17. 3. 2021 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR

Future Perfect Series EP 3 – NATO – Ready for 2030?

10. 2. 2021 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR

NATO – Ready for 2030?

Missed the #FuturePerfectSeries discussion on the future of NATO, organized by the British Embassy Ljubljana, Centre for European Perspective – CEP and Bled Strategic Forum – BSF?

In the third event of the Future Perfect series, the British Embassy Ljubljana and Centre for European Perspective, alongside the Bled Strategic Forum, hosted a discussion with policymakers and security experts to ascertain how ready NATO is for the security threats of the 2020s and what this means for defence policy.

Uroš Zorko (Director-General of the Defence Policy Directorate at Slovene Ministry of Defence), Daniel Drake (Head of Euro-Atlantic Security Partnership at UK Ministry of Defence), Marta Dassù (Senior Director of European Affairs at The Aspen Institute; Member of NATO Reflection Group) and Dr Božo Cerar (Former State Secretary at Slovene Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to NATO) joined moderator Katja Geršak (Executive Director, Centre for European Perspective) in discussing the role NATO will play in mitigating the threats the new decade will bring and the current dilemmas NATO and its allies are facing.

In case you didn’t have the time last week to watch the #FuturePerfectSeries discussion on #NATO2030, a recording of the entire event is now available online.

 𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗢 – 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬? You can watch the video here: 

BSF2021 to run between 1st and 2nd September 2021

2. 2. 2021 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR

As co-organizers of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), we are pleased to announce that the 16^th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum will run between 1^st and 2^nd September 2021 in Bled, Slovenia.

Due to the still ongoing situation with the COVID-19, the organizational team is in contact with Slovene health authorities (NIJZ) and will adhere to all measures related to in-door gatherings that will be in effect in September and are prepared to adapt our plans accordingly.

Detailed information and updates on the event will be published in due course on the Bled Strategic Forum and CEP website and on BSF and CEP social media channels, so we invite you to follow us.

FP E3: NATO – Ready for 2030?

22. 1. 2021 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR

British Embassy Ljubljana, Centre for European Perspective – CEP and Bled Strategic Forum – BSF are pleased to invite you to the third event in the FUTURE PERFECT series titled:

NATO – Ready for 2030?

Thursday 4 February 2021, 12.00 p.m. to 13.00 p.m. (CET)

REGISTER HERE

NATO is 71 years old – when it was founded, jet aircraft were a recent innovation.  Since 1949, the world has changed beyond recognition. The next decade will bring still more radical change. In an age of hybrid threats, challenges in cyber space, autonomous vehicles and developments in AI – how can NATO continue to evolve and keep allies safe?

As the world continues to address the immediate challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, what kind of threats do states need to be preparing for over the next ten years and what role will NATO play in mitigating these threats?

In the latest of our Future Perfect series, the British Embassy Ljubljana and Centre for European Perspective are, alongside the Bled Strategic Forum, hosting a discussion with policymakers and security experts to ascertain how ready NATO is for the security threats of the 2020s and what this means for defence policy.

Participants:

• Uroš Zorko, Director-General of the Defence Policy Directorate at Slovene Ministry of Defence
• Daniel Drake, Head of Euro-Atlantic Security Partnership at UK Ministry of Defence
• Marta Dassù, Senior Director of European Affairs at The Aspen Institute; Member of NATO Reflection Group
• Dr Božo Cerar, Former State Secretary at Slovene Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to NATO

Moderator: Katja Geršak, Executive Director, Centre for European Perspective

Please join us via Zoom at the link below.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

This will be the third event of the FUTURE PERFECT event series, organized by the British Embassy in Ljubljana, in cooperation with CEP and BSF. The FUTURE PERFECT series will gather experts to ask big questions about our post-COVID future.

For more about the series, follow CEP on Facebook and Twitter or Bled Strategic Forum on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or follow the hashtag #FuturePerfectSeries.

COP26 and COVID-19 – British and Slovenian experts debate the pandemic’s impact on climate change.

14. 11. 2020 | Bled Strategic Forum, PR

COVID-19 remains top priority for governments worldwide. What does this mean for climate change? 

With one year to go before major UN climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow, the British Embassy, Centre for European Perspective and Bled Strategic Forum jointly hosted an online event with leading British and Slovenian experts.

The discussion (titled “COP vs COVID”) considered how the response to COVID-19 might affect climate negotiations, and ambitions, ahead of next year’s conference in the UK.  

In a lively discussion, it was clear that action on climate change remains urgent. As climate scientist Professor Sir Brian Hoskins (Imperial College London) emphasized: “Every bit of carbon dioxide that we add today will influence the climate for the next 1000 years.”

COP26 will be the most important international meeting on climate change since Paris in 2015, and our future climate will be largely determined by the global response in the next decade. Professor Dr Lučka Kajfež Bogataj (University of Ljubljana) projected that “our current policies give us a 3% probability of success. What our future will look like depends on the next ten years. Plans for 2050 are useless if we don’t deliver on goals for 2030.”

So the COP26 negotiations under the UK Presidency (in partnership with Italy) needs to be ambitious and inclusive, said Lead COP26 Negotiator for the UK, Archie Young. “Ambition means accelerating real world climate action” – not just setting bolder targets for the distant future. 

COVID-19 has undeniably made the response to climate change much more complicated. “We all think that due to COVID-19 we already changed our lifestyles and lowered emissions,” said Prof Kajfež Bogataj. In Slovenia emissions reduced by up to 18% during the first lockdown. “Unfortunately, as soon as the restrictions were loosened in June, emissions went back up.” 

However, as Ms Tina Kobilšek from MOP points out: “COVID-19 is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity for change.” While governments are rightly focussed on tackling the virus, climate remains crucial – “We are not only facing a pandemic but also the climate crisis, and that won’t go away.” During Slovenia’s EU Presidency next year, “Slovenia is fully committed to steer the EU towards an ambitious climate target and outcome of COP26.”

Mr Young was clear that the UK sees Slovenia as an important partner. He added: “When COVID meant I had to call countries to postpone COP26, the vast majority agreed that postponing the conference could not mean postponing climate action.” Slovenia’s EU presidency would be vital to sustain momentum in the final months of negotiations.

There was broad agreement that a ‘green recovery’ from COVID-19 was vital. “Stimulus packages can genuinely transform the economy,” said Mr Young, “I understand the temptation to take short term, easy way out option. But now is time to take a step back and think what our economies need to look like in the future, With the right decisions, we can get on the path of achieving the viral Paris climate change goals.”

You can watch the event here.

This was the launch event of the FUTURE PERFECT event series, which will convene experts to ask big questions about our post-COVID future, organized by the British Embassy in Ljubljana in co-operation with CEP, BSF and other partners. The events will offer opportunities for the audience to ask questions directly of leading experts in their fields.