The EU Strategic Autonomy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives Edited by: Damir Marusic Kinga Brudzinska, PhD Senior Fellow, Europe Center, Policy Director, Centre for the Atlantic Council Global Europe, GLOBSEC June 2021 *** Centre for Global Europe at the GLOBSEC Policy Institute provides constructive ideas and promotes innovative policy recommendation to ensure that the European Union remains an attractive, successful and viable project that is setting global norms and defining international system. The Europe Center at the Atlantic Council conducts research to guide the actions and strategy of key transatlantic decision makers on the issues that will shape the future of the transatlantic relationship. *** The GLOBSEC Policy Institute is a policy-oriented think-tank analyzing policy and the international environment. The Institute wants to make an impact so that the values of the GLOBSEC organization – liberal and democratic order in the transatlantic world – are deeply embedded in the agenda of governments. The Atlantic Council is a nonpartisan organization that promotes constructive US leadership and engagement in inter- national affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting today’s global challenges. Disclaimers All of the views expressed in this piece are of the authors and thus do not necessary represent the official position of GLOBSEC, the Atlantic Council or the institutions that the co-authors represent. The authors are solely responsible for its analysis and recommendations. © GLOBSEC GLOBSEC Policy Institute Vajnorská 100/B 831 04 Bratislava Slovakia www.globsec.org The EU Strategic Autonomy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives ( 3 About the Authors Piotr Arak Aleš Chmelař Jan Havránek is the Director at the currently serves as Deputy currently acts as the Deputy Polish Economic Institute. Minister for Foreign Affairs Minister of Defense of He previously worked at at the Ministry of Foreign the Czech Republic. He Deloitte, the Polityka Insight Affairs of the Czech previously worked as the think-tank, the United Republic. He was previously policy adviser at the Policy Nations Development the State Secretary for Planning Unit of the Office of Programme, the Ministry European Affairs and the NATO Secretary General of Administration and the EU Sherpa to Prime in Brussels. He was also the Digitisation, and the Minister Bohuslav Sobotka head of the defense section Chancellery of the Prime and Prime Minister Andrej at the Czech Republic’s Minister. He completed his Babiš. He worked as the Permanent Representation degree in social policy from chief EU analyst at the to NATO in Brussels the University of Warsaw, Czech Government Office (2014-2017), Assistant and continued his studies and as a researcher at the First Deputy Minister of in business, completing Centre for European Policy Defense (2013-2014), and an MBA at the Warsaw Studies (CEPS) in Brussels. foreign policy advisor to School of Economics and He completed his degree in the Minister of Defense the Université du Québec Political Economy of Europe (2010-2012). He completed à Montréal. He is writing a from Science Po Paris his M.A. in International PhD on public policy at the and the London School of Security Studies at the University of Warsaw. Economics in 2011. Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. Kinga Brudzinska Benjamin Haddad Alena Kudzko is a Policy Director at the is currently the Director of is Director of the GLOBSEC Centre for Global Europe the Europe Center at the Policy Institute think at the GLOBSEC Policy Atlantic Council. Prior to this tank in Bratislava where Institute. Prior to this she he was a fellow at Hudson she oversees policy worked at the Polish Institute Institute in Washington, development, research, and of International Affairs DC. He has been published programming in the areas (PISM) and the Permanent in several notable news of defence and security, the Representation of Poland media outlets, is a frequent future of Europe, technology to the OECD. Her main guest on television news and society, and economy. research interests lie in programs, and authored the Before joining GLOBSEC, the fields of EU Common book Paradise Lost: Europe she worked at various NGOs Foreign and Security in the World of Trump. and academic institutions Policy and EU institutional He completed his M.A. in in Belarus, Estonia, and architecture. Kinga holds International Affairs and Hungary, specializing in the a PhD from the University HEC in financial economics area of foreign relations, of Warsaw and Diploma in at Sciences Po Paris where democratization, and Latin American Studies from he has since returned to community development. TEC Monterrey in Mexico. lecture on the topic. She completed her M.A. in International Relations and European Studies at Central European University. 4 ) The EU Strategic Autonomy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives Damir Marusic Žiga Turk Jakub Wisniewski is a Resident Senior Fellow is a Professor in currently serves as a Vice- at the Atlantic Council’s Construction Informatics President of GLOBSEC. He is Europe Center where he at the Faculty of Civil and a former Polish Ambassador specifically works on the Geodetic Engineering at to the OECD (2014-2016) and Council’s #BalkansForward the University of Ljubljana, director of the Department Initiative. He is also co- Slovenia. He previously of Foreign Policy Strategy at founder of Wisdom of acted as Minister for Growth the Polish Ministry of Foreign Crowds, an online debate in the Government of Affairs (2010-2014). He has platform and podcast Slovenia (2007 and 2008), written several publications based in Washington DC. Minister for Education, and articles on the EU and Previously, he was Executive Science, Culture and authored a book. He acted Editor of The American Sports in the Government as a speechwriter for former Interest, a foreign and of Slovenia (February 2012 Minister of Foreign Affairs domestic policy magazine to March 2013) and as Radek Sikorski. He holds that sought “to explain Secretary General of the a PhD in Arts of Political America to the world, and Felipe Gonzalez’s Reflection Science, Faculty of Political the world to America.” He Group on the Future of Science and Journalism from has written extensively Europe. He completed his the University of Warsaw. about U.S. politics, foreign PhD in Technical Sciences at policy, and European affairs. the University of Ljubljana. He completed his M.A. in International Relations at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. Elena Poptodorova Tomáš Valášek Michael Žantovský is a founding member of the is currently a Member of is the former spokesman Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, Parliament of the National for President Václav Havel where she is currently the Council of the Slovak and Ambassador of the Vice-President, Director Republic. Previously he Czech Republic to the for Euro-Atlantic Affairs was the Ambassador of the United States, Israel and and Project Manager of Slovak Republic to NATO the United Kingdom. After the Three Seas National (2013-2017) and worked serving as a diplomat, he Program. She previously at the Slovak Ministry of authored Havel: A Life, served as the Ambassador Defense (2006-2007). He a biography of Václav of the Republic of Bulgaria also has vast experience Havel that was immensely to the United States working in think tanks, popular in both Czech and (2002-2008/2010-2016). previously acting as the English. He completed his Elena worked at Bulgaria’s Director of Carnegie Europe, M.A. in psychology in 1973 Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Central European at Charles University. He (1975 -1990) and was Policy Institute (CEPI) in currently serves as the subsequently elected to Bratislava and at the Centre Executive Director of the the national legislature. for European Reform in Václav Havel Library and She completed her M.A. at London. He completed his a member of the Global Sofia University “St. Kliment M.A. in International Affairs Commission on the Post- Ohridski” in English and at George Washington Pandemic Future. Italian linguistic and literary University. studies. The EU Strategic Autonomy: Central and Eastern European Perspectives ( 5 Contents About the Authors ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................................................6 Thinking Clearly on Strategic Autonomy ...........................................................................................................9 Elena Poptodorova, Amb. Ret, Vice President of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Europe in a Stronger West ..................................................................................................................................13 Michael Žantovský, Amb. Ret, Executive Director, Václav Havel Library The EU in the Face of the New Cold War between China and America .......................................................17 Jakub Wiśneiwski, PhD, Amb. Ret, Vice-President for Strategy, GLOBSEC In Select Areas the Case for Strategic Autonomy is Strong for CEE ............................................................22 Tomáš Valášek, Member of Parliament, National Council of the Slovak Republic Czech Perspective on European Strategic Autonomy: Towards NATO-EU Cooperation ..........................25