Arendalsuka: The EU and Europe Between Trump and Putin – From a Peace Project to a Security Policy Project?

U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies are creating uncertainty about NATO’s future, while Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine threatens Europe. European governments are increasing their defense budgets and preparing to take greater responsibility for their own security.

What role can—and will—the EU play in this new security landscape, and what do these changes mean for Norway?

The United Kingdom and Norway have entered into agreements with the EU on security policy cooperation. But is the EU equipped to conduct security and defense policy?

In this panel discussion, we explore how major global shifts are affecting security and defense cooperation between European states both inside and outside the EU and across the Atlantic, what kind of EU is emerging, and what place Norway might have in these new constellations of cooperation.

Panel Participants

Helene Sjursen, Research Professor, ARENA Centre for European Studies

Bjørn Olav Knutsen, Chief Researcher, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), and Associate Professor, Nord University

Anders Romarheim, Associate Professor, Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies

Moderator: Hilde Wisløff Nagell, Agenda Think Tank