 |
 | |
| Formation | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Giles Merritt |
| Type | Think tank |
| Headquarters | TownHall Europe, De Meeus Square, Brussels |
| Location |
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| Website | https://www.friendsofeurope.org/ |
Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based, not-for-profit think tank for European Union policy analysis and debate.
The organisation, established in 1999, has no political or national allegiance and is independent of the EU institutions. Its goal is to foster open discussion and to stimulate new thinking on the issues facing Europe and its citizens. [1]
The organisation's activities focus in particular on five thematic areas: Climate, Energy & Sustainability, [2] Peace, Security & Defence, [3] Health, [4] Digital & Data Governance [5] and Global Europe. [6]
These areas of expertise converge towards five strategic objectives: the promotion of new leadership, democracy regeneration, challenging inequalities of opportunities, bolstering a green transformation and reframing Europe's role in the world. [7]
Friends of Europe's board of trustees is composed of 81 people who hold, or have held positions of responsibility in European affairs. Its President is Etienne Davignon, a politician, businessman and former vice-president of the European Commission. Additionally, there are 15 members of the Praesidium, some of which are/were: [8]
Friends of Europe's Secretary-General is Giles Merritt, a former Brussels correspondent of the Financial Times . [10]
In 2021, Friends of Europe's funding revenue was €4 751 818. This money was contributed through participation fees ("memberships"), institutional and governmental subsidies, contributions to costs of events, reports or other projects. [8]
The breakdown per source of funding is as follows:
Out of all NGOs and think tanks, Friends of Europe received the tenth largest amount of funding from the European Commission in 2010 at €192,000. [11]
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