Friday, 3 June
15:45 - 17:15 (EEST)
Room: Omega
As the Council is going to take place in the capital city of Latvia, a country sharing a land border with the Russian Federation, and as the prolonged war in Ukraine is taking a toll on lives and livelihoods, we, as a Green family in governmental positions in several European countries need to address the question of how do we imagine the future of security and defence policy in Europe in the face of this new reality.
The objectives of the session are to spark a conversation on the adequate Green response to the current crisis, complement the resolution on Ukraine that the Council is going to vote on, showcase that Green policies extend beyond climate action and environmentalism and to give voice to locals and experts on what can and should be the path forward from the current situation.
In the early hours of Thursday, 24 February 2022 the security reality was suddenly upended in Europe. As Putin’s war against Ukraine unfolded political priorities were shifted and decade old taboos were broken in a matter of days. The Euro-Atlantic community came together in unison to support Ukraine in the face of this adversity and swift decisions were taken aimed at containing the aggression of the Russian government.
What are the consequences of the war from a human rights perspective? What does the future hold for the common security and defence policy of Europe? What are the steps ahead the Greens are putting on the table? These are the questions this panel discussion seeks to answer.
Speakers:
 | Hannah Neumann, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Group
Hanna is the peace and human rights spokesperson of the Greens/European Free Alliance (EFA) GRoup in the European Parliament, Vice-Chair of the Human Rights Committee (DROI), member of the Committee on Security and Defence Policy (SEDE) and substitute in the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) as well as head of the delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula. At the German Green party, she is also a member of the motions committee. Hannah Neumann studied media sciences and peace and conflict studies, which is also the subject she chose for her PhD. Her academic career brought her to Ilmenau, Berlin, Manila and Monrovia. Before joining the European Parliament, she was a self-employed expert and consultant for peace projects, i.a. in projects for the United Nations, the Society for International Cooperation, the European Commission, the DGAP, GPPi and aid organizations. She advised ministries and. non-governmental organizations on campaigns on anti-discrimination, promotion of democracy, climate protection on the local level and human rights. From 2013 until 2016, she worked as policy advisor in the German Bundestag. | |
 | Alexandra Marksteiner, Researcher, Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme Alexandra is a Researcher with the SIPRI Military Expenditure and Arms Production Programme. In this capacity, she collects and analyzes data on military spending and the arms industry, focusing on the transatlanticspace. She holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced. International Studies in Washington, D.C. |
 | Dr Andris Spruds, University faculty member and head of think tank. | |
 | Maria Kurinna, International advocacy manager in ZMINA Human Rights Centre. Maria Kurinna is a human rights expert, former diplomat, feminist, IDP with a strong record of advocacy experience, |
Moderator:
 | Thomas Waitz, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA Group and co-chair of the European Green Party. Thomas is an organic farmer, forester, and beekeeper. He is a Member of the European Parliament from Austria and the Co-Chair of the European Green Party (EGP). He fights for small-scale and ecologically sustainable agriculture, better animal, climate and environmental protection, a peaceful foreign policy and a green EU.
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