This event is the second in the series “Overcoming Obstacles on the Way Towards a European Army” jointly organised by the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom (FNF) & EUROMIL.

Placing armed forces under democratic control is one of the major achievements of Western democracies in the last century. Parliamentary oversight mechanisms were established with the aim to hold armed forces democratically accountable towards state and society and make sure that their deployment is controlled by elected authorities. Closer security and defence cooperation on a European level are high on the political agenda these days. It is therefore high time to discuss how to translate national control mechanisms on the European level, to make sure that also joint European defence is democratically accountable.

The event aims at exploring the current status quo of the democratic control of armed forces in Europe, acknowledging that while the underlying ideas are the same, the exact nature, structures and procedures vary a lot between countries. At the same time, the institutional structures at European level will be examined, with a view on their current and future involvement in democratic control of the armed forces.

Speakers will discuss the topic from different points of views:

Dr. Hans Born, Assistant Director and Head of the Policy and Research Division, DCAF

Dr. Marta Hirsch-Ziembinska, Head of Inquiries Unit 1, European Ombudsman

Hilde Vautmans, Member of the European Parliament