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On The Brink?

How to Deal with Nuclear Threats for Europe

08.10.2025 - 10.10.2025

Thema

With Russia’s ongoing nuclear saber-rattling, growing arsenals in China and North Korea, and modernization of atomic weapons programs underway among larger and smaller nuclear powers, the danger of nuclear threats is once again at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Calls for credible deterrence in Europe are growing louder, as are demands for increased efforts to reduce nuclear risk. At the same time, initiatives continue to work towards complete nuclear disarmament. So, what is the best way to address the growing nuclear threat in Europe?

This conference strictly follows the Chatham House rule – meaning that it is an off-camera/record and no personalized notetaking event. The working language is English. If required, simultaneous German-English translation will be provided for the plenary discussions.

Programm

Mittwoch, 08.10.2025
14:30 Uhr
Words of Welcome

Thomas MÜLLER-FÄRBER, Program Director, Protestant Academy Loccum

14:45 Uhr
KICK-OFF TALK | The Third Nuclear Age: Major Trends, Future Developments and Open Questions

Gaukhar MUKHATZHANOVA, Director of the International Organizations and Non-Proliferation Program and Japan Chair for a World without Nuclear Weapons, Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation (VCDNP), Vienna*
Ulrich KÜHN, Head, “Arms Control and Emerging Technologies”, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), Hamburg

15:30 Uhr
Coffee & Cake Break (at the Dining Hall)

16:00 Uhr
Discussion continues

16:30 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

16:45 Uhr
POLICY PANEL | The Big Three: Decoding the Nuclear Policies of Russia, China and the United States from a European Perspective

-
INSIGHTS INTO THE SITUATION IN WASHINGTON

John MECKLIN, Editor-in-Chief, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, Washington D.C.

-
… MOSCOW

Andrey BAKLITSKIY, Senior Researcher, Weapons of Mass Destruction Programme, UNIDIR (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research), Geneva

-
… AND IN BEIJING

Tong ZHAO, Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy, Washington D.C./Beijing

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
POLICY PANEL | Do it the European Way? Nuclear Stability in Europe in Light of Declining US Commitment

François HEISBOURG, Senior Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and Special Advisor, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), Paris
Eirini LEMOS-MANIATI, Head, Arms Control, Disarmament, and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Nonproliferation Centre (ACDC), HQ NATO, Brussels**
Tom MCKANE, Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute and former Director General for Strategy and Security Policy in the UK Ministry of Defence, London

21:00 Uhr
Informal get together

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmed

Donnerstag, 09.10.2025
08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

09:15 Uhr
BROAD PICTURE TALK | If not Global Zero, then What? Are We Losing Sight of Nuclear Disarmament and Interim Steps on the Way?

Ian ANTHONY, Department for Defence Analysis, Strategy and Policy Section at FOI (Swedish Defence Research Agency) and Member of the International Group of Eminent Persons for a World Without Nuclear Weapons, Stockholm
Nina BERNARDING, Co-Founder and Co-Director at Centre for Feminist Foreign Policy, Berlin
Michael RÜHLE, Head of Section, “Climate, Energy Security and Hybrid Threats“ at the Emerging Security Challenges Division, NATO Headquarter, Brussel
Susi SNYDER, Programme Coordinator, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Geneva

10:45 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

11:00 Uhr
BREAKOUT SESSION PART 1 | Crucial Nuclear Policy Issues – Especially for European Have-Nots

-
FORUM I | The Uncertain Adventure of Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation – What Role for the Europeans?

Tytti ERÄSTÖ, Senior Researcher, Weapons of Mass Destruction Program, SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute), Solna
Oliver MEIER, Policy & Research Director, European Leadership Network, Berlin/London

-
FORUM II | Disruptive? Exploring the Links between Technological Innovation and Future Nuclear (In)Stability

Alice SALTINI, AI-Nuclear Policy Advisor, Institute for Security and Technology; Non-Resident Expert on Artificial Intelligence, James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Giacomo PERSI PAOLI, Head of the Security and Technology Programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), Geneva*

12:30 Uhr
Lunch

13:20 Uhr
Sight Seeing Tour Monastery

15:00 Uhr
Coffee & Cake Break (at the Dining Hall)

15:30 Uhr
POLICY PANEL | The Future of Iran’s Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Program – What Role for the Europeans?

