This special session on defence, which took place at the old Benedictine monastery of Kloster Seeon near Munich, was opened by Manfred Bischoff, Chairman of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) company.
During his introductory speech, Mr. Bischoff recalled that Kloster Seeon was a special place that had been placed under the protection of Emperor Otto III, one of the first Europeans in spirit. At the beginning of the 2000s however, the ideal of a united Europe seemed lost amid squabbles over the Euro, the European Parliament and, most notably, Iraq. More than ever it was important to stand shoulder to shoulder to forge a common defence policy and create a level playing field with America, and to build a Europe that was emancipated politically and economically.
Participants included General Kujat (Chairman, NATO Military Committee); Rainer Hertrich (Joint CEO, EADS); Christian Schmidt (Member of Bundestag, Defence Spokesman for the CDU/CSU group); Philippe Camus (Co-CEO, EADS); Michel Barnier (European Commissioner); Denis Ranque (Chairman and CEO, Thales); General Sir Jeremy Mackenzie (former Deputy SACEUR, NATO); Pauline Neville-Jones (Chairman, Qinetiq Group plc); Simon Fraser (Strategy and Innovation Director, British Foreign Office); and Charles Grant (Executive Director, Centre for European Reform).