BIG events series

Recorded at BIG’s event on 26 May 2026 , this conversation explored how Europe can strengthen its competitiveness in an age of geoeconomics, against the backdrop of global instability, strategic rivalry, and the upcoming Irish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Leading the discussion was RTÉ’s Europe Editor Tony Connelly , who spoke with Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defen...

Recorded at BIG's event on 7 May 2026 , this panel discussion explored how Europe's defence industrial capacity can be leveraged and coordinated to bolster the continent's strategic autonomy in the light of the threat from Russia and American strategic abandonment. Leading the conversation was BIG's Senior Defence Fellow Claude-France Arnould , who formerly served as Chief Executive of the Europea...

Recorded at BIG’s event on 7 May 2026, this exchange of insights on the urgent challenge of European digital sovereignty brought together two of its leading advocates: Marietje Schaake , International Policy Director at the Stanford University Cyber Policy Center as well as a former MEP (2009-19), and Paul Timmers , professor at KU Leuven and European University Cyprus, and a former Director at th...

Recorded at BIG’s event on 28 April 2026, the conversation focused on how Europe can strengthen its energy security in an age of conflict. Jilles van den Beukel (HCSS), Brendan Devlin (European Commission), and Maria Pastukhova (E3G), in a discussion moderated by BIG Energy Fellow Thijs Van de Graaf, explore what the Iran war reveals about the EU’s energy vulnerabilities, from fossil fuel dependen...