The Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Investment Bank: which role in the European Defence Union?

European Defence Talks – 7th Edition

Created in 2018 at the Sorbonne, the European Defence Talks are being held this year in Luxembourg, in partnership with the Luxembourg Centre for European Law (University of Luxembourg).
They will address the role of two institutions, the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Investment Bank (EIB), in building the ‘European Defence Union’ that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, called for in her State of the Union address to the European Parliament on 10 September 2025.
Although still limited, this role is set to develop, enabling the Court of Justice to extend its jurisdiction to ensure compliance with the law in the interpretation and application of the treaties, and allowing the EIB to contribute to the financing of the defence industry and thus participate in the ReArm Europe plan.

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20 October 2025

• 08.15 – 08.45

  Registration & welcome coffee

• 8.45 – 09.00

  Opening remarks

  • Professor Takis Tridimas (Director, Luxembourg Centre for European Law, University of Luxembourg)
  • Professor Stéphane Rodrigues (Institut de Recherche en droit international et européen de la Sorbonne (IREDIES), University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne)

• 09.00 – 10.30

  Scope and limits of the jurisdiction of the ECJ in the common foreign and security policy (CFSP): need for a more comprehensive judicial review?
  Chair: Prof. Elsa Bernard (University of Lille)

  Judge François Biltgen (President of the 1^st chamber, Court of Justice of the European Union)

  Dr Athanase Popov (European Commission and IREDIES)

  Nicolas Gros-Vereyde (B2-Brussels2)

• 10.30 – 10.45

  Break

• 10.45 – 12.15

  Public and private financing of the European defence – which respective role of the European Investment Bank and of fund industry?
  Chair: Prof. Pierre-Henri Conac (Luxembourg Centre for European Law, University of Luxembourg)

  Ms Andra Migiu (European Investment Bank)

  Mr Hubert Raymond (GICAT (Groupement des Industries françaises de Défense et de Sécurité terrestres et aéroterrestres))

  Dr Frédéric Allemand (Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, University of Luxembourg & Polytechnic University of Valenciennes)

• 12.15 – 12.30

  Closing remarks
  Prof. Eleftheria Neframi (Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, University of Luxembourg)

This event is organised by the Institut de recherche en droit international et européen de la Sorbonne (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), in collaboration with B2-Bruxelles2 and the Luxembourg Centre for European Law