On 19 and 20 November 2024 the Portuguese National Defence Course Auditors Association (AACDN), a public institution founded in 1981, hosted the Congress ‘Security and Defence in Europe: Challenges’ at the Military Academy in Amadora, Portugal. The event brought together an extensive line-up of key figures in Portuguese security and defence.
The congress opened with a ceremony chaired by Portuguese Minister of Home Affairs Margarida Blasco that set the stage for two days of discussions and exchanges. The event concluded with a closing ceremony attended by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Portuguese Minister of National Defence Dr Nuno Melo, underscoring the significance of the topics addressed. The president delivered an extensive speech highlighting the critical challenges facing security and defence in Europe, urging a unified commitment to addressing them.
Also participating in the congress were the chiefs of staff of the Portuguese armed forces, the national directors of the Judiciary Police (PJ) and Public Security Police (PSP), and the general commander of the National Republican Guard (GNR). Their insights contributed to a robust dialogue on the challenges and opportunities shaping security and defence in Europe.
The congress was successful in fostering dynamic discussions and high-level debates on critical issues, offering a unique platform for collaboration and exchange among thought leaders, policymakers and experts while reaffirming the importance of a unified approach to addressing complex global security issues.
António Brás Monteiro, and EU and NATO affairs specialist from the European Security & Defense College in Portugal and an occasional writer for ESD, is also director at the AACDN and a member of the organising committee of the Congress.
Demand for the official support of ESD at high-profile security events around Europe, such as the Warsaw, Bonn and Munich Security Conferences, reflects the position of the publication and its associated website, which are core components of Mittler Report Verlag, subsidiary of the Tamm Media Group based in Hamburg.
