A joint event by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) & the European Organisation of Military Associations and Trade Unions (EUROMIL)

Armed forces all over Europe are facing recruitment challenges. One of the possible solutions to these shortages might lie in recruiting EU-nationals. Only Belgium and Ireland have fully opened their national armed forces to EU-citizens. Other countries restrict the career options of non-nationals in the armed forces or open their military for citizens of former colonies or countries with the same native language. Experiences from these countries show overall positive effects.

But there are also reasons against opening national armed forces for non-nationals: Will foreign soldiers serve a country which is not their own with the same loyalty they have for their home country? Would an opening of the European armed forces for EU nationals lead to competition between countries for the most favourable working conditions, rather than solve actual recruitment shortages?

During the event these and other questions will be discussed with a variety of experts and stakeholders.

Welcome
Emmanuel Jacob, President, EUROMIL

Speaker
Robert De Leij, First Lieutenant, Belgian Defence Staff
Sebastian Vagt, Defence Policy Analyst, FNF Security Expert Hub
Miguel Lopez, AUME

Moderator
Ildikó Szenci, Consultant

Kindly register for this event by 11 October 2019 at the below mentioned link. Please note that you will be forwarded to a Google Drive sheet. Should you wish to register with us directly, please send an email to register.brussels@fnst.org.