Friends of Europe is a not-for-profit think tank, that since 1999 has stimulated discussion and new thinking on political, economic, social and environmental ...
Background[edit]
The organisation was established in 1999,[1] and takes the position that it has no declared political or national bias and is independent of EU institutions[2] (although it does receive some funding from them). Its stated goal is to foster open discussion and stimulate new thinking on the issues facing Europe and its citizens.[3]
The Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency, an agency of the European Union, uses the acronym FoE.[4]
Rettman assessed FoE as having an "openly pro-integration position" about the European Union.[5]
Mission[edit]
Friends of Europe's self-declared mission statement is:
According to FoE, the organisation's activities focus on six thematic areas: Future Europe, Global Europe, Security Europe, Smarter Europe, Greener Europe and Quality Europe.
Board of trustees[edit]
Friends of Europe's board of trustees is composed of people who have contributed to the European project. Its President is Étienne Davignon, a Belgian Minister of State and former vice-president of the European Commission. Trustees include:[7]
- Pat Cox, President of the European Movement International and former President of the European Parliament
- Monica Frassoni, co-president of the European greens
- Mario Monti, former Prime Minister of Italy currently senator in the Italian Senate
- Sylvie Goulard, MEP
- Sony Kapoor, Managing Director of Re-define
- Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and former European Commissioner for Trade
- Marietje Schaake, MEP
- Frank Vandenbroucke, former Belgian deputy Prime Minister
- Herman Van Rompuy, President Emeritus of the European Council
- Guy Verhofstadt, former Prime Minister of Belgium
Friends of Europe's Secretary-General is Giles Merritt, a former Brussels correspondent of the Financial Times.[8]
Funding[edit]
In 2014, Friends of Europe’s total revenue was €2,516,969. This money was contributed through membership fees, institutional and governmental subsidies, and contributions to costs of events, reports or structural support to their activities.
The breakdown per source of funding is as follows:
- Corporate sector (companies and trade associations): €711,228 (28,3%)
- Diplomatic missions, national, regional and local authorities: €658,640 (26,2%)
- Contributions from members: €547,686 (21,8%)
- Private non-corporate (foundations and NGOs): €374,809 (14,9%)
- European and international institutions: €224,606 (8,9%)
Membership guarantees participation at all its debates, hard copies of our reports, the right to suggest topics and finally, networking opportunities. Friends of Europe does not represent the interests of its members who in fact pay an annual “participation fee” without any other prerogative or role in the governance of Friends of Europe.
Membership fees are the lowest in Brussels so as to stimulate as wide and heterogeneous membership as possible. Memberships are not “personal”, so any person employed by a member organisation can attend our debates and receive hard copies of our major reports. NGOs pay €500 per year; SMEs, trade associations, chambers of commerce, international organisations and diplomatic missions of G20 and European Economic Area (EEA) countries pay €950. Diplomatic missions of non-G20/EEA countries, regional offices and foundations pay €750 a year, while corporations pay €2,050.
VIP members receive visibility in its reports and at our debates, and are invited to roundtable discussions for reduced audiences. Prices range between €1,750 (NGOs) and €6,850 (corporates).
For project-related partnerships (debates or reports), Friends of Europe has opted from the beginning for a transparent and open communication. All partners are systematically credited on the website and in our reports. Project-related partners receive two key advantages: visibility in the communications campaign surrounding a debate or a report, and an opportunity to speak out or write in them. Friends of Europe offers a platform to people from all backgrounds and opinion, including NGOs and lobbyists of all shapes and colours, but the editorial independence and the guaranteed balance of discussions are the exclusive responsibility of Friends of Europe, as contractually enshrined.
Friends of Europe itself does not push for or against particular policies and most certainly does not represent any interests. Friends of Europe is solely responsible for the intellectual balance and quality of any project: we write balanced reports or debate programmes, and bring in voices that disagree with one another. It is only by confronting ideas that Europe will find the best solutions for the challenges of our times.
In April 2009 European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Siim Kallas publicly criticised Friends of Europe for not registering in the European Commission's "voluntary lobbyists register."[9][10] Kallas maintained that think tanks, such as Friends of Europe, were an important source of visibility of indirect interest representation at the EU level, and that Friends was explicitly marketing visibility for sponsors. Secretary-General Giles Merritt responded that the organisation made its sources of funding public on its website, and was not promoting any particular interests. He suggested the creation of a separate register for think tanks. Since the creation of the "Transparency Register", Friends of Europe is registered.
Europe's World[edit]
Europe's World is an independent policy journal established on 4 October 2005 by the organization along with 50 leading European think tanks. Published three times yearly in English, it is a pan-European publication that offers policymakers and opinion-formers across Europe a platform for presenting ideas and forging consensus on key issues.[11]
Carl Bildt called the journal "An ambitious attempt to stimulate the European as well as global debate on European issues".[12]
Europe's World is edited by Friends of Europe's Secretary-General, Giles Merritt.
References[edit]
- ^ "European think tanks and the EU" (PDF). Berlaymont paper (2). September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Friends of Europe" (PDF). ec.europa.eu.
