European Council on Foreign Relations
Budget
€14,439,984
EP Access
0
accredited persons
Staff
14
1.4 FTE
EU Grants
€180,785
Mission & Goals
ECFR is the first pan-European think-tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of a coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy. Three distinctive elements define ECFR's activities: 1) A pan-European Council of over three hundred members - politicians, decision-makers, thinkers and business leaders from across Europe - which meets once a year as a full body. Members provide ECFR staff with advice and feedback and assist ECFR's activities. The Council is chaired by Carl Bildt, Lykke Friis and Norbert Roettgen; 2) A physical presence in Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, Warsaw and Washington. The offices are platforms for research, debate, and advocacy; 3) A team of distinguished policy entrepreneurs to link cutting edge research to practical pan-European policy through five programmes – Africa, Asia, Middle East and North Africa, European Security and the European Power.
EU Legislative Interests
Foreign Affairs & Security Policy; EU-US relations; Climate/Green Deal; Multilateralism; Security & Defence; Geoeconomics, Technology, Data & Polling. EU-UK Relations. EU Neighbourhood policy; EU-Russia relations; EU-Western Balkans relations; EU-Turkey relations. EU-MENA relations; EU- Iran-Gulf relations; EU- Israel/Palestine relations. EU-Africa relations. EU-China relations; EU-Japan relations; EU-Indo-Pacific relations
Communication Activities
ECFR organised activities to provide meeting space for EU decisionmakers to share ideas for common action and promote informed debate on Europe’s role in the world. These initiatives focus on areas covered by the think tank’s regional programmes and national offices, with engagements ranging from private roundtables and public events to media outreach in Brussels. These are some key activities and engagements: Security and regional affairs: ECFR hosted roundtables on EU-Africa partnerships and the Sahel; challenges in the Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood, and Moldova’s elections; as well as roundtables on Palestine and Iran, featuring representatives from DG GROW, DG INTPA, DG ENEST, the Cabinet of EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, the EU’s Special Representative for the Sahel, EEAS, European Parliament. In May, it organised a public event on Europe’s critical minerals which was also livestreamed. It has organised briefings with policy planners on the transatlantic relationship. In November, it co-organised a public event with the Permanent Representation of Sweden on 30 years of its EU membership with the attendance of several EU Commissioners. Public Opinion Polling on foreign policy and research on European sentiment: ECFR organized several meetings on public opinion regarding foreign policy issues, engaging with MEPs and EEAS officials such as Brando Benifei MEP and Alexandros Yannis (EEAS), as well as members of the Council of the European Council, and European Commission officials dealing with the Foreign Policy Instrument. In September, it organised a public event on Europe’s culture war with Trump’s America where Sabine Verheyen, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and Brando Benifei MEP spoke. Geoeconomics and tech: ECFR hosted roundtables and strategy groups on Europe’s economic deterrence options and tech dependencies on the US, as well as the future of the electric vehicle industry, with representatives from the Secretariat-General of the European Commission, EEAS, and DG Connect.
Interests Represented
Does not represent commercial interests
Member Of
ECFR is not a member of any associations, federations, confederations, or formal networks.
Organisation Members
ECFR has over 350 members, please link to the list of ECFR Council members on our website: www.ecfr.eu/council
Additional Information
Last closed financial year: 2024 Current financial year: 2025
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.