This session will explore the evolving dynamics of European defence cooperation and integration, emphasizing the critical role of EU institutions and the challenges posed by national interests. We will examine how recent initiatives like the European Defence Fund and the Defence Industrial Strategy aim to transform defence collaboration. Using case studies like a European Air Shield and a Cyber Defence Common Project, we will discuss the challenges posed by national interests. Attendees will gain insights into the practical difficulties of European defence cooperation, the strategic importance of a unified defence approach, and the potential for a more integrated European defence market.

Speaker: Nick Witney is a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations in London, specialising in the European Security and Defence Policy. Previously, he served as the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency in Brussels. Furthermore, Witney hold various positions in the British Government, first as a diplomat for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and later in the Ministry of Defence. At the MOD, Witney took on a wide range of responsibilities, including planning and finance, defence exports, the defence estate, the Strategic Defence Review, and industrial policy, culminating in his appointment as the director-general of International Security Policy.