ZIF-visit to Brussels
At the beginning of April, ZIF was part of a larger German delegation with the Federal Foreign Office and the Ministry of the Interior in Brussels. The occasion was the Civilian CSDP Missions Human Resources Capacity Generation Conference and the Annual Civilian Capabilities Conference (ACCC), at which the EU member states exchanged views on these topics for the second time as part of the implementation of the Civilian CSDP Compact.
Hosted by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU, the conference not only addressed technical and operational issues, but also discussed the current geopolitical situation, which also has an impact on CSDP missions. Civilian CSDP in particular must be careful not to fall behind in the debate in Brussels, which is (for good reason) focused on Europe's defense. The importance of this instrument for peace and security was emphasized, including for global partnerships. The German delegation also mentioned the results of the coalition negotiations, including Germany's claim to a leading role in the CSDP as set out in the coalition agreement.
On the eve of the conferences, we once again met with our contingent in Brussels - we are currently seconding 38 experts to the EEAS, NATO and EU Special Representatives.
After an internal part with the secondees, we opened the evening to a larger group of Germans in international organizations in Brussels as well as Federal Foreign Office, Federal Ministry of the Interior and for Home Affairs and Permanent Representation to discuss with Hildegard Bentele, Member of the European Parliament from Berlin. The topic was: “A Perfect Storm? EU foreign and security policy between Trump and Putin”. This part of the evening at the Berlin Representation in Brussels was opened by Lothar Sattler, Head of Department, Federal and European Affairs, Media Policy, Berlin Senate Chancellery.
The ZIF would like to express its thanks for the six years of successful cooperation. The next exchange will take place in Brussels in the fall.