In today’s interconnected world, mutually beneficial and reliable peace, security and defence partnerships are more needed than ever.
The third edition of the Schuman Security and Defence Forum (Schuman Forum) will take place in Brussels on 17-18 November 2026. It will bring together senior decision-makers from more than 85 partner countries, EU Member States, high-level representatives of the European Union (EU), international and regional organisations, as well as leading think-tanks and academia.
The Schuman Forum will aim to shed light on how ongoing and potential peace, security and defence partnerships can respond more effectively to today’s and the future’s most pressing security threats and challenges, while contributing to global peace and security as well as upholding the international rules-based order and multilateralism.
In the run-up to the Schuman Forum in November, a series of preparatory events named ‘Road to Schuman Forum 2026’ will be held in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Egypt, Japan, Kenya, Moldova, and Norway.
Organised by the EU Delegations, they gather high-level representatives from the country, members of the diplomatic community and local leading think-tanks/academia in the field of peace, security and defence. The ‘Road to Schuman Forum’ events will allow for more regionally-focused exchanges on peace, security and defence matters among the participants, that will inform the discussions during the main event.
Here are some highlights from the events:
- During the ‘Rethinking Security from Europe to the Indo-Pacific’ event in Japan, participants discussed how to collectively respond to emerging security threats, including defence innovation, maritime security, cybersecurity and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).
- In the ‘Indispensable Cooperation: Strengthening the EU-Norway Security and Defence Partnership’ in Oslo, three panel discussions explored how the Partnership can become more concrete, more effective and better equipped to support Ukraine, face hybrid threats and counter FIMI.
- At the Road to Schuman Forum event in Canberra, over 175 defence practitioners from the EU and Australia gathered, together with Finland’s Minister of Defence Antti Häkkänen, to address shared security challenges facing both Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
- Within the Road to Schuman Forum event in Egypt, the conference explored pressing regional security challenges, the EU–Egypt strategic partnership, and the role of multilateral cooperation in advancing peace and stability.
- The ‘EU-Kenya Security and Defence Cooperation in East Africa and the Western Indian Ocean’ event in Nairobi centred on maritime security in the Red Sea and the Western Indian Ocean, with a focus on terrorist threats, the role of AUSSOM and the future of regional security cooperation.
