The year 2019 marks the anniversaries of two events that were decisive for preserving peace in Europe: the foundation of NATO in 1949 and its historical enlargement in 1999. Seventy years after putting a halt to Soviet expansion into Western Europe, and 20 years after finally breaking the Iron Curtain by the accession of three former Warsaw Pact countries, NATO still epitomizes the pursuit of the dream of Europe whole, free and at peace.

Yet today, as probably never before, the mission of the alliance is simultaneously critically important and endangered. Not only does NATO face an unprecedented and rapidly evolving mix of military, asymmetric and non-military threats, but it is also confronted with a growing tension in the transatlantic relations. More and more questions are asked about the viability of the bond between the United States and Europe, and the limits of NATO’s ability to safeguard the core security interests of its member states.

To discuss where NATO comes from and where it might be heading to in the years to come, the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, with the support of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, would like to invite you to join high-level discussions during a one-day event held in Warsaw on March 8.

The conference “Delivering on the Promise of Europe Whole, Free and at Peace: NATO 20 Years After Enlargement and Beyond” will bring up topics regarding the experiences of past events connected to the historic enlargement of NATO 20 years ago, and it will take a deeper look at the limits and prospects of the alliance’s adaptation to the threats coming from various geographical directions, different actors and varied domains.

Some key decision-makers, who spearheaded the political process of bringing new member states to the Alliance Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former president of Poland, and Sir Malcolm Rifkind, former U.K. Defence Secretary and Foreign Secretary – will share their thoughts on lessons learned from these critical developments of the past. We will also ask the current leaders of the alliance – Ursula von der Leyen, Federal Minister of Defence, Germany, Tacan Ildem, Assistant Secretary General of NATO – about how they see the upcoming challenges and the requirement for further adaptation. These crucial questions will be also addressed by the leading experts in the field of security and transatlantic relations: Derek Chollet, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Benoit d’Aboville, Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, Réka Szemerkényi, Center for European Policy Analysis.

The event will be held in English with available simultaneous translation for all participants.