179th Bergedorf Round Table
Shoring Up Europe’s Defenses:
Towards a European Security Order for the Post-Post-Cold War Era
15-17 June 2022
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally altered Europe’s security landscape. The return of large-scale war to the European continent has triggered unprecedented reactions, with Germany announcing a “Zeitenwende” in foreign and defense policy, and Sweden and Finland applying for NATO membership. Europe will have to rethink and recreate its security order, while taking into account not only fundamental geopolitical changes, but also new types of conflict and warfare, the interplay of security, economy and energy, and its relationship with countries on its periphery.
The 179th Bergedorf Round Table sought to explore the question of what is needed to create and sustain a future European security order. What are ideas, institutions, and rules defining it? What are common and diverging understandings of security and threat perceptions? How will a NATO membership of Finland and Sweden influence Europe’s security landscape? How can European sovereignty be strengthened? Which role can and should the US play in a future European security order?
A distinguished group of 25 high-ranking politicians, government officials, and representatives of think tanks, academia and media from Germany, Finland and other EU and NATO member states discussed these questions during the 179th Bergedorf Round Table. The Round Table took place in Helsinki from 15-17 June 2022.