ECFR’s annual foreign policy conference explores Europe’s strategic choices in an age of ambition

Warsaw – The European Council of Foreign Relations (ECFR), a leading pan-European think tank, today successfully concluded its annual flagship conference in Warsaw on 27-28 June. The prestigious event brought together ministers, prominent decision-makers, opinion-shapers, and public intellectuals from across Europe for two days of in-depth discussion and deliberations.

Europe is confronting critical questions about its security, economic resilience, and global role in a world marked by war, rivalry, and fragmentation. Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine continues to test NATO and EU unity, while global hyper-connectivity deepens both cooperation and division. The return of President Trump is reshaping the transatlantic relationship, adding to a volatile geopolitical landscape. These external challenges coincide with internal divisions across EU member states, raising doubts about the Union’s capacity to act with unity and purpose on the world stage.

Leading thinkers and policymakers explored how Europe can reclaim agency over its own security and defence, enhance its competitiveness in an increasingly transactional world, and make strategically informed political choices in an age of ambition.

The following notable remarks were made during the conference:

In his opening remarks for the conference, Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called for joint action when it comes to European security: ”There is no shortage of signs suggesting that the global order built after the last great war is now on a shaky ground. Wherever we look, we see it heavily stress tested in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Sudan, in the South China Sea. But not only that, borders are being challenged in the Western hemisphere as well, and here in Europe, the number of those who wish to see the world burn has also been on the rise.” Sikorski also urged his European colleagues to continue the bloc’s unlimited support for Ukraine, “Europe must stand firmly in defense of Kyiv’s right to self-determination, not out of charity, but because it is the right thing, which also happens to be in our long-term strategic interest.”

“You cannot bomb your way to peace, and you cannot starve your way to security. Without a political process, Gaza is left between life support and moral collapse.” said Sigrid Kaag, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East peace process, in a session on Europe’s role in the Gaza crisis, “Gaza is not just a humanitarian catastrophe—it is a mirror of the collapse of international law. If we let this stand, we erode the system meant to protect us all.”

ECFR Co-chair Carl Bildt concluded: “The liberal global order was never fully liberal, never fully global — and not always orderly. But for a few lucky decades, it was close enough. Today, we are entering a new era of disorder, without any clear end in sight. The real dilemma of our time is this: the need for global cooperation is growing, but the possibility of cooperation is shrinking.”

To better understand and address the challenges for European security and defence, ECFR launched its new European Security Programme. Under the leadership of Jana Kobzova, senior policy fellow, and Nicu Popescu, distinguished policy fellow, the team of experts supports policymakers with concrete, forward-looking ideas to help rebuild a peaceful Europe and act more swiftly and effectively in crises. You can find more information on the programme here.

In addition, ECFR presented its recent polling project: The authors showed, how six months in, US president Trump is reshaping European politics and the continent’s geopolitical identity. The full report can be found here.

Over 250 esteemed individuals, including academics, researchers, journalists, political leaders, and civil society representatives, contributed to this year’s conference. This year’s distinguished speakers included Radosław Sikorski, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Sigrid Kaag, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza with the UN, Thomas Bagger, Germany’s next ambassador to Italy and former State Secretary in the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, Senior Fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics, Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield at the European Parliament, Dmytro Kuleba, Distinguished Policy Fellow at ECFR, and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, and Wolfgang Ischinger, President of the Munich Security Council Foundation.

Notes to editors:

• The conference was an invite-only event for ECFR Council Members and select journalists. You can check the programme here. The livestream recordings of both days are available to the public and can be rewatched here.

• Additional highlights from the conference can be found on ECFR’s X, Bluesky,  Instagram, and LinkedIn under #ACM25.

• Our experts are available for interviews on topics across the agenda. For all press requests for any speakers or attendees, please contact ECFR’s press office at [email protected].

Partners:

The conference partners were the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and the  Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. The media partner was Gazeta Wyborcza.