A European NATO?
On 8 May 2026 the Dublin European Law Institute and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School co-hosted this event at Harvard University.
As the Trump administration takes an increasingly hostile position towards Europe, questions emerged on how European countries can scale up their ability to defend themselves collectively. This panel explored how European countries can play a greater role within the framework of NATO. The event—hosted on the eve of Europe Day—discussed efforts to Europeanize NATO, as well as reflect on the potentials to revive the European Defence Community, as a way to preserve the transatlantic relationship at a turbulent time. The panel explored how European countries can play a greater role within the framework of NATO. Read the event report here.
Speakers and Presenters
Ambassador Ivo Daalder, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for International Affairs; Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO;
Ambassador Nick Bruns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School;
Brando Benifei, Chairman of the delegation on EU-US Relations, European Parliament;
Prof Derek Hand, Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Dublin City University;
Prof Federico Fabbrini, Professor of European Law & Founding Director of Dublin European Law Institute, Dublin City University;
Francesca Giovannini, Executive Director, Project on Managing the Atom;
Dr Leonard Schuette, Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program
