3. PROGRAMME PillARS - Central European Strategy Council

Slovak Atlantic Commission
Annual report of Activities
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OUR YEAR – Introductory words
Amb (ret.). Rastislav Káčer
President and Chairman of the Board
In our latest Annual Report I wrote of 2010 as a very good year. There is,
fortunately, nothing new in this regard. The Slovak Atlantic Commission
has continued to grow in every aspect and scope of its activities.
unique event in our region, bringing together top think-tank brains, top
government decision and policy makers, business leaders and a broad
range of representatives of the global civic community. GLOBSEC
serves not only as a regional voice in the areas of foreign, security and
economic policies, but is becoming one of the major events for new
inspirations, sharp messages and visions, informal gatherings and meetings as well as an extremely valuable tool for active public diplomacy
for many key players. All run by a team of very young, yet gifted and
motivated people. They make me and our community very proud.
We have continued in our transfer of know-how to the Western Balkans: We believe that our assistance, supported by the Slovak Foreign
Ministry, and our broader advocacy for a Euro-Atlantic future of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia is appreciated and is making perhaps a modest, yet necessary contribution on the road towards
Europe whole and free.
Our inclination for an ever stronger regional cooperation and partnership has materialized in the new DAV4 project, which is aimed at
analysing the level of defence and strategic cooperation of the V4
countries and will bring a set of recommendations on how to make
sharing capabilities is now beyond any intellectual debate. If we wish
to be a credible defence partner and if we want to keep our contribution to NATO and the EU trustworthy, pooling and sharing is simply
a must. I believe that the 12 members of our V4 expert team will do a
good job.
This Annual Report will paint a more comprehensive picture of our
activities. I hope you will enjoy reading it. We’re happy if it’s a source of
new inspiration. If it encourages cooperation on new projects or new
able to do what we do without our partners and sponsors and I cannot
thank them enough for all their support. We would achieve only a fraccient
and hard-working. Our supporters, partners, friends and our team make
cessful and productive as the last year.
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Róbert Vass
Secretary General and Member of the Board
I will not exaggerate to say that the year 2011 was so far the most
dynamic year in the history of the Slovak Atlantic Commission. SAC has
gone through tremendous internal changes that enabled it not only to
multiply its activities, to raise the quality of its outcomes, to broaden its
geographic outreach, but most importantly to lay down the basis for a
truly international, Central European, Bratislava based NGO and thinktank.
SAC has systematized its activities and established four brand new
programmes that focuse on convening activities, research, growth of
new professionals and outreach activities. We have hired seven new
full-time managers to lead and further develop strategic projects of
SAC. Probably the most important achievement of SAC in 2011 is the
establishment of its think-tank, the Central European Policy Institute that
started to amalgamate the regions expert capacities and aims to raise
the voice of Central Europe in the European and transatlantic security
rity cooperation has raised high expectations and kicked off the policy
research in the best possible way.
SAC has broadened also geographically; within the “Transfer of knowhow program” it has been conducting activities in Georgia, helped to
project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and continued to assist Montenegro on its way to Euro-Atlantic integration. Within the Youth Leadership
Programme, SAC has established new partnerships with CSIS, Johns
Hopkins University, but also with the Atlantic Council and Centre for
European Policy Analysis in Washington, DC.
Within our Convening and Conferences Program, we have continued
SEC and we have welcomed the Secretary-General of NATO, Anders
Fogh Rasmussen on our soil again. Probably the best evidence of the
growing ambitions and international recognition of SAC is the establishment of the International Advisory Board that has brought together
some of the most experienced and well-known experts and personalities from both sides of the Atlantic.
The year 2011 was thus yet another successful year for SAC. It was possible thanks to the dedication of the SAC members, team, supporters,
partners, sponsors, board and everybody who contributed with their
energy, wisdom and money to an organisation that I believe has not
yet reached its full potential.
Thank you all for your support!
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1. Overview
2011 – A year of changes and growth
2011 was the most important and lively year in the history of the Slovak Atlantic Commission
and more are to be hired in the near future. And, indeed, new projects were launched.
With broadening of the project portfolio, the diversity of projects also increased. Thus it became
necessary to establish a new institutional framework.
SAC can now promote and implement its activities more effectively. The newly established pillars
enable us to support the growth of young leaders
as well as to share Slovak expertise and experience,
acquired during the country’s transformation and
integration, with the countries of the Balkans and
the EU’s Eastern Partnership. The Commission can
now focus closely on the programme of foreign
and conventions.
New think-tank
Likewise, the founding of SAC’s analytical centre,
the Central European Policy Institute, has been an
important milestone. CEPI aims to strengthen Slovakia’s and Central Europe’s voice in the Transatlantic Foreign Policy and Security discussion. CEPI will
policy, security and defence, amalgamating expert
capacities of Central European Countries.
