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AT THE EDGE?

How Europe Should Respond to Nuclear Threats

01.06.2026 - 03.06.2026

Thema

Europe is confronted with a newly emerging nuclear order. With Russia’s ongoing nuclear saber-rattling, growing arsenals in China, 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. Having lingered in the background since the end of the Cold War, nuclear weapons are once again at the centre of international relations, with Europe at the heart of this development. This comes at a time when the transatlantic relationship is cooling rapidly, which is also affecting the traditional US extended deterrence for Europe.

Therefore, 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?

The Loccum Nuclear Conference is an established format dating back to the early 80s that brings together nuclear weapons experts, practitioners and activists from across Europe to assess and evaluate the current situation. The conference aims to provide a forum that fosters innovative policy ideas to reduce threats and risks, and to give the different constituencies in the field of nuclear policy a chance to exchange their varying perspectives in a productive atmosphere.

The public workshop brings together actors from different walks of life who are all united by the fact that they are interested in the subject of the conference. However, this setting requires that we strictly follow the Chatham House rule – meaning that it is an off-camera/record and no personalized notetaking event. The working language is English. This is a draft program and may be subject to change.

 

Montag, 01.06.2026
13:25 Uhr
Shuttle Bus from train station Wunstorf

14:00 Uhr
Check in and Welcome Coffee or Tea

14:30 Uhr
Words of Welcome

14:45 Uhr
KICK-OFF TALK | The New Nuclear Age: Risks, Realities, and the Road Ahead

Ankit PANDA, Stanton Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington D.C.

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

16:00 Uhr
Discussion continues

16:45 Uhr
Break

17:00 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
Nicole GRAJEWSKI, Nonresident Scholar, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Assistant Professor at the Centre de Recherches Internationales (CERI), Paris

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

…AND IN BEIJING
Jiang TIANJIAO, Associate Professor at the Development Institute, Fudan University and Deputy Director at the Center for BRICS Studies, Visiting Scholar at Yale Law School, Shanghai

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
POLICY PANEL | Doing It the European Way: Navigating Between Deterrence and Nuclear Risk Reduction Amid Declining U.S. Commitment

Szymon BOCHEŃSKI, Head of Non-proliferation Section, Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland, Warsaw
Clara TARDY, Head of the Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Department, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Paris
Julien THÖNI, Ambassador, Head, Multilateral Division PR to the Conference on Disarmament, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations Office in Geneva**
Peter WATKINS, Visiting Professor, School of Security Studies at King’s College and Former Director General (2014-18) at the UK Ministry of Defence, London*

21:00 Uhr
Informal get together

-

* = invited
** = preliminary confirmed

Dienstag, 02.06.2026
07:15 Uhr
Invitation to Morning Run (optional)

08:15 Uhr
Invitation to Morning Prayer

08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

09:30 Uhr
BROAD PICTURE TALK | What Happened to Global Zero: Did We lose Sight of Nuclear Disarmament?

Adis AHMETOVIĆ, Member of the German Parliament (SPD), Foreign Policy Spokesperson of the SPD and Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Berlin/Hannover*
Tor Henrik ANDERSEN, Director, Section for Disarmament and Non-proliferation, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Olso
Beatrice FIHN, Founder and Director of Lex International and Senior Fellow at UNIDIR (United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research), Geneva

10:45 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

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

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Forum I: Still Room for Contribution? How Could Europe Add To Nuclear Risk Minimization and Arms Control

Tarja CRONBERG, Distinguished Associate Fellow, SIPRI, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Solna*
Oliver MEIER, Head of Programme on Nuclear and
Multilateral Disarmament, European Leadership Network, Berlin/London

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

Eva-Nour REPUSSARD, Policy Fellow on Strategic Stability and Emerging Technologies, BASIC, London/Berlin*
Tristan VOLPE, Senior Researcher, Arms Control and Emerging Technologies Project, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), and Associate Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey/Berlin

12:30 Uhr
Lunch

13:20 Uhr
Sight Seeing Tour Monastery (Meeting Point at the Reception)

