17
April 2024
WELCOME WORDS BY EBS
OPENING REMARKS BY BELGIAN DEFENCE MINISTER LUDIVINE DEDONDER
Welcome by ASD
IN CONVERSATION WITH VICE-CHAIRMAN OF ASD, CEO AND PRESIDENT OF SAAB MICAEL JOHANSSON
OPENING CONVERSATION: SUPPORTING UKRAINE
Join us for a thought-provoking opening conversation on the ongoing European efforts to militarily support Ukraine against Russia’s unprovoked and brutal aggression. The panel brings together distinguished speakers from the Ukrainian government, the EU institutions and the European defence industry to provide a nuanced and insightful exploration of the most pressing security issue facing Europe today. The discussion will delve into key questions:
Coffee Break
WAR ECONOMY: POSSIBLE AND/OR NECESSARY?
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European governments have sought to strengthen their capabilities and support Kyiv in the face of an aggressor that is more and more mobilising its resources towards its military apparatus and war aims. Considering this development, also in Europe, the demands of industrial warfare have prompted calls for a ‘war economy’, to ensure the timely availability of the personnel, supplies and tools needed to produce the required defence capabilities at the necessary speed and volumes. High-level speakers from government, industry and academia are joined in this panel to address this topic and several relevant questions:
WHICH DEFENCE INDUSTRIAL POSTURE FOR THE WEST: BETWEEN EDIS AND USDIS
The return of high-intensity warfare in Europe and the threat of further large-scale military conflicts around the globe has given rise to a new awareness about the need to ensure that the West’s defence technological and industrial base is fit for purpose. To this end, the EU and the US have recently developed their first-ever blueprints for enhancing the readiness, capacity and resilience of their respective defence industries. In this panel, speakers from the EU institutions, the US government and representatives of the European and US industries will discuss the European Defence Industrial Strategy and the US National Defence Industrial Strategy, as well as important questions raised by their co-existence concerning the West’s collective defence industrial posture:
Networking lunch
Business Leaders Lunch (By invitation only)
EXCLUSIVE PLENARY SESSION WITH EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN: DEFENCE AND SECURITY AS A EUROPEAN PRIORITY
GEARING UP THE EUROPEAN DEFENCE INDUSTRY:
Part 1: WHAT ROLE FOR THE EU?
GEARING UP THE EUROPEAN DEFENCE INDUSTRY:
Part 2: WHAT DOES INDUSTRY NEED?
Since early 2022, European leaders have repeatedly stressed the need to adapt the EDTIB to the new security realities. The EU has launched several initiatives to this end, culminating in the recent European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the proposed European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), which aim to mark a shift to a structured, long-term approach to defence industrial readiness. This high-level panel brings together top representatives from the European Commission, Member States and industry to discuss the role of the EU in supporting Member States and complementing NATO, and addressing several key questions:
Coffee Break
INTERVIEW: DEFENCE AND SECURITY UNDER THE NEXT EU MANDATE PERIOD
CLOSING SPEECH: TIME FOR EUROPE TO GET PREPARED
ASD & EBS CLOSING REMARKS
NETWORKING COCKTAIL