CITpax, the Elcano Royal Institute and the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies for the Ministry of Defence organised a seminar in Madrid to tackle Spanish foreign action in the field of Security Sector Reform (SSR) and thus to help develop a Spanish SSR strategy or concept in line with Spain’s skills and international scope. The European Commission’s permanent representative´s Office in Madrid hosted this event.

Defence Minister, Carme Chacón, opened the seminar. Also attending the opening ceremony were Director of the European Commission’s Representation in Spain, José Luis González Vallvé, President of the Elcano Royal Institute, Gustavo Suárez Pertierra, CITpax’ Vice-President, Shlomo Ben Ami, and Director General of Institutional Relations for the Ministry of Defence, Manuel López Blázquez.

The seminar was well represented by different international organisations (EU, OECD); SSR research and development centres (Geneva Centre for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (GC-DCAF), the Norwegian Chris Mielsen Institute and the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Conflicts); European cooperation and development agencies (Security Sector Development Advisory Team (SSDAT) attached to the UK Department for International Development (DFID), as well as Spanish departments (Ministry of Defence, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Home Office, National Police and the Spanish National Intelligence Centre (CNI).

The closing ceremony was led by the Slovakian Minister for Foreign Affairs and UN Rapporteur for SSR, Jan Kubis, alongside Secretary of State, Bernardino León, and Admiral and Director of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies, Jaime Rodriguez-Toubes Núñez.