Garcevic Keynotes at the 2020 European Security Forum
Ambassador Vesko Garcevic, Pardee School Professor of the Practice of International Relations, was the keynote speaker at the 2020 European Security Forum at the University of Chicago on January 18, 2020. The event was organized by the student think tank European Horizons, EUChicago.
Examining the current difficulties in the relations between the US, the EU and NATO, Amb. Garcevic addressed the issue of defense spending of the European allies. He outlined and elaborated several challenges – defense spending, lack of trust, the problem with interoperability and leadership, threat perception – the EU faces in its efforts to create a European army. While he underscored the need for the EU to take on more responsibility for its security, Amb. Garcevic pointed out that NATO remains indispensable to Europe’s security.
Participants at the conference included scholars, policymakers and experts concerning European affairs, security issues, and international relations. The discussion focused on the perspective of the US/EU transatlantic relations, the European security and the EU internal reforms.
During his diplomatic career, Amb. Vesko Garcevic dealt with issues pertinent to European security and NATO for almost 14 years. In 2004, he was posted in Vienna to serve as Ambassador to Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He had been a Montenegro’s Ambassador to NATO from 2010 until 2014 and served as a Montenegro’s National Coordinator for NATO from 2015 until he joined the faculty at the Pardee School.