The year 2019 marks the anniversaries of two events which were decisive for preserving peace in Europe: the foundation of NATO in 1949 and its historical enlargement in 1999. 70 years after putting a halt to Soviet expansion into Western Europe, and 20 years after finally breaking the Iron Curtain by the accession of three former Warsaw Pact countries, NATO still epitomizes the pursuit of the dream of Europe whole, free and at peace.

Yet today, as probably never before, the mission of the Alliance is both critically imporatant and endangered. Not only does NATO face an unprecedented and rapidly evolving mix of military, asymmetric and non-military threats, but it is also confronted with a growing tension in the transatlantic relations. More and more questions are asked about the viability of the bond between the U.S. and Europe, and the limits of NATO’s usability to safeguard the core security interests of its member states.

To discuss where NATO comes from and where it might be heading to in the years to come, the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, with the support of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, would like to invite you to join high-level discussions during a one day event held in Warsaw on March 8th.

PROGRAMME

08:15–09:00    Registration and welcome coffee

09:00–09:05    Welcoming remarks

Michał Baranowski, Director, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Warsaw Office

Sławomir Dębski, Director, The Polish Institute of International Affairs

09:05–09:20    Letter from Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland

Delivered by Krzysztof Szczerski, Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Poland

09:20–09:30    Word from Georgette Mosbacher, Ambassador of the United States
to Poland                    

09:30-09:45    A message from NATO

Delivered by Tacan Ildem, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO

09:45–11:00    Session I: 70 Years of NATO as a Community of Values and Interests: Record and Prospects

Madeleine Albright, Secretary of State of the United States 1997-2001

Janusz Onyszkiewicz, Minister of Defence of Poland 1997-2000, President of the Management Board, Euro Atlantic Association

Sir Malcolm Rifkind, UK Defence Secretary 1992–1995, Foreign Secretary 1995–1997

Krzysztof Szczerski, Chief of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Poland

Moderated by Michał Baranowski, Director, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Warsaw Office

11:00–11:15    Coffee break

11:15–12:15    Ministerial conversation including:

                        Jacek Czaputowicz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland

                        Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister of Defence, Germany

                        Moderated by Sławomir Dębski, Director, The Polish Institute of International Affairs

12:15–13:00    Lunch

13:00–14:15    Session II: NATO adaptation: Putting the 360-degrees Principle to Practice

Derek Chollet, Executive Vice President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Tacan Ildem, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, NATO

Witold Waszczykowski, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland 2015-2018

Moderated by Justyna Gotkowska, Project Coordinator Security and Defence in Northern Europe Programme, Centre for Eastern Studies

14:15–14:45    Coffee break 

14:45–16:00    Session III: The Transatlantic Bond in the Multipolar World: The Future Role of NATO

Benoit d’Aboville, Vice-president of Board, Fondation pour la recherche stratégique

Ulrich Speck, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Réka Szemerkényi, Executive Vice President, Center for European Policy Analysis

Moderated by Wojciech Lorenz, Senior Analyst, The Polish Institute of International Affairs

16:00-16:15    Closing remarks