Center for European Affairs
SAC’s initiative was also instrumental in the establishing of another new organisation, the Center for
European Affairs (CEA). The Center’s objective is to
raise public awareness of political and economic
aspects of European cooperation and integration. Its primary goal is to seek pragmatic solutions
for a successful Europe. CEA will also cultivate and
shape the discussion on the future of Europe and
Slovakia’s place in it. Activities of the Center include
research, training, information, publication and consulting activities with focus on the broader political
and economic aspects of the European Union and
European cooperation and integration.
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Growing international ambitions
The ever stronger international reputation and position of the Commission is best demonstrated by the
newly established SAC International Advisory Board
in the international expert community such as Ian
Brzezinski, Damon Wilson, Stephen Flanagan, Istvan
Gyarmati, Karel Kovanda, Andrew A. Michta, Wes
Mitchell and Eugeniusz Smolar.
During 2011 SAC once again proved its strong position among the ATA members representing a great
scale of activities by Slovak Atlanticists in their home
country. Our added value has been recognized
Rastislav Káčer, VicePresident of the Atlantic Treaty
Association. Election of the Slovak representative as
the Vice President of the network of Atlantic clubs is
a worthy acknowledgement of the work of the Slovak Atlantic Commission’s team in recent years, as
community.
Karl Lamers, President of the ATA
and President of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly
Slovak Atlantic Commission is
one of the most active ATA
members. Special recognition
goes to GLOBSEC conference
ence on forming the transatlantic
foreign policy and security
debate.
Today, the Commission’s backbone consists
of four programme pillars:
1. GROWTH / Young Leadership Programme
2. OUTREACH / Transfer of Know-How Programme
3. CONVENING / Public and Expert Events
4. RESEARCH / Central European Policy Institute
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2. People
Leadership
Rastislav Káče R, President of the SAC and Chairman of the Board
Amb. Káčer was elected the President of the Slovak Atlantic Commission in
to the United States. He is widely recognized as an expert on U.S. Domestic
and Foreign Policy, Transatlantic Relations, as well as Defence and Security
Issues. During his career, Rastislav Káčer also served at different levels of government. As a state secretary at the Ministry of Defence, he was responsible
for the negotiations and the accession process of Slovakia to NATO.
RÓBERT VASS, Secretary General and Vice-Chairman of the Board
Róbert Vass has worked for the SAC since 2005 and served as its Secretary
General since 2008. Under his management, the Commission has expanded
spected both domestically and internationally. In 2006 he launched the tradition of the prestigious international security forum GLOBSEC held in Bratislava
annually. In 2011 Róbert initiated and successfully implemented institutional
changes that reshaped SAC’s program pillars, adding a number of new projects and establishing SAC’s analytical centre, CEPI.
MILAN SOLÁR, Deputy Secretary General, Program Director
Milan Solár studied International Affairs and Diplomacy at the Matej Bel
University in Banská Bystrica, where he received his Master’s degree in 2010.
He has been active in the non-governmental sphere for the past seven years.
Before joining SAC in 2008, he worked at the Euro-Atlantic Center and was
elected its President in 2007. In the Commission, apart from other projects,
Milan is primarily responsible for the GLOBSEC Forum.
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Board of the SAC
amb. Rastislav Káče R
Chairman of the Board
and President of SAC
amb. ivan Ko Rčo K
Permanent Representative
of the Slovak Republic
to the European Union
RÓBERT VASS
Vice-Chairman
and Secretary General of SAC
ROBIN SHEPHERD
Prominent British-born political
commentator and analyst, SAC
Senior Fellow and Director for
International Affairs, the Henry
Jackson Society,
MILAN SOLÁR
Deputy Secretary General
of SAC
AMB. IGOR SLOBODNÍK
Slovak Ambassador
to Germany
DOC. JOZEF BÁTORA
Director of the Institute of European Studies and International
Relations, Faculty of Social and
Economic Sciences, Comenius
University, Bratislava
TOMÁŠ VALÁŠEK
Director of Foreign Policy
and Defence at the Centre
for European Reform
GEN. V.V. MILAN CEROVSKÝ
Former Slovak Army Chief
of Staff
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2. People
Executive Team
RÓBERT VASS
Secretary General
and Vice-Chairman
of the Board
MILAN SOLÁR
Deputy Secretary
General, Program
Director
MILAN ŠUPLATA
Director of the
Central
European Policy
Institute
TOMÁŠ ŠPAVELKO
Director of the
Transfer
of Know-How
Programme
JANA ONDRÁŠKOVÁ
Finance Director,
Event Manager
MIRIAMA
GURÍNOVÁ
Director of the
Youth Leadership
Programme
JÁN CINGEL
Director,
Partnership
Development
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Members of the SAC
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Peter Bátor • Barbara Budišová • Marek Csabay • Ľubomír Čaňo • Stanislav Guláš
