Jolyon Howorth, dcha.

El Seminario comenzó con una cena de apertura a cargo de Luis Cuesta, Secretario General de Política de Defensa del Ministerio de Defensa de España.

"Dinner Speech on the ESDP objectives of the Spanish Presidency of the EU 2010"

La primera sesión tuvo lugar el 16 de Octubre de 2009, la bienvenida e introducción del mismo corrió a cargo de Diego López Garrido, Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Spain, Lothar Witte, Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Nicolás Sartorius, Executive Vice-President, Opex-Fundación Alternativas

10.00h Keynote Speech

The gap between proclamation and implementation in European crisis management: Opportunities for a more strategic approach

The EU takes pride on a distinctively European approach to security challenges, as the 2008 Report on the European Security Strategy states. Yet it might be argued that much of the experience over the last years sometimes points otherwise; rather than the so-called “holistic approach” to crisis management, it would seem that the EU´s actual interventions are very much driven by ad-hocery and mere reaction, together with a lack of assessment of the upsides/downsides of past missions. Others, however, would point to the birth a growing European security culture, of which the ESS is an embodiment.

In this respect, after the limited update of 2008, what would be the logical follow-up, i.e. the basis for a true strategic review and clearer policies for different types of crisis management operations? Do we need, as some argue, a Grand Strategy of Europe´s security role? Or should the EU´s priority be a focus on improving the implementation of ESS´s principles and objectives?

Speaker: Jolyon Howorth, Yale University

Comment:Olaf Osica, Research Fellow, Natolin European Centre

Martín Ortega, Professor at the Complutense University

Discussions chaired by Christos Katsioulis, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Berlin

11.30h Panel I

The case of Georgia: A success story of EU security policy?

Was the EU’s overall reaction towards the Georgia crisis in August/September 2008 a success, or did it rather depend on actual leadership of the then Presidency? How internally coordinated were the Europeans at the CFSP level and how did it translate into its ESDP commitments? And externally – has there been strategic interaction with main actors as the UN, OSCE and NATO?

What is the ongoing impact of EUMM, the civilian mission, and what would seem to be its future prospects? Is there any coherence between EU tools in the field (EUMM, the Neighbourhood Policy, etc.)? Moreover, what are the broader challenges facing the EU in the Caucasus and broader Eurasia, particularly in the aftermath of the financial crisis?

Speaker: Alain Richard, Former Minister of Defence, France

Comments: Mary Martin, Research Fellow and Coordinator, Human Security Study Group, London School of Economics

Enrique de Ayala, Former General of the Spanish Armed Forces

Discussions chaired by Christoph Pohlmann, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Berlin

14.45h Panel II

The case of Operation ATALANTA: Which place for Europe´s holistic approach? Successful ESDP without a strategy?

The first maritime mission of the Union has been portrayed as a success for the ESDP. However, a legitimate question may be as where does the EU´s comprehensive approach fall in this case, bearing in mind the root causes of the problem (inland Somalia and the overall, multi-faceted situation in the Horn of Africa). Does ATALANTA represent a step forward for the ESDP, as some argue, and yet a step back for the CFSP –which should guide the former? Is it, therefore, the right mission without a long-term strategy? Moreover, the case may be made that only when sufficient national interests are involved, Europeans are capable of pooling their full strength behind the ESDP. How do we uphold the principle of human security, as enshrined in the ESS, whilst protecting national or collective interests? Moreover, what about NATO-EU coordination in this specific case?

Speaker: Didier Lenoir, Head of Unit – Operation and Exercises, General Secretariat of the Council of the EU

Carlos Fernández-Arias, Embassador of Spain at the Political and Security Committee, EU Council

Comment: Jean-Yves Haine, Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto (tbc)

Discussions chaired by Borja Lasheras, Opex-Fundación Alternativas

16.15h Tea Break

16.45h Panel III – Roundup Debate

Lessons learned: Towards a more strategic security engagement for the EU

What lessons must be learned from these experiences, in view of the security challenges the EU will face in the near future? How can the principles of the ESS guide EU security decision-making? How to further a coordinated and comprehensive approach to security? What about the need to advance towards democratic accountability and engage EU citizens in these matters?

Panelists: Walter Kolbow, MP, Vice-Chairman of the SPD Faction, Germany

Andrés Ortega Klein, Prime Minister´s Office, Spain

Jan Marinus Wiersma, Research Fellow at the Wiardi Beckman Foundation and Former Member of the European Parliament

Sven Biscop, Director, Security and Global Governance Programme, Egmont Institute

Discussions chaired by José Ignacio Torreblanca, European Council of Foreign Relations, Madrid office.

18.15h Concluding Remarks: Jörn Thießen, MP, Member of Defence Committee, Germany

18.45h End of conference and transfer to airport/train station/hotel