Annual Conference 2026: Ethical Challenges to Civil Military Relations in Europe
Call for Submissions
Venue: Convention centre of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Amsterdam
Date: 11-13 May 2026Further details on how to register will follow early in 2026.
Ethical Challenges to Civil Military Relations in Europe
European security faces multiple challenges. These challenges include political, technological, economic and environmental security threats, in addition to the threats posed by the risk of armed or hybrid conflicts. For example:
- In response to terrorist threats, armed military personnel now frequently patrol urban areas in many countries. This phenomenon would have been most unusual even a few decades ago.
- With the Russian invasion of Ukraine in combination came increased cyber and sabotage attacks resulting in major shifts in Europe’s awareness of its own security;
- A considerable increase in information warfare, fake news and a large-scale manipulation of public opinion in favour of unrest, undemocratic movements and right-wing nationalism;
- In many countries armed forces have a constitutional role in supporting emergency responses to natural disasters. With a worsening global climate change this capability may become more important, but potentially conflict with other demands on their role in supporting society and state resilience.
Many European states recognise these points and seek to protect human and national security in Europe with a holistic approach. However, this will severely test not only the relationship between government, military and civilian society, but also the ethical principles underpinning their respective roles in the protection of peace and security, broadly conceived, with or without the use of force. In turn, this will require governments and armed forces to reflect and agree on the ethical principles that should guide their decisions and actions on wider security and defence issues without the risk of undermining the very values they wish to protect.
There are already debates on such contentious subjects as the reintroduction or enhancement of conscription/national service, arms sales and procurement, and the rapid development of military-related technology, such as autonomous weapons and also the role civilian universities should play in relating their activities to national and European defence. These (and other) debates reflect the major unease many Europeans feel. The ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 plan presented by the European Commission in the spring of 2025, also reflects this upheaval. However, the words ‘ethics’ or ‘military ethics’ are not used once in the said plan; the same is true of the recently released UK Strategic Defence Review.
Traditionally separate political, military and societal ethical concerns become less easily separable when Europe’s declared normative foundations and the security communities (NATO, EU and their wider partnerships) built on them are being questioned or even threatened from both inside and outside.
Furthermore, the complexity of current threats to European security means that recourse to a military solution should be debated. And last but not least the roles of the military and civilian agencies as well as between government and civilian society not only overlap in new ways but also are likely to face competing demands that upset some of the established arrangements of civil-military co-operation in crises.
The proposed conference theme therefore invites participants to explore critically how far models of civil-military relations (CMR) and their links to ethics of war and peace might assist both scholars and practitioners in developing nuanced and critically reflected and effective answers to these complex questions.
Submissions might critically reflect on and develop solutions for the following themes:
- A systematic understanding of the historical context, constitutional frameworks and ethical principles guiding the relationship between government, the military and civilian society. This might be done with reference to
- The need to develop a truly European CMR theory;
- The principles which should underpin the relationships between governments and the military and the military and wider society in Europe;
- Translating the resulting nuanced understanding into Professional Military Education Ethics (PME) and CMR and ethics of war and peace;
- Informing the debates on ethical frameworks bounding the rights and duties of citizens towards the polity (at all levels from the local community up to the state).
- Addressing the lack of research on the influence of technologies such as AI on CMR, e.g. decision-making in defence management and arms procurement
- Critical reflection on the relative absence of research within European contexts;
- Here the perspectives of practitioners can add valuable insights and inspiration for conceptual thinking;
- How might such reflection be included into PME?
- The potential for democratic renewal in developing approaches to contemporary security challenges through bottom-up civilian engagement and top-down organised service
- Who can, might or should serve where and why?
- The risks of small and increasingly professional militaries becoming detached from wider civilian society. Is conscription, reserve service, or a ‘citizen army’ the best solution? Does Europe need a ‘fellow citizen in uniform’ (as is the case with the Germans and the Dutch) or a military at some distance to civil society (as is the case with the French)?