Lucia Husenicová • Balázs Jarábik • Peter Kadvan • Jana Kobzová • Simona Kordošová
Martina Kováčová • Katarína Králiková • Marián Kukučka • Radoslav Kusenda • Marián Majer
Miroslav Mizera • Jaroslav Naď • Mário Nicolini • Tomáš Siviček • Martin Sklenár • Peter Terem
Miroslav Wlachovský • Katarína Ďuricová • Zuzana Kalmanová • Anna Ilavská • Mária Ciganocová
Michal Číž • Lucia Milanová • Martin Cimerman • Radka Blanárová • Július Nguyen
Alena Olejová • Lucia Martišková • Tomáš Teleky • Jana Žilková • Dana Rusnáková
Lucy Milanová • Andrea Minariková • Ivan Kováč • Zuzana Mojšová • Jana Kotorová
Sanislava Šerfelová • Martin Smieška • Katarína Klingová
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VIKTOR
ŠKULEC
PR Director
MICHAL SKALA
Project Assistant
MAREK SLOBODNÍK
Project Assistant
MARTIN
ŠUPLATA
Technical
Support
Manager
ANDREA
BARCAJOVÁ
ZuZana boží Ková
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2. People
Honorary Members of the SAC
AMB. PETER BURIAN
Slovak Ambassador
to the United States
amb. Radovan Javo Rčí K
Slovak Ambassador to Israel
AMB. MARTIN BÚTORA
Honorary President,
Institute for Public Affairs
AMB. PETER KMEC
Slovak Ambassador
to the Kingdom of Sweden
PAVOL DEMEŠ
Senior Fellow,
the German Marshall Fund
of the United States
AMB. FRANTIŠEK LIPKA
Slovak Ambassador
to Montenegro
JURAJ DROBA
Member of the Parliament
of the Slovak Republic
amb. miRoslav mo Jžita
Slovak Ambassador
to Bosnia and Herzegovina
MARTIN FEDOR
Member of the Parliament
of the Slovak Republic
maRoš šefčovič
Vice-President of the European
Commission and European
Commissioner for Inter-Institutional Relations and Administration
amb. Pavol Hamží K
Slovak Ambassador to Ukraine
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International Advisory Board
IAN BRZEZINSKI
Senior Fellow, International
Security Program,
Atlantic Council, USA
WESS MITCHELL
President and Co-Founder,
Center for European Policy
Analysis, USA
STEPHEN FLANAGAN
Senior Vice-President
and Henry A. Kissinger Chair,
Center for Strategic
and International Studies, USA
EUGENIUSZ SMOLAR
Senior Fellow, Polish Institute
of International Affairs;
Visiting Senior Fellow, Centre
for European Studies, Poland
ISTVAN GYARMATI
President and CEO,
International Centre for
Democratic Transition, Hungary
DAMON WILSON
Executive Vice-President
of the Atlantic Council, USA
KAREL KOVANDA
Former Deputy Director-General,
External Relations and Political
Director, European Commission,
Czech Republic
KURT VOLKER
Managing Director and Senior
Fellow, Center for Transatlantic
Relations, School of Advanced
International Studies,
Johns Hopkins University, USA
ANDREW A. MICHTA
Director of the German Marshal
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3. Programme Pillars
Rock-solid backbone
New projects and activities have created demand for a new institutional framework of the SAC.
It soon became essential to establish a new institutional framework that could drive and implement SAC’s activities and ensure that existing ones are ever more successful. Thus the Commission has introduced four brand new programme pillars that have become a solid foundation for
its operation. This new framework enables the Commission to operate effectively and facilitates
future growth.
1. Youth Leadership
Programme
Since its inception, the Slovak Atlantic Commission has attracted dozens of young people. The
engagement of the motivated youth in a variety
of activities and projects of the Commission has
proven an unparalleled learning experience, which
boosted not only the determination but also the
young professionals.
Proud of the reputation of a youth incubator
further-reaching and more effective support of
young people on their way towards professional
development, in 2011 the Commission systematized
the Youth Leadership Programme (YLP) focused on
leadership development.
Wanted: Young Leaders
The Programme is composed of several subprograms, which mutually reinforce one another with
the common goal of helping would-be professionals to develop knowledge, skills and techniques
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directly applicable to their careers. The Programme
allows them to interact with experts and practitiolong-lasting connections and facilitate cooperation
among younger professionals.
Opportunities at home…
The Programme embraces many on-going projects
and activities of the SAC, which for many years
have been indirectly contributing to the professional
growth of young people (Euro-Atlantic Quarterly
magazine, Euro-Atlantic Quarterly website, workshops, seminars and debate club on current international affairs in Banská Bystrica and others) but also
envisages launching of several new initiatives.
…and abroad
In the YLP framework the Commission embarked on
the Study and Research Subprogram and Internship Subprogram which envisions establishment of a
network of partnerships with international research
institutions or think tanks designed to enable sponsored research or study and fellowships of promising
young professionals form Central Europe at recognized research institutions in Europe or overseas.