Stephan KLEMENT, Special Envoy Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Special Adviser on Iran Nuclear Issues, EEAS, Brussels
Mailys MANGIN, Senior Researcher, Centre Interdisciplinaire Sur Les Enjeux Stratégiques (CIENS), Paris
Farzan SABET, Managing Researcher of the Sanctions and Sustainable Peace Hub, Geneva Graduate Institute, Geneva

16:45 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

17:00 Uhr
BREAKOUT SESSION PART 2 | Discussion in Parallel Forums will be continued

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FORUM III | Bridging the Gaps: Gender, Youth, Global South – How to Increase Inclusiveness in Nuclear Discourse and Decision Making?

Jana BALDUS, Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network (ELN) and Associated Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), London
Carmen WUNDERLICH, Senior Researcher, Institute for Development and Peace (INEF) at University of Duisburg-Essen and Research Fellow at the Peace Research Center Prague (PRCP)

-
FORUM IV | Entry Ticket to the Strategic Competition? Missile Defense and Conventional Deep Strike Capabilities

Frank KUHN, Doctoral Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), Frankfurt a.M.
Etienne MARCUZ, Associate Fellow, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS), Paris

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
BROAD PICTURE TALK | Nuclear Deterrence – Ethical Responsibility or Misconduct?

Michael HASPEL, Research Fellow, Martin-Luther Institute and Professor for Systematic Theology at the Friedrich-Schiller University Jena
Thomas HAJNOCZI, Advisor to Mayors for Peace, Board Member of BASIC and Former Director for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation at the Austrian Foreign Office, Vienna
Lauren SUKIN, John G. Winant Associate Professor of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford

21:00 Uhr
Informal get together

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmed

Freitag, 10.10.2025
08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

09:30 Uhr
BREAKOUT SESSION PART 3 | Discussion in Parallel Forums will be continued

-
FORUM V | Deterrence and Nuclear Sharing in the European Way

Artur KACPRZYK, Senior Analyst, International Security Programme, Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), Warsaw
Iryna MAKSYMENKO, Senior Researcher at the Odesa Center for Nonproliferation (OdCNP), Odesa

-
FORUM VI | The People and the Bomb – Popular Views on Atomic Weapons and Different Ways to Increase Nuclear IQ

Matthias MADER, Visiting Professor of International Political Studies, University Witten/Herdecke
Alexander SORG, Eisenhower Fellow, NATO Defense College, Rom

11:00 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

11:15 Uhr
CONCLUDING POLICY PANEL | What Future Role for European Nuclear Have-Nots?

Marcello CAVALCASELLE, Head, Office for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation, Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Rom**
Klaus DE RIJK, Senior Strategic Advisor, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague
Marian LOSSE, Board Member, ICAN Germany (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons), Berlin
Susanne RIEGRAF, Deputy Federal Government Commissioner for Disarmament and Arms Control, Foreign Ministry, Berlin

12:30 Uhr
Farwell Lunch

12:50 Uhr
Shuttle to Train Station / Airport

-

* invited
** preliminary confirmed

Organisatorisches

Tagungsnummer

2525

Tagungsgebühren

Regulär
255€
Ermäßigt
185€

Die Tagungsgebühr beinhaltet Übernachtung, Verpflegung und Kostenbeitrag.
Für Auszubildende, Studierende, Freiwilligendienstleistende sowie Arbeitslose gilt die ermäßigte Gebühr nur bei Vorlage einer gültigen Bescheinigung VOR der Tagung.
Eine Reduzierung der Tagungsgebühr für eine zeitweise Teilnahme ist nicht möglich.

Stornierung

Bei einer Absage nach dem 26.09.2025 müssen wir Ihnen 50% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei einer Absage nach dem 02.10.2025 müssen wir Ihnen 100% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei nicht erfolgter Absage müssen wir die gesamte Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.

Zahlung

Bitte bezahlen Sie die Gebühren erst nach Erhalt einer Rechnung von uns.

Anreise

Informationen über die Anreise mit dem PKW oder der Bahn finden Sie hier

Es besteht eine direkte Verbindung zur Akademie mit dem Zubringerbus ab dem Bahnhof in Wunstorf.
Zur Akademie - Abholung am Bahnhof Wunstorf, Ausgang ZOB: 08.10.2025, 13:00 Uhr
Zum Bahnhof - Ankunft am Bahnhof Wunstorf (voraussichtlich): 10.10.2025, 13:30 Uhr

Bitte setzen Sie im Anmeldeformular bei gewünschter Mitfahrt im Zubringerbus die entsprechende Auswahl, da die Plätze begrenzt sind.