For the third successive year, Notre Europe's 2007 annual report is now available for download. It presents Notre Europe's activities in 2007 and its 2008 work schedule.

Foreword byTommaso Padoa-Schioppa

2007 will have finally drawn a line under the late Constitutional Treaty whilst safeguarding the best part of the Convention's achievement. So that what has been a transitional year for Europe proved to be so for Notre Europe too. A transition that lays it ever more widely open to the stakeholders in the European Construction. The co-organisation of the first European estates general in Lille in June 2007 and the organisation of the first pan-EU deliberative poll, Tomorrow's Europe in October 2007 increased Notre Europe's sphere of influence among decision makers, media and citizens throughout the Union.

This transition rides the wave of a broader innovative and dynamic trend among think tanks in France and beyond. Strong in the recent but lasting interest they have roused, think tanks do appear to now participate of a virtuous circle. They vie with each other to improve the quality of their publications, the relevance of their proposals, their availability to diverse partnership and an enhanced cooperation with policy makers. These developments, fairly recent in France, are also observable elsewhere in the Union. Notre Europe strives to partake in this trend.

2008 will build on these premises, through the pursuit of wide-ranging initiatives such as the 2nd edition of the European Estates General in Lyon on 21 June, through the reinforcement of partnerships, in particular with 12 other EU think tanks providing analyses in preparation for the three next presidencies and through innovative exploration and communication approaches. I have in mind in particular the impressive photographic research project undertaken by Notre Europe in collaboration with the VU' photographers' agency. This comes, of course over and above our regular output in political analyses and proposals developed in the framework of pluriannual programmes, especially those relating to the CAP post 2013, the European budget and the institutions.