2. Convening
GLOBSEC 2011
For the sixth time, GLOBSEC 2011 took place in the
Slovak capital of Bratislava. Every year, the Forum is
attended by the leaders of the Euro-Atlantic foreign
and security policy community, renowned experts,
politicians, diplomats, journalists, academics and
businessmen from both sides of the Atlantic. The
GLOBSEC project now has a strong tradition and
of its kind in the transatlantic area.
In 2011 the event took place on March 2 – 4, 2011,
parallel with the meeting of the Visegrad Group
and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers organized
by the Slovak Visegrad Presidency. With GLOBSEC
2011, Bratislava became a place of vigorous expert
debates with real impact on the shaping of international politics. The presence of ministers and state
secretaries of foreign affairs of all four Visegrad
the GLOBSEC Forum’s regional dimension.
Prominent guests
During the three day Forum, 75 discussants appeared in seven main sessions, six interactive Night
Owl Sessions and four informal Dinner Sessions, while
leading engaging debates with more than 500
registered participants from 40 countries ranging
from the United States to China. The attendance
of six ministers of foreign affairs and two defence
ministers, ten state secretaries as well as several
former ministers of foreign affairs and defence gave
the conference wide recognition within the areas of
foreign policy and security.
Karel Schwarzenberg,
Minister of Foreign Affairs
of the Czech Republic
GLOBSEC has become a wellestablished brand on the map of
foreign policy and security forums
in Europe. It has succeeded in bringing together many renowned speakers and experts debating topical
issues in a friendly and relaxed ambiance. It has also offered a unique
opportunity to new Visegrad countries’ Foreign Ministers to
meet and discuss prospects of mutual cooperation, in particular in the area of energy security. I have enjoyed these
stimulating debates as well as interactive audience with a
high percentage of young people providing
politicians with a valuable feedback.”
Every year, GLOBSEC brings more and more opportunities for stakeholders to interact. In 2011 GLOBSEC
Štefan Fülle, European Commissioner for Enlargement; Philip H. Gordon, Adviser to the U. S. Secretary
of State and Karl Lamers, President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Last year’s Forum was also honoured with the presKorčok, Permanent Representative of the Slovak
Republic to the EU; Ian Brzezinski, Senior Fellow from
ACUS; Robin Shepherd, prominent British-born political commentator and analyst or Belarusian opposition leader Aliaksandr Milinkevich. Last but not
least, GLOBSEC 2011 welcomed dozens of European
and American diplomats and experts from the most
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3. Programme Pillars
recognition and credit paid to the conference by
in the region, but also in broad transatlantic area.
Policy shaping
Although GLOBSEC 2011 closed its gates, the ideas
expressed at the Forum remain. They resonate in the
ics of international politics. The GLOBSEC debates
did not stay in the main conference room: the Forum
created suitable space for corridor diplomacy. The
organisers arranged over 40 bilateral and multilateral
concurrent political meetings with a real impact on
the shaping of regional and international politics.
Media coverage
GLOBSEC 2011 has also been a success when it
comes to media coverage. Some 70 accredited
journalists from leading European media and
agencies contributed to the massive coverage of
the event. The outcome was over 80 interviews, 6
special discussion events for journalists and 2 press
conferences, creating hundreds of media hits
worldwide. GLOBSEC 2011 was broadcast live on
the Internet, and was streamed to universities such
as the Warsaw School of Economics, the University
of Calgary and the University of Pittsburgh.
Rasmussen in SAC
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
came to Slovakia in May 2011 upon the invitation of
the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC). In his presentation on the topic “NATO – Value for Security”
he explained the importance of the Alliance in the
current dynamically changing security environment
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and covered some topical global security issues
mainly in relation to NATO operations in Libya and
the processes initiated following the Lisbon Summit
and the adoption of the new Strategic NATO Concept. The presentation was followed by a discussion
with the NATO Secretary General and with Slovakia’s Foreign Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda.
The Slovak Atlantic Commission welcomed on its
soil the Alliance’s Secretary General three times
in a short span of just two years: after the visit of
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in summer 2009, the current
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen came to
Slovakia in autumn of the same year.
The event was organized by the Slovak Atlantic
Commission in cooperation with the Slovak Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and with NATO’s Division for Public
Diplomacy in the framework of NATO Secretary
tion of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak
Republic Mikuláš Dzurinda.
Chateau Béla
Strategic Forum
In early December the historical premises of the
Chateau Béla hosted the 3rd annual informal meeting of the V4 countries’ foreign policy and security
community. The two-day event, entitled Central
European Strategic Forum Chateau Béla, welcomed
perts and diplomats from Central Europe, Germany
and the United States. Attendees discussed current
foreign policy developments and their impact on
the region of Central Europe. The event was organized in cooperation with the Centre for European
Studies (CES).
Informal atmosphere
To encourage open and vigorous debate, every
year the number of participants is deliberately
limited to a small circle of select individuals and
the setting is kept intimate and informal. The forum
respects the Chatham House Rule and connects
representatives of the governmental and non-govand security thinking and policy shaping in Central
Europe.
