Get the Balance Right: Capability, Integrity and Effectiveness in Europe’s Emerging Defence Architecture
Join our side event at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2026 co‑hosted by Transparency International Defence & Security and the Basel Institute on Governance
EVENT DETAILS
Sunday 15 February 2026 | 13:30–15:00 |Atelier Restaurant, Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich
FORMAT
Closed‑door roundtable bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, think tanks, and civil society to discuss how to future‑proof Europe’s multi‑billion‑euro defence investments. Chatham House Rules.
MODERATORS
Dr Francesca Grandi — Director, Transparency International, Defence & Security Programme
Juhani Grossmann — Director, Basel Institute on Governance, Green Corruption Programme
Europe’s defence architecture is being reshaped at unprecedented speed and scale, backed by record spending commitments and new financing tools — making this build‑up not only a capability shift, but a critical governance test.
If governance lags behind, Europe may be rearmed, but not secured. As defence budgets surge, urgency‑driven procurement risks bypassing competition, informal influence channels expand, and oversight mechanisms struggle to keep pace.
This roundtable focuses on the meaningful role of defence transparency in this transformation. Transparency in defence is not about exposing sensitive operational information; it is about ensuring that decisions, spending, and procurement can be scrutinised, justified, and independently checked so that public resources deliver real security outcomes.
The discussion explores how to anchor new financing mechanisms in strong integrity frameworks, embed oversight into accelerated defence instruments, and ensure that urgency does not trump integrity — so every euro invested strengthens Europe’s collective security.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY TRANSPARENCY IN DEFENCE?
Transparency in defence is not about exposing sensitive operational details. It is about ensuring, even under accelerated or emergency procedures:
- fair and competitive procurement, responsible export practices, and transparent defence transfer frameworks
- effective parliamentary and independent oversight, meaningful civic and expert participation, and real auditability of defence spending
- responsible public‑private engagement and financing safeguards that prevent undue influence and conflicts of interest