU-Presidency’s Defence and Security Goals
Frédéric Charillon, Director, Research Centre in the Social Sciences of
Defence
14.25-15.10 Is European Defence Identity Going to be a Reality?
Trine Flockhart, Senior Researcher, DIIS
15.10-15.25 Coffee Break
15.25-16.30 Open Discussion
Chair: Ulla Holm, Senior Researcher, DIIS
Practical Information
The seminar will be held in English.
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the registration form below no later than Friday, 24 October 2008 at 12.00 noon. |
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