Hot topics
different developments of the year. Perhaps the
hottest topic of the end of 2011 and also of the forum was the future of the EU and the euro zone and
Slovakia´s position in a “new” Europe. The discussion
was linked directly to the Brussels negotiations and
presented the potential consequences for Central
Europe.
the countries of Central Europe to seek further defence cooperation. This issue was also amongst key
topics of the Forum. Security experts of the region
discussed the potential and opportunities for cooperation. The international expert group DAV4 also
gathered at the Forum. The DAV4 project will bring
to the governments of the V4.
The forum also debated the changing geopolitics
of Central Europe in light of the anticipated Putin
Presidency, and the long term shift in the U.S. foreign
policy priorities. The Arab Spring and its implications
on the economy and foreign policy of Europe were
also in the spotlight. The panel investigated how
Central Europe can contribute to these developments in the area of know-how transfer.
Transatlantic Security Forum
In 2011 the Slovak Atlantic Commission continued in
organising the Transatlantic Security Forum project
of informal discussions for both experts and the
broader public. With the support of the European
Commission Representation in Slovakia, we succeeded in organising six unique discussions in the
pleasant environment of Café Scherz on European
domestic and foreign policy. Dozens of people
actively participated in the discussions. In 2011, the
SAC organized the following discussions as a part of
the Transatlantic Security Forum project:
• Events in Northern Africa and Their
Implications for the EU (March 2011)
• The EU and Nuclear Energy after Fukushima
(May 2011)
• Lukashenko – How Much Longer? (June 2011)
• Islamic Culture and European Values
(September 2011)
• The Future of the EU: Shift to Federalism
vs. Sovereignty of Nation States (November 2011)
• Syria – The Country of the ‘Arab Winter’?
(December 2011)
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3. Programme Pillars
3. Outreach
experts were representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the academic sphere.
One of the cornerstones of the Slovak Atlantic Commission is the Transfer of Know-How Programme. We
believe that the experience Slovakia has gained
during the transformation period in the 1990’s and
the NATO and EU pre-accession era are of a great
The second workshop took place on December
6, 2011 in Tbilisi and was dedicated to the Ministry
of Defence of Georgia and representatives of the
Georgian Armed Forces. The main goal was the
sharing of Slovak experience with the NATO Defence Planning Process and implementation of the
pre-accession reforms.
themselves in a similar situation. Today, Western
Balkans and the EU Eastern Partnership countries are
regions where the need for such experience is most
apparent.
SAC organized, launched or concluded
three large-scale projects within the Transfer
of Know-How Programme in 2012.
• Georgia: Knocking on the EU’s Door
• Strengthening Security of South-East Europe:
Towards Successful Integration
• serbia
• montenegro
• Improving Democratic Institutions –
Door to Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina
PROJECT GEORGIA:
KNOCKING ON THE EU’s
DOOR
In spite of the complicated path towards integration and the geopolitical context, Georgians clearly
see their future in the EU and NATO. The Commission’s project is helping the Caucasian country to
improve their democratic institutions and promotes
its accession effort. One of the important goals of
the project is to support the economic cooperation
and to expand the insofar rather modest trade between the countries by opening channels for Slovak
companies to invest and trade in Georgia.
Sharing experiences
2011 in Tbilisi and its main topics were the sharing of
the Slovak experience with the integration related
reforms in economic area and negotiation process
coordination issues. The workshop was attended by
State Minister for the Euro-Atlantic Integration, the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economics and Sustainable Development. The Slovak
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Boosting trade exchange
During the second phase of the project the bilateral
Slovak-Georgian Business Forum was organized on
December 7, 2011 in Tbilisi. The forum was attended
by more than 60 different companies from Georgia
as well as Slovakia. The aim of the forum was to
identify possible opportunities for economic cooperation and at the same time to strengthen Slovak
and Georgian economic relations. The forum was
organized in cooperation with the Georgian National Investment Agency (GNIA), Georgian Small
and Medium Enterprises Association (GSMEA) and
the International Chamber of Commerce (ICCG).
PROJECT STRENGTHENING
SECURITY OF SOUTH-EAST
EUROPE: TOWARDS
SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION
The project is being implemented by the Slovak
Atlantic Commission from September 2011 to July
2012 in Serbia and Montenegro. Both are focused
on sharing the Slovak experience and the lessons
learned in the integration process to the European
and transatlantic structures.
Partnership with
the Belgrade Security Forum
The most important security forum in the Balkans
was originally inspired by the GLOBSEC conference in Slovakia. In 2011, SAC was one of the main
partners of the conference and organized one of
the panels dedicated to regional cooperation in
Central Europe in the area of defence.
The Serbian part of the project is being managed in
close cooperation with the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence (BFPE, www.bfpe.org). Its main goal
is to assist Serbia in the integration to the European
Union. This will be achieved through the sharing of
the Slovak experience with the implementation of
required reforms in the accession process.