- What role might the far right play in these processes? It is a relevant, anti-democratic political actor in many European countries. There are international connections both above and underground. Its perspective on the role and ethos of armed forces is not necessarily compatible with that currently prevailing in liberal democracies of Europe and Canada.
- Addressing the CMR effects of the ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030 plan of the European Commission
- What are the implications for the ethics education of European officers, NCO’s and enlisted personnel?
- With over 25 European nations involved, what are the implications for the drafting of moral values and principles – not to mention their actual application?
- Traditionally, CMR has been understood as the relation between the military and the national society from which it is extracted, but the further Europe moves to an integrated European military force, how should one interpret CMR at the European level? Could and should there be such a thing, at least in the future, as a CMR between the European Commission, the European militaries and the civil societies it serves?
In the broader context of CMR:
- The relationship of the military to the wider natural environment, including the incipient tension between effectiveness and potential environmental damage.
- The relationship between deployed military forces and humanitarian agencies in conflict areas.
- In an increasingly polarised political climate, and with democratic institutions under strain in many European countries, the military faces growing challenges in maintaining political neutrality.
Submissions on any other aspect of CMR, or different national perspectives, will also be welcome.
Dates and venue
The conference venue is of the Royal Netherlands Navy and called the Marine Etablissement Amsterdam (Marine Establishment Amsterdam). This location operated for centuries as a naval base and defence site under the names such as Admiralty of Amsterdam and later Royal Netherlands Navy. The Marine Etablissement Amsterdam is a restricted area on the wider grounds of the Navy Amsterdam. The visitor address for Marine Etablissement Amsterdam is: Kattenburgerstraat 7, 1018 JZ Amsterdam, Netherlands. You will need to register at the porter’s lodge (grey building to the right of the main entrance).
On the eve of the conference, Sunday May 10th, 2026 we will have an informal reception for all conference participants and their partners Amsterdam. The actual conference as well as the informal reception will also take place at the Marine Etablissement Amsterdam. Should you arrive a few hours early, then you are recommended to visit the Maritime Museum adjacent the Navy, including the wooden warship: https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.com/whats-on/the-ships/east-indiaman-amsterdam
The conference will begin on Monday morning May 11th , and it will end on Wednesday May 13th, around lunch time.
Amsterdam is a popular venue for both tourists as well as other conferences. Thus, persons planning to participate in EuroISME’s conference are advised to book their hotel rooms at their earliest convenience. Hotels which are in the vicinity of the conference venue and/or which are reasonably priced are:
- Hotel V Oosterpark By Conscious**** https://v-oosterpark-by-conscious.amsterdamhotele.com/en/ This hotel is located in the city centre at about a 15 minutes’ walk from the conference venue.
- Hotel Lancaster The Leonardo Boutique*** https://www.leonardo-hotels.com/amsterdam/leonardo-boutique-hotel-the-lancaster-amsterdam. The hotel is at a walking distance of some 7 minutes from the conference venue
- Hotel The Tribe*** https://tribehotels.com/en/netherlands/amsterdam-city/ The hotel is located on the northern side of the harbour, that is, outside of the touristic centre and therefore cheaper than *** hotels in the centre of the city. A metro station is at a distance of less than 100 meters, and Amsterdam Central Station is two metro stops away; the ride will take you there in about 10 minutes.
- Hotel Ibis Amsterdam Centre *** https://all.accor.com/hotel/1556/index.nl.shtml. Ibis Amsterdam Centre is conveniently located right next to Amsterdam Central Station. It offers a comfortable standard with good value for money. The conference venue is about 20 minutes by tram or a 30 minute walk.
- Pension Homeland https://www.pensionhomeland.com. Pension Homeland is located on the wider grounds (in Dutch: Marineterrein) of the Navy. It is next to the conference venue, offering a peaceful and green environment right in the heart of the city although it can occasionally be noisy. It’s the Navy’s budget choice.
