#PragueSummit

Описание: With European security having taken a front seat in discussions due to the pressures of the refugee crisis, the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, and a resurgent Russia, the idea of a European Army has resurfaced and created debates among experts and officials. This proposal, put forward by German Minister of Defense von der Leyen and supported by the President of the European Commission, has been welcomed coldly in European capitals. Historical reluctance to let go of an important component of national sovereignty is at play, while also thinking that such a proposal may constitute a way for Germany to escape taking on a greater national role in European security affairs. There are also concerns that the role of NATO, which remains primordial for countries in Central and Eastern Europe, may be diminished in the process, and the nature of security guarantees changed. However, the necessity of more efficient spending, and of a more united European approach – underpinned by strong regional grouping that already exist – constitute strong enough arguments to consider. If one of the stumbling blocks to the construction of European defense, the United Kingdom, is removed, may we witness a new dynamism to this debate?

Speaker FOR 1: Anton Shekhovtsov, Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences, Austria
Speaker FOR 2: J. Peter Burgess, Professor at École Normale Supérieure, Series Editor at Routledge New Security Studies collection (tbc)

Speaker AGAINST : Martin Michelot, Head of Research, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, Prague

Moderator: Henry Foy, Central Europe Correspondent at the Financial Times