Europe’s security depends on stability beyond its borders. The current destabilisation of Europe’s neighbourhood challenges both the interests and the values of Europeans and confronts them with new responsibilities. Violence and suffering increasingly ignore borders, whether in the shape of transnational terrorism or flows of desperate people escaping war or sheer deprivation. Countering threats and building peace will require strong political will, adequate resources and innovative policy approaches to address the drivers of conflict and geopolitical tensions. The European Union and Norway are partners in providing security in Europe’s neighbourhood and beyond.

This Policy Dialogue looked at the priorities of Norway and the EU as security actors in a turbulent world. The June 2016 EU Global Strategy calls for an integrated approach to tackle conflicts and crises and for investing in the resilience of states and societies to the east and to the south of the EU. The Norwegian Government is in the process of elaborating a White Paper on Norway’s foreign and security policy. For both the EU and Norway, the connection between security, development, capacity-building and governance reforms is critical to deliver stability. This event provided an opportunity to discuss the experiences and approaches of Norway and of the EU in dealing with conflicts, humanitarian emergencies and peace-building, with a focus on Europe’s extended neighbourhood.

Speakers included: Oda Helen Sletnes, Ambassador of Norway to the European Union, Giovanni Grevi, Senior Fellow, European Policy Centre, Børge Brende, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway, Christian Leffler, Deputy Secretary General for economic & global issues, European External Action Service