- ROOMS25 https://kanteen25.nl/kamers/. Rooms25 is a boutique-style hotel located in a calm, green section of Amsterdam’s city centre, on the grounds of the Navy (Marineterrein) next to the conference venue. Excellent choice if you want something slightly above basic but not ultra-luxury.
Details of the Call for Papers & deadline
All members of EuroISME’s audience are invited to make a submission on the above-mentioned conference theme. Given the increasing number of submissions which EuroISME receives for its annual conferences, and also given limitations of time & space, our policy for submissions is as follows. The following submissions are welcomed:
- Professional submissions. This concerns submissions from both the military (active or retired) and academics. The submissions are 850-1000 words (that is two or three pages) in length. These submissions should: 1) discuss the societal relevance of the proposed topic; 2) define the research problem; and 3) summarize the main conclusions. For academics, we appreciate a description of the research method. Professional submissions will be given a right of priority if the number of submissions received exceeds the number of time-slots available.
- Full panel submissions. We define a panel session as a time-slot of 90 minutes. A panel has preferably 3, though a maximum of 4, presentations, to be followed by some 20 minutes for questions and answers. Such panels need to consist of persons of at least two different nationalities, and the Programme Committee will maintain this rule. With three presentations, each presenter has 20 minutes (15 minutes with 4 presentations). A full panel submission will contain the submissions of each of the panellists plus the title of the full panel and the Point of Contact on behalf of that panel. A full panel submission should be made by means of a comprehensive email, which includes all the presentations that will be made in that panel. At request, EuroISME can assist in seeking a moderator or a presenter for a near-complete panel proposal.
- Student’s submissions/poster session. EuroISME specifically invites cadets, midshipmen and civilian students (Executive Masters or Academic Masters) to submit. This may concern: (1) a submission on research which has been recently concluded, but also (2) on on-going research, whereby the author would appreciate receive input from the audience. During the poster session, each selected student will receive 10 minutes to present his/her research to the plenary. Subsequently, each student will be offered a corner in the conference hall, where they can – literally with the poster which summarises their research – can engage interested members of the audience and solicit their advice. Student’s submissions will be 250 words in length. The authors are strongly encouraged to have a large sheet of paper, perhaps from a flip-over, (approx. size A2) plus crayons or markers in various colours available during the conference.
All submissions shall be made in the English language. No simultaneous interpretation will be available. Please note that submissions do not necessarily have to assume the format of a paper: the Programme Committee welcomes submissions which offer a creative, out-of-the-box format. For instance, if you wish to organise a round table, or wish to introduce a game in which the participants can participate, etc, then please do not hesitate to do so. If you have special requirements for your submission, then please let us know well in advance, so that we can see if we can accommodate your requirements.
All submissions shall contain, at the top of the front page: the name, rank, and title of the author(s), plus the institution to which they are affiliated, plus contact details. They will also state in which category of submission the author intends to fit.
The deadline for submissions is February 1st, 2026. Submissions can be made here: https://www.euroisme.eu/index.php/en/submit-abstract
Registration
Details on how to register, including the conference fees, will be announced early in the new year of 2026.
Assistance with travel costs
EuroISME has a limited budget available for prospective presenters at our conference, who cannot attend for financial reasons. Details concerning the application for financial assistance can be found here https://euroisme.eu/images/Documents/EuroISME_Criteria_funding_travelcosts.pdf. Applicants should note that applications must be submitted before the submission deadline: 1 February 2026. Applicants will be informed of the decision by EuroISME whether the application has been accepted.
Visa and travel restrictions
The Netherlands is an EU member and part of the Schengen Area. Conference participants from outside the Schengen Area who need a formal invitation from EuroISME to apply for a visa, are advised to contact Ms. Monique van der Wal (
All participants are urged to check the COVID-19 regulations before traveling.
Information package and joining instructions
When the dates of the conference draw nearer, all registered conference participants will receive an information package plus joining instructions.
Further details on how to make a submission will follow in the autumn, while details on conference fees and how to register will follow early in 2026.