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

15:30 Uhr
BREAKOUT SESSION PART 2 | Crucial Nuclear Policy Issues – Especially for European Have-Nots

-
Forum III: Potential Nuclear Flashpoints in Europe and the Future of (Un)conventional Escalation Management

Ulrich KÜHN, Head, “Arms Control and Emerging Technologies”, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH), Hamburg
Polina SINOVETS, Head of the Odessa Center for Non-Proliferation (OdCNP) and Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations, Odessa

-
Forum IV: A Gap too Wide? How to Bridge the Growing Divide Between Different Constituencies in the Nuclear Field

Jana BALDUS, Policy Fellow at the European Leadership Network (ELN) and Associated Researcher, Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF), London
Juliane HAUSCHULZ, Board Member, ICAN Germany (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons) and IPPNW Germany (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), Berlin

17:00 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

17:15 Uhr
OUT OF THE BOX SESSION | Discussing Innovative Ideas of Relevance in Future Nuclear Policy (in parallel Breakout Groups)

This interactive part of the conference has methodology the nature of a Mini Open Space. Participants and panelists are cordially invited to suggest innovative topics for small group discussions that demonstrate out-of-the-box thinking but at the same time signifies relevance for future nuclear policy. could also be relevant to future policy. To facilitate intensive small-group discussions, two 45-minute sessions are scheduled from 17:15h to 18:00h and from 18:00h to 18:45h.

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Group 1

Don’t be Late on Latency: How Can Germany already now prepare some Latency Functions in case the European Card of Improved Deterrence is not playing out?

-
Group 2

Just Multilateral Theater? The Fait and Future of the NPT

-
Group 3

Absolutely fair: What would happen if we consequently applied the concept of “Nuclear Justice” European Foreign Policy?

-
Group 4

...

18:30 Uhr
Dinner

19:30 Uhr
EVENING TALK| 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
Azadeh ZAMIRIAD, Deputy Head, Africa & Middle East Research Division, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Berlin

20:45 Uhr
Informal Come Together

-

* = invited
** = preliminary confirmed

Mittwoch, 03.06.2026
08:30 Uhr
Breakfast

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

-
Forum V: Atomic Options Avanceé? Deterrence and Nuclear Sharing in the European Way

Héloïse FAYET, Research Fellow and Head, Deterrence & Proliferation Research Program, Institut Français des Relations Internationales, Paris
Oliver THRÄNERT, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Research Division, International Security, German Institute for International and Security Policy (SWP), Berlin

-
Forum VI: No Fear of the “Fear Debate”: How to Debate Deterrence including its (Un)Ethical Implications in the Wider Public?

Astrid KAUSE, Junior Professor of Sustainability Science and Psychology, University Leuphana, Lüneburg
Michal ONDERCO, Professor of International Relations in the Department of Public Administration and Sociology at Erasmus University Rotterdam

11:00 Uhr
Coffee & Tea Break

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

Henry BURROWS, Director of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland, Dublin*
Klaus De RIJK, Senior Strategic Advisor, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague
Giorgio FRANCESCHINI, Senior Strategic Advisor, Department Nuclear Disarmament, Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, German Foreign Ministry, Berlin
Kristin Ven BRUUSGAARD, Director, Norwegian Intelligence School, Oslo

12:30 Uhr
Farwell Lunch

12:50 Uhr
Shuttle to Train Station/ Airport

-

* = invited
** = preliminary confirmed

Organisatorisches

Tagungsnummer

2624

Tagungsgebühren

Regulär
265€
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.
Eine Reduzierung der Tagungsgebühr für eine zeitweise Teilnahme ist nicht möglich.

Stornierung

Bei einer Absage nach dem 21.05.2026 müssen wir Ihnen 50% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei einer Absage nach dem 28.05.2026 müssen wir Ihnen 100% der Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.
Bei nicht erfolgter Absage müssen wir die gesamte Tagungsgebühr in Rechnung stellen.

Zahlung

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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: 01.06.2026, 13:25 Uhr
Zum Bahnhof - Ankunft am Bahnhof Wunstorf (voraussichtlich): 03.06.2026, 13:30 Uhr

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