Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — Sixty-five senior leaders from 32 nations in Europe, Eurasia and the US wrapped up an exploration of the boundaries of NATO and EU expansion during the Marshall Center’s first Senior Executive Seminar of 2007 here this week.
Marshall Center Professor of International Security Studies Dr. Andrew Michta addresses Senior Executive Seminar participants.
Photo by Karlheinz Wedhorn
For six days, participants met in lectures and seminars that focused on various aspects of the expansion of the two international organizations. The George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies conducts two SES sessions a year to focus on contemporary issues that challenge leaders in the region. The seminars are attended by general officers, parliamentarians, ministry leaders and staff as well as other security sector professionals from throughout the U.S., Europe and Eurasia. This year’s first seminar, What are the Boundaries of NATO/EU Expansion, began April 18.
SES Director LTG (retired) Jean Paul Raffenne said the seminar’s lecture-and-discussion format promoted spirited exchanges and a closer examination of issues than might otherwise be possible.
“We were able to bring together a varied group of speakers from EU and NATO member countries, as well as representatives from the institutions themselves, and professors who are able to present more theoretical perspectives on the issues. The participants are exposed to a wide range of views in a very short amount of time.”
Attendees from many of the European and Eurasian nations considering NATO and EU membership heard the experiences from older EU and NATO members, as well as from newer members. French Ambassador Benoit d’Aboville, the former NATO permanent representative from France, talked about the internal dynamics of NATO expansion from the perspective of a long-time NATO member.
German Ambassador Eberhard Pohl, from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Security Policy, gave an overview of the priorities of the German EU presidency in foreign and security policy. Minister Adam Rotfeld, from the Polish Institute of International Affairs and former Polish minister for foreign affairs, discussed the internal dynamics of EU enlargement from a Central European perspective.
Other speakers included Dr. Andrew Michta, Professor of International Security Studies in the Marshall Center’s College for International and Security Studies, and Professor Dr. Frederic Bozo, from Sorbonne University, who presented the US and European views on NATO and EU enlargement. Dr. Detlef Puhl, Associate Dean of the CISS, tied the various lectures and discussions together in a concluding address.
“Our heated discussions revealed there is a lot at stake in the discussion of boundaries. Of course, you have drawn your own conclusions. Is NATO membership driven by national interests or does it have something to do with ‘western’ values? In the EU, we argue about the future of a new treaty. And these arguments are the same arguments about the goals and form of integration that have accompanied the process of European unification since the beginning.”
Neven Mikec, head of the NATO Department in Croatia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, said participants benefited not only from the discussion, but the chance to get together.
“This has been a highly valuable program. I’ve had an opportunity to hear different approaches and to widen my viewpoint. I will share this information with colleagues, and we will be able to use these ideas in our decision-making process.”
“I must also say how valuable the opportunity to network has been. Meeting people in an informal manner and discussing the presentations has added to the impact,” Mikec said.
