How can European states cooperate better in building space domain awareness and ensure continued European freedom of action in the Earth’s orbit?
On 7 October 2026, HCSS hosted the second edition of the Franco-Dutch Defence Talks in partnership with the Embassy of the French Republic to the Netherlands.
HCSS welcomed the Ambassador of France His Excellency François Alabrune to open our event, with the ambassador stressing the importance of Franco-Dutch cooperation as an engine of “intellectual rearmament” in Europe.
The keynote was provided by Florence Duveiller, a military fellow and space security expert assigned to IFRI’s Security Studies Center in Paris. This keynote was followed by a panel including Air Commodore Bernard Buijs, commander of the Dutch Space Command, Dr. Guilhem Penent of the French MoD’s General Directorate of International Relations and Strategy, Captain Alban Simon of the French Space Command, and HCSS space expert and advisor Patrick Bolder.
Across these sessions, discussants and attendees had an international and multi-disciplinary discussion on how European states can cooperate better in building space domain awareness, responding to the militarisation of space, and ensure continued European freedom of action in the Earth’s orbit.
HCSS thanks every participant and attendee and looks forward to hosting the third iteration of the talks in 2027.
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