The world has changed decisively in the last year. The bloody war in Gaza and the recent historic agreement between Israel and Palestine or the political turn in the United States after the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency and his controversial tariffs. Meanwhile, other conflicts remain in a tense situation, such as the war in Ukraine or the debate about defense spending maintained by the countries of the European Union. The second edition of the forum Dialogues for security, which will take place next Monday, will serve as a thermometer of this key moment in the world order.
The event, organized by EL PAÍS – in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense of the Government of Spain and Thinking Heads, and sponsored by Escribano Mechanical Engineering, GMV, Hispasat, INDRA and Navantia – will be held at the Palace Hotel in Madrid from 9:30 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. and can be followed live on the EL PAÍS website. The forum will begin with a presentation by Jean-Pierre Lacroix, deputy secretary general of the UN Department of Peace Operations, who will talk about multilateralism as an “essential” tool.
Among the speakers are the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who will close the morning session with his speech; the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, whose speech will close the afternoon, as well as Josep Borrell, president of the CIDOB study center and former high representative of the EU for foreign affairs, and the director of the CNI, Esperanza Casteleiro.
The European institutions seek to give the green light to a community budget focused on European defense. Its momentum contrasts with the differences that persist between member countries. Spain remains in the spotlight for defense spending. The Government defends that it meets the objectives assigned to it by NATO, but the US president seeks that all countries raise defense spending to 5% of GDP. A situation that will be analyzed by the round table moderated by Miguel González, journalist specialized in information on diplomacy and defense policy in EL PAÍS. A space for debate that will be followed by a balance on the situation outside national borders with the colloquium on The new world; power and social impact, Defense and Democracy. This round table will be moderated by María Sahuquillo, head of the EL PAÍS office in Brussels, accompanied by the diplomat Fidel Sendagorta and the senior researcher specialized in the European Union, disinformation and global politics at CIDOB, Carmen Colomina.
The afternoon will continue addressing the different aspects of the security challenge. The director of the CNI, Esperanza Casteleiro, will intervene to give the keys to national security and global transformation. Companies in the sector will also have their turn to debate industrial ecosystems for strategic defense or the role of artificial intelligence in all this. A crucial exchange when some of the 27 member countries question whether the European industry is prepared for the increase in demand.
This disparity reveals not only the volatility of the international landscape, but also the limitations of current diplomatic mechanisms. The old continent faces a crossroads: continue depending on external alliances or take the reins of its own security? A question that aims to be answered, through the experts, next Monday.
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