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On March 30 and 31, 2023 the Wilhelm Merton Center for European Integration and International Economic Order at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main organizes its XXIInd Walter Hallstein-Symposium: “The Common Security and Defence Policy of the EU - Perspectives from Member State”. You will find the Conference Program attached. 

The Walter Hallstein-Symposium, which has taken place since 2000, already dealt with the European Union's external relations in 2006 and 2016. The changed security policy situation in Europe and a rising awareness in many member states of the importance of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) provide an opportunity to take up this topic again.

For once, the focus will not be primarily on the position of the various institutions in the EU itself or its large member states such as Germany and France. Rather, attention will be focused on states "at the periphery" which have a special constitutional status with regard to their defence policy, are particularly exposed to security threats from outside, or, on the contrary, are geographically particularly far away from them, so that the question of their interests arises. The aim is to trace the differences and commonalities in security policy that exist in the EU and which make it possible to gain a better assessment of the state of CSDP by looking at the deeper layers in the respective member states.

Before the contributions from member states, there will be a general overview of the topic, which will also address the thematic focal points for the following contributions. At the end, there will be a final panel from a more practical point of view, for which representatives from the German Foreign Office and from the European External Action Service will share their insights.  

The Wilhelm Merton Centre invites kindly you to join the conference!