Conference on the Common Security and Defense Policy in Vienna

On Friday, January 23, 2026, a conference on the topic of “Common Security and Defense Policy” took place at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The conference was organized by Prof. Dr. Michael Holoubek (WU Vienna University of Economics and Business) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Weber, LL.M. (Harvard) (Europa-Institut, Saarland University) and focused on the political, legal, and economic framework conditions of national and supranational defense policies against the backdrop of current geopolitical developments. The conference addressed key issues relating to the European security and defense architecture, the Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and its legal and institutional structure.

The conference focused on topics such as:

• national and supranational defense policies in the European context,
• industrial policy and economic conditions in the defense industry,
• legal challenges of existing and future defense projects,
• transatlantic security relations,
• defense-driven innovation, and the role of government defense spending as a driver of technological development.

Date: January 23, 2026

Venue: Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU), Building LC, Festsaal 2, Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna 

The program can be found HERE.