PAST EVENT – EU Indo-Pacific Strategy and Pacific Security Conference

INVITATION
IN-PERSON EVENT

Expert Panel Discussion

EU Indo-Pacific Strategy and Pacific Security Conference
Supporting Pacific-Led Security and Resilience in an Era of Strategic Competition

Date: Friday, 5 June 2026
Time: 16:00 – 18:00 CEST
Venue: EIAS, rue de la Loi 26, 10th Floor, B-1040 Brussels

Dear Sir/Madam/X, 

The European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS) had the pleasure of organising a High-level Security Dialogue on the occasion of the working visit visit of Professor Jose Sousa-Santos, Head of the Pacific Regional Security Hub at the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, and Professor Anna Powles from the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University, New Zealand.

The panel discussion and exchange of views took place on Friday, 5 June 2026, from 16:00 to 18:00, at the EIAS office, Rue de la Loi 26, B-1040 Brussels, Belgium, and was followed by a networking session.

Building on the EU’s Indo-Pacific Strategy and the emerging idea of an “Indo-Pacific Plus” coalition-building approach, the event examined how the EU can support Pacific-led security priorities through practical cooperation with regional, middle-power and like-minded partners. The discussion moved beyond declaratory engagement and focus on concrete avenues for cooperation in areas such as maritime security, cyber resilience, countering foreign information manipulation, climate-security cooperation, law enforcement engagement and sustainable connectivity. Furthermore, the panel considered how the EU can work with partners such as Australia, New Zealand and other Indo-Pacific actors in ways that strengthen resilience without contributing to partner overcrowding or undermining Pacific agency.

The guiding question for the discussion was: How can the EU support Pacific-led security and resilience while navigating strategic competition, contested maritime order and growing external engagement in the Pacific Islands, including through practical cooperation with middle-power and regional partners beyond the US-China binary?

Bringing together policymakers, diplomats, academics, regional experts, industry representatives and think tank specialists, the event aimed at providing a focused and interactive exchange on evolving security dynamics in the Pacific, the rising importance of flexible coalitions in a fragmented international order, and the EU’s role in supporting Pacific-led priorities.

Programme

16:00 – 16:10   Welcome and Opening Remarks

• Mr. Axel Goethals, CEO, European Institute for Asian Studies, EIAS

16:10 – 16:25   Keynote Speeches

• H.E. Mr Simon Draper, Head of Mission and Ambassador of New Zealand to the European Union and NATO, Embassy of New Zealand

16:25 – 17:30  Moderated Panel Discussion

• A/Prof. Jose Sousa-Santos, Head of the Pacific Regional Security Hub, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
• A/Prof. Anna Powles, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, Massey University, New Zealand (BEL) LTC (GS)
• Ms. Françoise Verbanck, Cooperative Security Division, Military Cooperation Branch, Action Officer for Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand

Moderator: Mr. Serge Stroobants, Advisory Board Member, Nordic Center for Conflict Transformation; Senior Associate, EIAS

17:30 – 18:00   Final Reflections & Q&A

• Mr. Serge Stroobants

18:00 – 19:00   Networking Reception

Photo credits: Pexels