The cooperation was based not only on the sharing of experiences and know how, but also on an
exchange of the project managers between SAC
and BFPE. The project is implemented with the
Sonja Licht,
President of BFPE, the main
organizer of the conference
The idea to implement the
Belgrade Security Forum was
born in Bratislava at the GLOBSEC
conference, thus the inspiration for
the Belgrade Security Forum came
from Slovakia.
Republic of Serbia, Boris Tadić and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of
ers from the region as well as security experts from
both sides of the Atlantic became a part of the
conference. Among others, the ministers of foreign
affairs of Bulgaria, Czech Republic and Serbia also
attended the conference. The Slovak Republic was
represented by the State Secretary of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Mr. Milan Ježovica. One of the panels
was chaired by Rastislav Káčer, the President of SAC
and others.
Speaking Tour in Montenegro
Slovakia advised Montenegro on its way to the
transatlantic family. We contributed to a nationwide
discussion with the knowledge and experience we
have gained from the integration process.
assistance – SlovakAid.
A voice of the Balkans
First activity organized within the project was coorganized by the SAC at the Belgrade Security Forum (BSF) regional security conference. The BSF took
place on September 15 – 16, 2011 in Belgrade.
The idea of creating a regional security forum in the
Balkans was born at the GLOBSEC 2010 conference
in Bratislava and the BSF is thus the younger sister
of the GLOBSEC conference. At the BSF the SAC
organized one side-event panel entitled “Regional
Security Cooperation: V4 Experiences“, the main
idea of which was to share the experience of V4
countries in the area of defence and security and
share it with partners from South-Eastern Europe.
The Belgrade Security Forum is hosted by distinguished speakers, including the President of the
In terms of the integration process, Montenegro is
the most advanced from among the Balkan countries. In spite of this, Euro-Atlantic integration is not
widely supported by the population. The main goal
of the project was to increase public awareness
concerning the country’s membership in the North
Atlantic Alliance. In order to pursue this goal, project activities focused on discussions with citizens,
students and local administration representatives.
The activities of the project picked up the threads
of another successful project of the Slovak Atlantic
Commission “Montenegro on the Way to the EuroAtlantic Family“ implemented a few years ago.
Montenegro: Public support
of the Euro-Atlantic path is low
Montenegro was granted a NATO Membership
ing the requirements set out in this document, it
can be assumed that Montenegro will be eligible
to join NATO by 2013. However, low public support
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3. Programme Pillars
for integration remains the issue. The government
parties have achieved that accession will have
to be approved by the parliament. According to
recent opinion polls, approximately one third of the
population is supporting the integration, one third is
against it and one third is still undecided. Activities
ed part of the population.
Among people
in Montenegro in November 2011. Teams composed mainly of Slovak and Montenegrin, but
also other speakers have visited several regions of
Montenegro where they addressed citizens with all
the most important issues concerning the Euro-Atlantic integration of their country. Discussions within
the speaking tour took place in 8 cities. In 5 days,
26 speakers took part in the debates. Overall, 8
discussions with citizens and 7 receptions at mayors’
joined us for the discussions, which took more than
20 hours. During the whole week 3 ministers, 7 mayors, 6 ambassadors, 1 Chief of Staff and many other
and academics in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sharing experiences
Respective activities were focused on transfer of
know-how in the area of the security sector reform,
reform of the armed forces, Strategic Defence Review, supervision over security sector reform, transfer
of know-how from the processes of the institutional
reforms in the EU accession context. One complex
component of the project was carried out by the
partner, an IT company with unique experiences
from preparation of an administrative-information
system implemented in the area of improving business environment.
Focus on defence and security
In March 2011, during the Bratislava Global Security
Forum GLOBSEC, a seminar on the NGOs’ role in
the security sector reform was organized. Meetings
continued in April with a series of seminars held in
Sarajevo. They were aimed at meeting the requirements of the NATO Membership Action Plan, communication strategy for the Euro-Atlantic Integration
and the Strategic Defense Review which had been
carried out in Slovakia then.
In September 2011, representatives of the Faculty
of Islamic Studies of the Sarajevo University visited
Bratislava. During several meetings and public
events they had a chance to discuss European
perspectives but also legislation pertinent to religion, etc. The project of the Slovak Atlantic Commission “Improving Democratic Institutions – Door
number of Slovak and Bosnian journalists.
Project activities in Republika Srpska
representatives of the NGO sector, Ministries of
Defence and Foreign Affairs led the discussions.
PROJECT IMPROVING DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS – DOOR
TO EUROPE
In November 2011, one year and one day after its
launch, the project entitled Improving Democratic
Institutions – Door to Europe was successfully concluded. Slovak representatives successfully utilized
their extensive experience gained during Slovakia’s
integration to the EU and NATO. This experience was
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The project itself did not focus only on the Bosnian
capital of Sarajevo. Some of the activities took
place in its very sensitive part Republika Srpska,
where support of Euro-Atlantic integration is low.
