About Lennart Meri Conference
“We can never have too much security,” said President Lennart Meri. To mark his continuing legacy in foreign and security policy thinking, the annual Lennart Meri Conference (LMC) aims to encourage curiosity and debate, highlight unity and diversity, and foster liberty and democracy.
The LMC brings together distinguished politicians, analysts, military personnel, media and academia from around the globe in Tallinn, Estonia. At the conference, participants discuss the most pressing foreign, security and defence policy issues, mostly from the perspective of the northern and eastern parts of Europe.
The LMC was conceived in 2007 and has since developed into one of the most prominent security policy conferences in the region. The President of Estonia is the patron of the conference and always an active participant.
Traditionally, more than 100 speakers gather in more than 20 panels and breakout sessions during the three days of the conference. The breakout sessions are held under the Chatham House Rule, while the main panels are live streamed and on-the-record, to enable more people to take part. The total number of in-person participants has not exceeded 500, which experience has shown is an optimal number to encourage the free, open, and intimate atmosphere for which the conference is best known.
The LMC starts on Friday evening with an opening session, followed by an invitation-only dinner hosted by the President, and concluding with a ’night owl’ session. The event continues on Saturday, with a two-hour break in the afternoon during which the organisers offer participants the opportunity to take part in various side events and excursions. The LMC concludes on Sunday with a farewell lunch.
More detailed information about the speakers and the full programme are usually published shortly before the conference.
The LMC is an invitation only event and is organised by the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS), Estonia’s premier defence, security and foreign policy think-tank, together with the Lennart Meri European Foundation.