The world is a scary place right now. From extreme weather events and catastrophic climate change, to Russian assassins in quiet English towns and “fake news” on social media, to refugees fleeing carnage and oppression, to terror attacks in European cities, it sometimes feels like there’s no end to the number of threats out there.
In the long-term, some argue the world has never been safer, healthier, or wealthier. Even if that’s true, it doesn’t mean we can ignore the challenges. Yes, it’s important not to exaggerate the dangers… Nevertheless, is it possible to agree on the most pressing issues when it comes to Europe’s long-term security?
On 20 September 2018, our sister think tank, Friends of Europe, held its annual Policy Security Summit in Brussels, the flagship event of their peace, security & defence programme. The event also saw the publication of the report from the Debating Security Plus (DS+) online brainstorm, including its top 10 recommendations addressing practical policy goals, underpinned by a realistic roadmap for implementation. You can read the report online here.
What do our readers think? We had a comment sent in from Debby, who points out that Europe faces an extraordinary number of threats right now: from a revisionist Russia, to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda.
To get a reaction, we spoke to José Alberto Azeredo Lopes, the Portuguese Minister of Defence. What does he think are the biggest threats facing Europe right now?
To get another perspective, we put the same question to Julian King, European Commissioner for the Security Union. How would he respond?
We also put Debby’s comment to Frank Bakke-Jensen, Minister of Defence of Norway (not an EU Member State). What would he list as some of the most significant threats facing Europe?
Finally, we also spoke to Rose Gottemoeller, Deputy Secretary General of NATO. How would she respond to Debby?
Debby, thank you very much for that question. I think the two biggest threats to NATO at the present time stem from both our traditional challenges – and here I’m talking about Russia and the way they have seized Ukrainian territory in the Crimea and destabilised the Donbass, how they’re continuing to build up their military forces in the western military district and challenge NATO members who border the Russian Federation. We, I want to stress and underscore, are a defensive alliance and we have had to respond to the Russian challenges that have come our way, but we have done so in a way that is proportionate and defensive and, in our view, totally in line with international law because we believe it’s very important to be clear always that NATO is a defensive alliance.
The other set of challenges, the other biggest threats, come from a newer direction, although terrorism has been around a long time, the threat that was posed by ISIS coming to fore in 2014, and posing new threats in the way they operate, particularly inside NATO countries, bringing a lot of violence to even in the place I’m living now – Brussels with the attacks that took place in 2016. So there’s a lot that is going on that really has gripped our NATO members and they are concerned about the fight against terrorism. They are concerned also with how to deal with a newly resurgent Russia. Those are the biggest threats we face.
But I want to also emphasise the point that those threats are, in some way, heightened or enhanced by the fact that there are new technologies being brought to bear and new approaches being brought to bear. I’m thinking about the way, for example, that even social networks are being used to magnify the messages of terrorists and recruit young people who may not otherwise have even considered a thing such as joining an extremist organisation. It’s just an example of how these new directions, innovations, new technologies, in many ways they are very positive and helpful to our societies, but in some ways can heighten the threats we have faced for many years…
What is the biggest threat facing Europe right now? And how can Europe best meet its security challenges? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!
65 comments Post a commentcomment
Fascism
Illegal immigration
Climate change as always.
A quote from a man who knows what he is talking about and you worry about the climate ?
https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-the-eu-is-the-old-soviet-union-dressed-in-western-clothes-mikhail-gorbachev-136-86-80.jpg
Ivan ah here comes the good source troll again.
Are you going to spam Russian state controlled news outlets again?
Yes, climate is the only real problem humanity faces atm.
Arnout
Interesting that you chose to insult over a debate.
Are you saying one of the most respected men of the 20th century who help bring down the most murderous political system ever is also a Russian troll ? I would love to see some evidence comrade.
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/…/ueV…/s400/CQuSgohWEAELPxK.jpg
Ivan trololol keep comming with the no facts.
You chose to insult my wanna be friend. Because of your ignorance and actively choosing to lie. As you do as always.
It is nice that you fotoshop you own pictures but that has nothing to do with what actualy has been said.
Arnout
No comrade, you federalist fanatics just hate the truth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m41Tdl5mvdg
Ivan go spam fake news.
Yea we so hate false info and English people whom care more about russias dictator outlets then the free press.
Ofc its always us.
Arnout You do realise that your last comment is the very definition of an internet troll don’t you comrade..
But thank you for showing your hatred of free speech, Chairman Juncker will be so pleased with you.
Ivan you do realise that what ever you post is false and that you keep refering to russian media instead of open media?
There is no hatred of free speech if one that claims so, does not understand the word.s
There is no hatred of free speech if one that claims so, does not understand the word. Russian outlets do not belong to that catagory since they do not share free speech.
The EU is a psycho control freak.
Electronic Arts
and activision
Economic illegal migrants
Politicians, the leftists and illegal invasion called immigration.