The debate involved students and representatives
of the local administration.
miroslav mojžita,
Slovak ambassador to Bosnia
and Herzegovina
Of the six years in Bosnia
and Herzegovina, this was so far
the most successful Slovak project
in the country.
4. Research
In 2011, the Slovak Atlantic Commission established
its research center, the new think-tank Central European Policy Institute (CEPI), with the aim to strengthen its research capabilities. CEPI focuses on foreign
policy, security and related topics and aspires to
answer the call for the necessary amalgamation
of the region’s intellectual power. It will link top
research institutions and experts from across Central Europe in order to come up with and promote
innovative regionally based solutions. By setting
the fundaments for the convergence of national
positions and by applying a regional approach, the
Institute seeks to strengthen the region’s voice.
The Central European Policy Institute conducts research activities ranging from day-to-day analyses
and policy-oriented research with a strong advocacy potential to long-term in-depth research projects. Its aim is to provide policymakers with policy
consultations based on the national and regional
interests including detailed recommendations.
In the year of its launch, CEPI has launched
three new projects:
• DAV4
• Smart Security Conference
• Chicago Summit Guide
DAV4 project
Defence Austerity: A New Paradigm for Defence
and Security Cooperation in the Visegrad Region
(DAV4) is a project of the Slovak Atlantic Commission and CEPI It aims to strengthen joint defence
initiatives of the V4 countries. It is the answer to the
current trend of defence austerity. The persisting
economic crisis and rising costs on defence equipment make small countries unable to maintain
usable armed forces. Apart from the political and
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3. Programme Pillars
geopolitical consequences this development could
ultimately weaken the capabilities of the armed
forces or further increase costs. Therefore, smaller
states have to pave the way towards closer security
cooperation in regional groupings by sharing these
costs.
The core of the DAV4 project is an expert group of
is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the limits
and opportunities of Visegrad security cooperation.
The resulting document that is based upon their
research will set out a vision in the area of defence
and will also serve as a roadmap for the respective governments to help them lead and intensify
defence partnership. DAV4 runs with the support of
the International Visegrad Fund.
Smart Security Conference
The “SMART SECURITY: Regional Cooperation in the
Time of Austerity“ conference offered new impulses
in the area of regional defence cooperation and
security policy. The event organized by SAC and
CEPI in partnership with the Center for European
Studies (CES) brought the discussion of experts from
the European think-tanks, NATO, representatives of
regional ministries and other professionals.
The main topic of the conference was the global
trend of cutting spending on defence and security,
as well as the possible impact of these budget cuts
One of the possible solutions of how to manage this
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challenge is regional security cooperation. Similar
initiatives are already successfully implemented
in some other European regions. In Bratislava, V4
experts discussed the possibilities of short and longterm cooperation in central European region.
The conference was also the venue where the
of 12 experts from the Visegrad countries will offer
concrete recommendations to the V4 governments
in the area of security and defence.
Chicago Summit Guide
Chicago Summit Guide was a new initiative
launched by the Central European Policy Institute to
promote regional discussion on the topics that are
going to resonate at NATO’s most important 2012
event. Its outputs include articles covering the latest
events published every week, commentaries published in the region’s media and daily press monitoring updates. CEPI has also prepared a timeline of
events related to the Chicago Summit, including
major conferences on both sides of the Atlantic and
projects. Moreover, a comprehensive document
elaborating the topical agenda of the summit will
be published in spring 2012.
4. Other Projects
PORTAL ABOUT
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
AND SECURITY www.eaq.sk
The Internet forum is a continuation of the successful
EAQ magazine project and a symbol of transition
from passive news service to interactivity. It challenges general public to actively engage in the
discussion on the most important international and
security issues. In addition to the up-to-date articles
and analyses the web portal offers blogs, videos,
info graphics and invitations to various events. The
content is covered in an attractive and dynamic
design.
The web site covers a wide range of issues including development in particular countries and regions
(Slovakia, the EU, the Middle East, Russia, East Asia)
or topic-oriented news and comments on energy
policy, cyber security, global economics or debt
crisis. The website also offers analyses of reputed
domestic and foreign experts and reviews of the
newest book releases all in one place.
EURO-ATLANTIC QUARTERLY
For 6 years already, the magazine Euro-Atlantic
Quarterly (EAQ) brings together Slovak and foreign
experts, policy leaders and motivated students to
react to the latest development of foreign policy
and security issues. In 2011 the editorial team
brought to its readers the following issues:
1/2011 ISSUE
The magazine Euro-Atlantic Quarterly entered the
year 2011 with the topic of the Eastern Partnership.
