On 12 October 2026, the College of Europe in Natolin will have the honour to host Mr Andrius KUBILIUS, European Union Commissioner for Defence and Space, will deliver an inaugural address on the occasion of the launch of the new European Security and Strategy Study Track to students, academic staff, the diplomatic corps from EU countries and invited guests. Following his speech, Commissioner KUBILIUS will participate in a discussion moderated by Mrs Ewa OŚNIECKA-TAMECKA, Vice-Rector of the College of Europe.
The event will conclude with an award ceremony during which Andrius Kubilius will receive the Poland–Lithuania Cooperation and Dialogue Forum Award presented by Mr Władysław KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence of Poland.
Commissioner KUBILIUS is visiting Natolin at the invitation of Vice-Rector Mrs Ewa OŚNIECKA-TAMECKA, who manages the Natolin campus. The award ceremony is co-organised by Robert KOSTRO, President of the Poland–Lithuania Forum for Cooperation and Dialogue.
The visit by the EU Commissioner for Defence and Space follows that of Antonio COSTA, President of the European Council, and is another high-profile event in the 2026-2027 academic year at the College of Europe in Natolin. This year is exceptional, not only because it marks the 35th anniversary of the campus, but also because of the introduction of a new European Security and Strategy Study Track, which deploys Natolin’s three-decade expertise in EU’s external relations with a special focus on the EU’s neighbourhood to equip its students with knowledge necessary to address some of the most pressing contemporary global challenges. Additionally, Natolin’s location at the EU’s external eastern border and in NATO’s North-Eastern flank offers an unparalleled perspective on Central, Eastern and Northern Europe.
The event will be livestreamed on our Youtube, Facebook and LinkedIn channels.
About the keynote speaker:
Mr Andrius KUBILIUS has had a long and distinguished career in Lithuanian and European politics. He has served as European Commissioner for Defence and Space since 2024 and was a Member of the European Parliament in 2019. Earlier in his career, he was Leader of the Opposition from 2005 to 2006 and again from 2012 to 2016, and served twice as Prime Minister of Lithuania, first from 1999 to 2000 and later from 2008 to 2012. He was Deputy Speaker of the Seimas from 2006 to 2008 and First Deputy Speaker of the Seimas from 1996 to 1999. A prominent figure in Lithuanian politics, he served as Chairman of the Homeland Union party from 2003 to 2015 and was a Member of the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) for nearly three decades, from 1992 to 2019.
Source: Andrius Kubilius - European Commission
About the European Security and Strategy Study Track:
The European Security and Strategy Study Track started at the College of Europe in Natolin with its first courses in September 2026. It is to train future analysts, strategists, policymakers, and decisionmakers, who will shape Europe’s security environment and its response to current and emerging threats.
The European Union, as a peace project, continuously endeavours to accomplish its mission to promote security and stability, to protect its citizens, defend its interests and the values it stands for. It operates however in a security environment with proliferating threats. It is characterised by increased Russian aggressiveness, but also hybrid attacks, terrorism and violent extremism, international organised crime groups, or networks of cyber criminals.
The establishment of the European Security and Strategy Study Track at Natolin was motivated by the conviction that the success of this mission relies on the availability of relevant knowledge, skills, and talent. In areas where the EU can and shall act, it can only do so through its engaged and educated citizens, whether it be facilitating greater collaboration in the European defence industry, improving overall security readiness of European countries, or enabling partnerships. Properly trained and committed teams of specialists will help integrate strategic thinking into Europe’s efforts to carve out a fully coherent response to meet the gravity of the current moment.
If Europe needs the human capital to provide a strategically enduring response to the security challenges it currently faces and those it will need to address in the future, the uniquely appropriate geography of Natolin and its experience in areas of defence, security, and relations with Europe’s neighbourhoods position it admirably well to respond to this need.
The programme of the European Security and Strategy Study Track is built on the interplay and mutual reinforcement of three pillars.
- Interdisciplinary understanding of Europe’s functioning is the necessary first. Embedded in the European Interdisciplinary Studies programme, the interdisciplinary method permeates all its elements.
- Second is a high-level analysis of European security architecture, the threats it faces, the policy responses it formulates, the institutions and decision-making mechanisms it employs, the power dynamics it manages, as well we the strategic reasoning it applies.
- Third is an area-studies focus, within the complementary European Regional Studies programme, that ensures proper appreciation of political, economic, social, cultural, and historical dynamics within selected regions, concretely the Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.
About the Polish-Lithuanian Awards:
Since 2013, the Poland-Lithuania Forum for Cooperation and Dialogue has presented awards - in the form of statuettes designed by sculptor Stefan Wierzbicki—to distinguished individuals from Lithuania. In turn, the Lithuanian Jerzy Giedroyc Forum for Dialogue and Cooperation honours Polish individuals who have made significant contributions to relations between the two nations.
The award ceremonies are held alternately in Poland and Lithuania. Since 2022, both Forums have also presented statuettes to Ukrainians and Belarusians who have made outstanding contributions to fostering understanding among the nations of our region.
Previous recipients have included Valdas Adamkus, Tomas Venclova and Rasa Rimickaitė, while laureates honoured by the Lithuanian Forum have included Lech Kaczyński and Adam Michnik.
The statuette awarded to Andrius Kubilius is sponsored by the Three Trumpets Foundation (Fundacja Trzy Trąby).