Amb. Stefano Stefanini
Former Ambassador of Italy to NATO;
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security
Atlantic Council

Teri Schultz 
Freelance Reporter
National Public Radio, CBS, and Deutsche Welle

Michael C. Ryan
Director, Interagency Partnering Directorate (ECJ9)
US European Command

Jamie Shea
Deputy Assistant Secretary General, Emerging Security Challenges Division
NATO;
Trustee
Friends of Europe

Moderated by:

Pauline Massart
Deputy Director, Security and Geopolitics
Friends of Europe;
Vice-President
Women in International Security (WIIS) Brussels 

On the eve of NATO’s upcoming defense ministerial, the Alliance and Europe more broadly are facing an array of strategic and complex security challenges to the South. Ongoing instability emanating from the Middle East and North Africa – including state failure, civil conflict, and a new wave of deadly terrorism – continue to pose threats to European security. Massive migration and refugee flows, coupled with political upheavals on both sides of the Atlantic, have stoked tensions and exacerbated divisions across the transatlantic community. At the same time, the evolving security environment in Europe’s east has diverted attention, highlighted competing priorities, and hampered international responses to the multifaceted challenges in the south.

In this context, the transatlantic community must develop coordinated strategies to address these issues. Could Europe’s southern neighborhood be the much-needed catalyst to strengthen the transatlantic relationship on the one hand, and EU-NATO cooperation on the other? How should the EU and NATO share the burden in practice to address key issues such as terrorism or maritime security? Would this mean an expanded role for NATO, and if so, how likely are its member nations to support it? How can the EU and NATO work with nations in the region and other regional and international organizations to build resilience, respond to crises, and promote stability?

On Twitter? Follow @ACScowcroft and @FriendsofEurope 

Renaissance Brussels Hotel
Rue Parnasse 19, Elsene / Ixelles 1050
Brussels, Belgium

Please note that this event takes place off-site in Brussels, Belgium.
This event is open to press and on the record. 

To register, please contact Lauren Speranza, Assistant Director of the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, at LSperanza@AtlanticCouncil.org or +1 202.864.2838.