The issue provides insight into its tools and measures,
evaluates effectiveness of this policy mechanism
and estimates its future development prospects. To
make the insight complete, the issue assesses the
public opinion development in countries covered
by the EaP cooperation framework. Among other
things, the magazine also promptly responds to the
latest developments in the Arab world; explains
the implications of China’s economic growth for
the international community and observes the US
approach towards construction of the new Israeli
settlement in the West Bank.
relations with selected Middle Eastern states and
to articulate the challenges ahead with regard to
changing regional geopolitics. Flipping through the
pages, the attention shifts to Slovak Strategic Defence Review, the tragic attacks on Utoeya Island
in Norway backed by anti-multiculturalism ideology
and the implications of the death of Osama bin
Laden for global counterterrorism efforts.
3/2011 ISSUE
The autumn issue displays more precisely the changing dynamics of the Arab world. Special attention is
paid to the quartet of countries undergoing major
political changes in decades. What Egypt, Tunisia,
Libya and Syria have in common and what divides
them? Who to side with and who to fear with regard
to the newly emerging opposition leaders and political actors and overall redistribution of power in the
Middle East? The magazine also interviewed the
State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who
explained the Slovak reaction to the Arab awaking as well as the motives and redistribution of our
regional development aid in the region. The mosaic
of articles is completed with the latest development
in Kosovo, North Korea and Afghanistan.
4/2011 ISSUE
The Euro-Atlantic Quarterly closes the year 2011 with
one of the most discussed topics in the world today
– the changing nature of Russian politics. Where to
place today’s US-Russian relationship on the cooperation-rivalry scale? Can the so much anticipated
political reset be judged effective? Where does the
plan for the joint missile defense cooperation stand?
Touching upon Russia’s recent legislative elections,
upcoming presidential elections and public dissatVladimir Putin and the ruling United Russia Party, the
issue challenges the future of so-far very predictable
Russian political regime.
2/2011 ISSUE
The 22nd issue of the EAQ attempts to picture the
broad context of the US foreign policy interests
and resulting political behavior in the region of the
Middle East. What constitutes the regions’ strategic
value? Case by case, the magazine attempts to anwww.ata-sac.org
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5. International Activities of the SAC
International activities
of the SAC
During 2011, the Commission was present at several
important events on international security and foreign policy – through speeches of its representatives
at regular annual forums at home and abroad and
through sending delegates to international seminars that took place all across Europe throughout
the year. The main activities of the SAC members
at the forums on foreign and security policy in 2010
included:
Growing international recognition
The 57th annual General Assembly of the ATA in Tithe SAC within the framework of the Organization.
2012 will become an important platform where presummit discussions of European and US experts and
politicians will take place.
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The General Assembly of the ATA also re-appointed
unanimously the President of the SAC, Rastislav
Káčer, in his position of Vice-president of the ATA for
the upcoming term. It is an acknowledgement of
our effort and work of the SAC team in last years. At
the same time it is a commitment to continue our
mission. Karl Lamers, President of the ATA and President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly denoted
SAC as one of the most active members of the ATA
organization. The General Assembly recognized especially the GLOBSEC conference and its constantly
foreign policy and security debate.
At the 57th General Assembly it was also agreed that
the 2012 GLOBSEC forum will host exclusively the
only Youth NATO Summit in Europe in 2012, which
will forego the May NATO Summit in Chicago. SAC
will thus become an exclusive European partner of
the project, which will be rounded out during NATO
Summit in May in Chicago. Today’s position of the
that the power of the country could not be measured by its size, but by the quality of its initiatives
and inputs to the international agenda.
Partners 2011
Institutional Partners:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic
BFPE
Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic
European Fund For Balkan
NATO
Belgrade Centre For European Policy
European Commission Representation
in the Slovak Republic
Levan Mikeladze Foundation
Embassy of the United States in the Slovak Republic
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
in the Slovak Republic
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
International Visegrad Fund
European Council on Foreign Relations
National Council of the Slovak Republic
Institute of European Studies and International
Relations, Comenius University in Bratislava
Faculty of Political Science and International
Relations, University of Matej Bel in Banská Bystrica
Corporate Partners:
BAE Systems
BMW
Západoslovenské elektrárne (EON)
Slovenské elektrárne (ENEL)
Anasoft
Aliter
I&G Trade
German Marshall Fund of the United States
Microsoft
Jagello 2000 – Association for Euro-Atlantic
Cooperation
Lynx
Hungarian Atlantic Council
Stowarzyzenie Euro - Atlantyckie
SlovakAid
European Stability Initiative
Centre of Security Studies
Kempinski Hotel River Park
Best Hotel Properties
Envinet
Nafta
Aqua Solutions
Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences,
Comenius University in Bratislava
Centre for European Studies
Atlantic Council
CSIS
CEPA
Bruegel
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Slovak Atlantic Commission
Slovenská atlantická komisia
Headquarters:
office banská bystrica:
Klariská 14
811 03 Bratislava
Slovak Republic
tel./fax: +421/2 5441 0609
e-mail: [email protected]
Kuzmányho 3
974 01 Banská Bystrica
Slovak Republic
tel./fax: +421/48 415 22 60
e-mail: [email protected]
web: www.ata-sac.org
web: www.eaq.sk