Europe is controlled by coruption. We need to be united not only in words, but in actions as well
Intolerence
Russias efforts to undermine our democracy by spreading fake news, artificially blowing them up in social media via bots and paid trolls and financing populist politicians who profit of these fake news wo in return pledged Putin their loyality and ones they are in power or at least strong enough, destroying the EU, making the EU so weak so that it has no power or guiding the EU in Putins. direction. Similar thing apply to NATO Trump and European allies.
What we aslo deperatly need: Democratizing the EU, otherwise the EU is always percieved as one big body that doese not change and always doese the same and voters cannot do anything about it because the council always has the same dynamics (conservative, social democrat or liberal national governments from the same 28/27 meber states tht alwas achieve the same bad compromises much too slow and often too late):
1) We need clear coalitions in parliament who support a comission that doeso not consist of memebers of all paties but of the coalition. So there are governent parties and opposition parties on a EU-level that can be held accountable by the voter in later elections. Now it is always kiind of a concentration comission where every estebliched party is responsible for the comissions actions.
So reducing th number of comissioners and the comission president has to look for a stable coalition and pick his comissioners from these parteis who support him.
2) reform of the council: The council (where national governemnts sit), which is the most powerfull lawmaking chamber int he EU, is not democratic since national elections seldomly take EU politics seriously but often politics even make cmpaigns based on “getting something back” from the EU.
At least unanimity needs to be reduced in some matter.
Another possibility could be having EU-ministers in every national government who meet more frequentl in the council and are therefore kind of the representatives of each country.
A third possibilty could be to let every citizen of each country vote for represenatives for the counsil where every country has the same amount of representatives who are specifically elected to represent their country whereas the EU-parliamt should represent the whole of the population in the EU. So A law is passed by 50%+1 of the polulation’s representatives and 50%+1 of the member state’s representatives. The parliament should then be elected via Eu-wide party lists with regional and national voting districts wherer base mandates can be won if a party surpasses a certein threshold of votes. Assuming the EU has 400 Mio. voters and 260 Mio cast votes (65%) and the parliament stays at 751 members about 350 000 voters are represtented by 1 MEP. (larger countries have also regional districs and small countries only 1 national district, maybe for small countries/regions this number of votes could be reduced so that it is easier to get a regional seat) So if a party gets 350 000 votes in a district the first person on their regional party list gets a seat directly. Excess votes that do not get a direst MEP are counted for the next level (national). Here again for every 350 000 votes a party gets direct seats from its national list. The vots thet still did not get a seat are then counted for the EU wide list. So a regional distribution of seats is ensured. The number of regional or national seats depend on the number of voters in each region/nation. Eg. a district region with 3.5 Mio. voters would get 10 possible direct seats. So for every 10% of votes a party gets a seat.
What’s the biggest threat facing Europe right now?
The biggest threat to Europe, from my point of view, is the distrust citizens have toward any and all information they receive via news media, social media or any other outlet. It is all so obviously worked across the feed in conspiratorial wording and message. Especially when so much of it is obviously not as put forward and so easy to observe via your own common sense if you scan the simplest of reports. Just take the Russian story on the Salisbury incident. Two Russian spies make their way to the UK somehow carrying highly poisonous substance with them. We are told they left the poisonous substance on the door knob of the people they want to murder. Then same substance is found all over the area, according to our UK intelligence sources and PM. Yet, in all this time we see no pictures of them wearing strange space like suits to protect them from the deadly poison in their pocket, no pictures of them anywhere near the location they are supposed to have infected, and then, after a great tour of our city and towns, they go home completely unscathed and breathing normally after such a horrific escapade with such powerful nerve gas killer. The general public are supposed to believe this strange story and have faith in their informers, because, out of ‘patriotism and nationalism’ they are compelled to believe what they are told or be referred to as traitors or people with dubious motives. Please! This is not WWII.
We then watch elections taking the oddest of turns, that go directly against what we have seen and heard from the voters who made the ballot boxes. Ballots that produce media stories so far from our own experience of discussion. Example: in the UK we are asked to believe ‘Tory’ voters prefer a Scottish MP, who is in a SS relationship, where she has taken the role of male, whilst bearing a surrogate child for the couple, as the preferred choice for possible Prime Minister. I wonder if they will put this to the Conservative members to verify this as their chosen leader. The way they did Mrs May! … Not….May was way down the list for possible leader after Cameron. The Conservatives just withdrew the vote. They wanted an easily pliable woman Remainer. They wanted to be politically correct and ‘modern’ as well as sure Brexit didn’t happen. Did a lot of good didn’t it? Again, the public must believe the Global line, just as they did with Iraq and weapons of mass destruction, or, be regarded as malevolent.
On top of all this dodgy media information, we are repeatedly told we live in an European Union that is democratic, whilst not being able to vote for any of them that decide on policy. Are not informed or given a chance to have a voice on the appalling decisions made on our behalf and in our most private lives, right up to our international politic level, where our existence is put at risk on the most ludicrous excuse.
