An Ever Elusive Europe

The Lennart Meri Conference was conceived as a forum for discussing global foreign and security policy issues, in particular those of greatest concern to Europe. The conference seeks to promote the legacy of President Lennart Meri, a leading European statesman and authority on foreign policy, and to ensure that Estonia maintains its active role in solving the problems of Europe. The conference period included the date March 29, which was both Lennart Meri’s birthday and the day in 2004 when Estonia and six other Central and East European states achieved one of their most cherished foreign policy objectives – NATO membership.

The patron of the conference was President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who also hosted and spoke at the event. The conference was jointly organised by the International Centre for Defence Studies and the Lennart Meri European Foundation.

Last year’s conference, Remember the Future Europe, succeeded in bringing together high level practitioners and academics interested in Europe and its future for a series of lively and constructive policy discussions.