What role should the EU play in the future when building resilience by crisis preparedness and response?

The seminar offers perspectives on what role the European Union should play in the field of crisis preparedness/response and resilience in the future. The EU leaders have underlined the importance of a comprehensive and coordinated approach to preparedness and crisis response of the European Union as well as enhancing the EU’s resilience. Preparations on the EU’s future priorities continues ahead of the adoption of the strategic agenda in June 2024.

The changed security environment and the increasing number of complex, parallel and long-lasting crises that Europe is facing, highlight the necessity of a comprehensive approach to resilience. The EU should be able to maintain a horizontal view on how to tackle wide-ranging issues ranging from societal disturbances to hybrid attacks and from climate catastrophes to pandemics.

The seminar seeks to answer the following questions:

How can the EU enhance its role in resilience and crisis preparedness/response in view of complex and parallel crises in the framework of existing treaties?
How could this be translated into EU policy?

Organisers:

Hanaholmen – the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Centre
Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU
Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU

Download the conclusion report here

Programme

08.30 Registration and breakfast

09.00 Welcome and introductory words
Markku KEINÄNEN, Permanent Representative, Ambassador, Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU
Gunvor KRONMAN, CEO, Hanaholmen, Moderator

09.15 How could the Finnish and Swedish respective models for crisis preparedness/response and resilience inspire the EU?
Petteri KORVALA, Secretary General, Finnish Security Committee
Per BOLINDER, Civil Defence Policy Director, Swedish Ministry of Defence

Comments:
Hans DAS, Director, European Commission, DG ECHO
Leen DEPUYDT, Director-General, National Crisis Centre of Belgium
Khan JAHIER, Staff Officer, Enablement and Resilience Defence Policy and Planning Division, Nato

10.00 How can EU enhance its role to prevent, prepare and respond to different complex and parallel crises?
Panel discussion:
Andreas JASPER, Head of EU Affairs, Saab
Nicolas KERLEROUX, Director, Council of the European Union (IPCR)
Florin URSEANU, Head of Unit, European Commission, Secretariat-General
Lea VAINULT, Advisor, National Security and Defence Coordination Unit, Government Office of the Republic of Estonia

10.30 Q&A

10.50 Concluding remarks
Mikaela KUMLIN GRANIT, Permanent Representative, Ambassador, Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU

Place: Permanent Representation of Finland to the EU,
Avenue de Cortenbergh 80, 1000 Brussels
Date: Friday, 9 February 2024, at 9.00 – 11.00 EET
Format: Breakfast seminar

More information: Programme Director Victor Andersson, victor.andersson(at)hanaholmen.fi