Reaping the „collaborative dividend“: Towards a Single Defence Market

Two key developments this summer will shape Europe’s defence industrial future: the Defence Omnibus package, expected in June, will aim to harmonise rules and remove barriers such as ESG requirements, discriminatory practices, and complex procurement procedures. And on 24–25 June, NATO members will adopt new capability targets in The Hague, defining national defence planning for the next two decades.

• Does the EU offer a clear roadmap, as called for in the Letta, Draghi and Niinistö reports? 
• What impact will the Commission’s new Strategic Dialogue have – and which obstacles will the Omnibus address? 
• Are instruments like SAFE or cohesion funds effective tools for boosting cooperation? 
• And finally, what should be anchored in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)?

As a starting point for discussion, we will present IW’s recent study “Defending Europe: Reflections on the White Paper on European Defence” by Prof. Dr. Hubertus Bardt, Managing Director of the German Economic Institute.

Programme

16:30 h Registration

17:00 h Welcome Remarks: 
Markus FERBER, MEP, Chairman, Hanns Seidel Foundation

17:05 h Keynote:
Prof. Dr. Hubertus BARDT, Managing Director, German Economic Institute 

17:15 h Expert Roundtable:
Prof. Dr. Hubertus BARDT, Managing Director, German Economic Institute
Dr. Baudouin HEUNINCKX, Deputy Director and Head of Industry Strategy and EU Policies, European Defence Agency
Michał SZCZERBA, MEP (EPP, Poland), SEDE & AFET Committee
DG DEFIS Representant, European Commission

Moderation: 
Alexander RADUNZ, German Economic Institute

18:30 h Light Dinner Reception

Location:
Representation of German Industry and Trade 
(Haus der dt. Wirtschaft)
Rue Marie de Bourgogne 58
1000 Brussels
2nd floor