Open Society European Policy Institute
Budget
€2,626,608
EP Access
1
accredited persons
Staff
1
0.75 FTE
EU Grants
None
Mission & Goals
Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI) is the legal entity of the Brussels office of the Open Society Foundations, a private foundation that has worked for three decades to promote vibrant and tolerant democracies. OSEPI staff works to inform decision-making on EU laws, policy, funding, and external action to maintain and promote open societies in Europe and beyond. We provide evidence, arguments, and recommendations to policy makers in EU institutions and Member States, drawn from the Open Society Foundations' work in nearly 100 countries.
EU Legislative Interests
OSEPI staff in Brussels monitored and analyzed all EU initiatives, policies, and legislative files likely to impact open society values inside and outside Europe. In 2025 OSEPI as part of OSF transformation reduced its staff in Brussels and currently has only 2 staff members. Engagement of OSEPI on these files in 2025 has been targeted and only in priority areas as outlined by the new organizational model. The foundations’ priorities include: Rights and Dignity, Democratic Practice, Equity in Governance, and Future Worlds. These interconnected elements are vital to open societies and provide the organizing framework for what we do. Currently) we are engaging in the following EU policies and EU legislative processes: EU’s external relations EU sanctions policies Immobilised assets EU-Ukraine relations EU-Moldova relations EU-Armenia relations EU-Georgia relations European Neighbourhood Policy EU Enlargement
Communication Activities
In April 2025 OSF / Open Society Justice Initiative published a study analyzing Russian Central Bank Assets to Enforce European Court of Human Rights Judgments (with case studies of Belgium, France and the UK) https://www.justiceinitiative.org/publications/legal-possibilities-of-using-russian-central-bank-assets-to-enforce-european-court-of-human-rights-judgments In September 2025, OSF supported photo exhibition hosted at the Esplanade Solidarnosc 1980. inspired by books Ukraine: A War Crime and Ukraine: Love+War (2014-2024). Produced and published by FotoEvidence and FotoEvidence Ukraine and supported by Open Society Foundations and Mission of Ukraine to the European Union. The exhibition brings together the work of 45 international photojournalists, offering a powerful and moving testimony. Please find the poster attached. The exhibition is curated by Svetlana Bachevanova, Founder and Executive Director of FotoEvidence. https://info-hub.booking.europarl.europa.eu/events/ukraine-lovewar-by-fotoevidence-film-screening-K4ocQnVgqQy In 2025 OSEPI organized a number of advocacy visits to Brussels, by hosting and organizing meetings for colleagues and partners from: Moldova on 10 March and on 26-27 March Protecting Rights Defenders on 7-8 April Armenia on 4-5 June Ukraine on 30 June – 2 July Ukraine on 11-12 December In 2025 we participated in: Participation in EU structures and platforms: Intergroups and unofficial groupings (European Parliament): Unofficial groupings - Anti-racism and diversity; Extreme poverty and human rights; Integrity - Transparency, anti- corruption and organized crime Commission expert groups and other similar entities (European Commission) : E03425 High Level Group on combating hate speech and hate crime. Type C member
Interests Represented
Does not represent commercial interests
Member Of
HRDN (Human Rights and Democracy Network); EFC (European Foundation Centre); EPC (European Policy Centre); Friends of Europe
Organisation Members
n/a
Commissioner Meetings
No recorded meetings with EU commissioners.