Research project
| Updated 08/07/2011
Notre Europe organised on the 30 September and 1 October the 2010 edition of the European Forum of Think Tanks in Barcelona, with the support of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan think tank CIDOB and in partnership with Aspen France, Agence Europe and the members of the European Policy Institute Network (EPIN).
The synthesis of the Forum is available in French and in English.
This new edition of the Forum brought together a group of about fifty European think tank representatives, political and business leaders, trade unions and the media, for a stimulating debate on:
“European solidarity: where do we stand? Should we foster it and how?”
The Greek financial crisis has put this sensitive issue at the centre of all current debates. We expected this day-and-a-half session to be an inspiring collective brainstorming exercise.
The Forum organised around four successive round tables:
- What does European solidarity mean?
- Where do we stand in the EU?
- Should we still do it?What are the next steps from an economic and financial perspective?
- What are the next steps in terms of external relations and energy-related issues?
Programme
Edition 2008 European Think Tanks Forum: What European Policy Outlines for 2020?
Organised in Paris, 19-20 September 2008 ,by Notre Europe and the Fondation pour l'Innovation Politique with the partnership of the OECD, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the German Marshal Fund, the third European Think tanks Forum hosted about fifty selected participants.
Thinks Tanks in Europe
Ideas and thinkers have always been at the heart of the European project. Notre Europe wanted to find out more about the world of European think tanks, these organisations straddling the worlds of academia and politics. Since 2004 Notre Europe has devoted several publications to the subject.
Works to consult
Europe and its think tanks: a promise to be fulfilled: study by Stephen Boucher, Radoslaw Wegrzyn, Diego Cattaneo, Michele Poletto, Charlotte Laigle, Juliette Ebélé, Benjamin Hobbs (01/10/2004). This research project was carried out by a team of external researchers led by Stephen Boucher. It is not, of course, unrelated to Notre Europe's analysis of what role it may play today. But it goes further than that by presenting as in-depth an examination as possible of think tanks working on European affairs, both from the descriptive angle (which mission, activities, resources ?) and from the analytical one (which strengths, weaknesses, influences, challenges and future trends ?).
Think tanks are not lobbying organisations: note by Stephen Boucher (25/08/2006). Notre Europe's reply to the European Commission's Green Paper on transparency.
Ideas, Influence and Transparency: What Could Think Tanks Learn and Contribute?: seminar report by Stephen Boucher (02/12/2005). All think tanks try to have an input in the policy process. While they have not been under the spotlight, they are increasingly visible, and the legitimacy of their input into policy-making may be questioned in the future, as indicated by Steve Waters' recent article. This is particularly the case for "Euro-think tanks", as EU politics, fairly or unfairly, are perceived as too technocratic, even elitist, and insufficiently transparent. On Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October 2005, members of the European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN) met with representatives of the European institutions, the public affairs community and the media to learn, and contribute.
Think Tanks in Europe and the US: Converging or Diverging?: seminar report by Morgan Larhant (23/12/2004). Seminar organised with le Dr James McGann, FPRI and Stephen Boucher.