All these incidents and more, which are hidden in the main from the people of Europe, is the biggest threat to us all. As without the right to truth and information based on honesty we are the equivalent of lab rats. There simply to pay the bill for politicians experimentation and fat cat pay offs.
European Commission
Ageing population..
A Westlife reunion.
Fuori dall’Europa
Out of Europe
Banksters
Populism.
epigons, called themself politicians
1) Populist and Nationalist politicians who pretend the Patriots and Savors while their promises are empty and often against the European Treaties and Laws.
2) Illegal mass immigration
3) The chaotic system which EU makes decisions. Councils after councils while a problem becomes bigger and out of control.
EU-ism is just a made up Nationalism pretending to represent the people they control & please try to remember that it was ‘Nationalism’ that defeated the last bunch of lunatics with a flag and plan to control Europe. Together with the rest of the free world we will stand ready to defeat you again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1AKeJ16spg
Ivan, still the same story with the flag and the plan…? :-)))
Cãlin The sky is still blue and the grass is still green and the EU is still a dictatorship .The fact you have a problem with reality is meaningless comrade.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dij44F7WAAA63BZ.jpg
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/03/12/christopher-steele-the-man-behind-the-trump-dossier
Some comments show how little political and forehead vision is missing.
Europe being destroyed by EU blind leaders.
Fascism and racism
Fascism is dead, Socialism is the real enemy of the people.
Socialism is a subset of fascism.
Socialism one side, Liberal bankers/corporations another
Bought out, lost politicians in Brussels,
Mass immigration, lies coming from the media.
Hard to name only one.
The biggest threat facing Europe is Europeans becoming too comfortable with their high quality of life and taking it for granted and not understanding that it takes something to create this and to protect it.
the biggest threat facing Europe right now is NATO. NATO is poking the Russian bear. NATO needs an excuse to stay in business.
Stupid people
Putin.
Godzilla
Fascism.
Mass illegal immigration.
The rise of muslims only legislation (sharia, etcetc). The PC culture, the willingness by EU ruler to ignore the democratic will of the people, soros agenda of ethic substitution, no protection for EU citizens, rule of banks, multinational and finanzial capitalism without constrains.
The Eu will not outlive us. Will crash worse than the USSR..
Political correctness and the destruction of our original values and roots on behalf of “progress”
Low birth rate, progressivism, destroying family values
Ilegal migrations.
In general, the biggest threat that may lead to many other EU problems is when politicians do not really recognise what their people actually want.
the European Comission?
Itself
merkel ,soros ,pc, and lack of understanding the eastern Europeans especially the the polish and hungarian governments
Migration and Eu leaders!
Clash of civilizations
Inequality.
Corruption is and always has been the cancer of civilised society. In its new version, the super rich, plutocrats, oligarchs and their cronies are embracing populist policies to get into power and sell off public assets to their friends in all legality. Trump in the US, Orban in Europe, they are the real threats. And climate change of course, not that anyone cares to care.
Populism.
Populism, rising due to a lack of common foreign policy. Immigration should be treated in EU hot spots, where people can have documents and permits for the countries they want to reach. EU should negotiate for immigration, not each single country. EU should be more operational and less a far away legal entity. This may prevent the growth of rage against immigrants and the spreading of populism
“Populism, rising due to a lack of common foreign policy.”
I disagree.
Populism is a result of the too much common foreign policy.
It is a reaction when from far away they trying to force something on a country.
28 country can not have the same opinion of everything, and they have not the same interest.
If the stronger countries flexing their muscles to force their views, the resistance start forming on the other side.
The migration and multikulti is a result of the colonialism, and it is the responsibility of the countries who benefited from it for centuries.
On the top of it, they could not manage the integration of the masses either.
So thank you, but the eastern countries dont want it.
Well, it is pretty much axiomatic that the biggest threat on anyone is somethings that has power over that anyone, and an even bigger threat is something that convinces that anyone to give this power willingly; It makes it pretty clear that the greatest threat to Europe is the same threat that we all have as individuals – and it is “leadership”.
The biggest threat to EU currently is EU itself. Regulating the shape and color of tomatoes and cucumbers while letting in hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants speaks of extremely incompetent priority management.
EU. EU. EU
Migration and security…
And the PC, so we are not allowed to talk about the real problems.
Not in the mainstream media
Contrary the official version, legalising illegal migration is NOT humanitarian thing.
They MAKE it look humanitarian, but in fact it is a workaround the messed up demografic and employmnet problem. Actually colonialization, just get the slaves come to Europe.
But there is the trap… They NEVER become real europeans, because they imported for being and staying CHEAP labour force…
Then when they realising this, they become angry…
Get the knife, hire a van…
And our leaders wants millions of them….
The biggest threat for the whole world right now is climate change. Obviously there are other problems, but Europe as a whole is a very safe place and we are very privileged to live here. The issue is, if no one takes action on climate change, our privileges will be taken away and we will all die.
Europe’s biggest security threat is being the close ally of a falling military superpower which has been looking forward for fighting a war in Europe so as to security its own presence in Europe and Middle East.