Two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a major war continues to rage and military experts are warning about the possibility of Russian aggression against other European states within this decade. At the same time, the Hamas terror attack of 7 October has kicked off another major crisis in the Middle East.
Given the growing security threats and uncertainties about the outcome of the forthcoming US elections, it is now essential that Europeans intensify their efforts and bring their cooperation to an unprecedented level. The European elections, the start of a new Commission mandate and the preparation of the next Multi-annual Financial Framework will mark important milestones on this path.
"The cost of insecurity, the cost of a Russian victory, is far greater than any saving we could make now. The cost of facing multiple threats and conflicts without being prepared is far greater than we can afford. This is why it is time for Europe to step up on defence and security."
"The issue in Europe now is availability; to have availability, we need to drastically increase the capacity."
"Europe is facing a critical moment. The road ahead is long but I am confident that together we will call the right shots, once again make freedom triumph over tyranny, and make future generations proud. There is no other way. There is simply no other way. Let’s not be afraid of our own power."
“Russia has already lost the war. Ukraine just hasn’t won yet.”
"We have a capable defence industry in Europe - we need to do a lot more together and create more sovereign capability. We are too dependent on the US and the transatlantic link.”
"We believe that this conference is more important than ever before. We are living through a turning point, a change of paradigm with enormous challenges for citizens, politicians, armed forces and defence industry.”
“The consequences of a war with Russia are so far-reaching, that it is not a simple black-and-white discussion.”
Our mission is twofold: we aim to bring politics and business together in order to provide them with an opportunity to debate and pursue their common goals, giving a voice to all sides of the debate. The other priority of EBS is to provide European institutions with a platform where they can place their top priorities in the spotlight and advance the development of new pieces of legislation through discussion with a variety of actors and stakeholders.