- ^ http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Aboutus/tabid/592/Default.aspx
- ^ "List of applications granted. Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency" (PDF). eacea.ec.europa.eu.
- ^ "EU-funded think tanks defend their credibility". euobserver.com.
- ^ "Publications - Friends of Europe". Friends of Europe.
- ^http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Aboutus/Whoweare/PraesidiumandTrustees/tabid/617/Default.aspx
- ^ http://www.friendsofeurope.org/Aboutus/Whoweare/Team/tabid/619/Default.aspx
- ^ http://www.euractiv.com/en/pa/think-tanks-join-eu-lobby-register-kallas-insists/article-181651
- ^ "The dodgy side of Brussels think-tanks". The Economist.
- ^ "Europe's World".
- ^ "Bildt Comments: Europe's World". Bildt.blogspot.com. 2005-10-05. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
External links[edit]
Think-tank site
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Friends of Europe. - Journal site
- Interview with the Europe's World Editor Giles Merritt by EurActiv
Friends of Europe | Friends of Europe - Brussel
https://www.friendsofeurope.org/
Europe Matters launch: How do we make citizens matter? ... Now entering its seventh year, Friends of Europe is pleased to announce theEuropean Young ...
Alex Budak helps social entrepreneurs launch, run and scale their organizations. Originally from California, he currently lives in Stockholm Sweden where he ...Alex Budak has dedicated his career to empowering changemakers, building social entrepreneurship ecosystems and creating a world with more conscious leaders. He is the founder of The Changemaker Toolkit and previously co-founded (and now advises) the crowdfunding site for social impact, StartSomeGood.com, which has helped changemakers in over 50 countries raise over $5 Million to start new social ventures. A Silicon Valley native, he has degrees from UCLA and Georgetown, mentors social enterprises around the world and lives in San Francisco with his favorite changemaker, his fiancee, Rebecca.
I teach leadership and entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley and help you lead positive change from wherever you are.
My Purpose. I activate and inspire new changemakers. Highlights. I'm a social entrepreneur, faculty member at UC Berkeley where I developed and teach a ...
Tallinn, Estonia attending the European Young Leaders summit put on by Friends of Europe. Friends of Europe selects, curates and supports outstanding young European leaders for conversations and sessions on "making Europe a global champion for a better world." For the first time ever, they extended an invitation to some of us in North America and the Middle East to broaden the conversations and I was so honored to participate.
As America retreats inwards; as nationalism rises once again in Europe; and as narratives of fear overtake those of hope, the opportunity to learn from and to connect with diverse, globally-minded changemakers is imperative. And it was an absolute pleasure to surround myself with some truly incredible and inspiring futuremakers: members of parliament, social entrepreneurs, innovators, writers, artists and more.
With Ilhan Omar, fellow North American Young Leader and the first Somali-American Muslim legislator elected to office in the United States.
The first day of our seminar, held in the old Tallinn airport, kicked off with a debate of neoliberalism between an Economist from the Reagan administration and an Anthropologist from LSE.
This was followed by a visit to the e-Estonia showroom to learn more about Estonia's incredible digital initiatives. They are absolutely at the forefront for incorporating digital into the life force of the country. Highlights include:
- Considering internet access a human right;
- eVoting as the norm;
- Tax filing which takes under 30 seconds because of integrated data collection and APIs so that the tax agency can automatically calculate returns for you;
- eResidency inviting entrepreneurs around the world to become business creators in Estonia, availing themselves of all kinds of government services, for less than 400 Euro.
- 99% of government services -- everything but marriage and buying real estate -- online.
I then took part in a conversation on my very favorite topic: leadership. We discussed what makes a good leader, which is a fascinating conversation to have among so many diverse leaders representing different cultures and different fields. I taught about "microleadership" and how we must separate titles of leadership from acts of leadership. And the imperative we have as leaders to create a culture where we empower those around us to step up as leaders themselves. All of which requires incredible self awareness, the key, in my opinion, to being a great leader.
Our first day concluded with a bucket list item I never knew was a bucket-list item: a zero-waste dinner with the Estonian Prime Minister! Story below:
Day 2 was hosted at the Tallinn University of Technology at their innovation/co-working space Mektory.
Conversations centered around the future of work, the future of education, climate/environment and building entrepreneurial societies. Fascinating!
I also took the opportunity to explore the magical, fairy-tale city of Tallinn. Here's a gallery of some favorite photos:
Day 3 closed the program with a discussion about the potential risks of artificial intelligence with Jaan Tallinn (aptly named!) the co-founder of Skype. I also learned that the name Skype comes from the combination of "Sky" and "Peer," e.g. your peers in the sky.
Although my travel back to San Francisco required a 5.30AM alarm the next day, I spent my last evening wandering the beautiful old town of Tallinn and enjoying the final sunset of my EYL experience.
I am fond of saying that the role of a changemaker is not just to feel hope when others feel fear, but to transform our own hope into actions which help the fearful find reasons to hope again. Europe -- and the world -- needs more changemakers and more hope right now. And it's the incredible changemakers I met in Tallinn which give me hope that a more collaborative, equitable, purpose-driven and sustainable world is not just possible, but is ours to create. Thank you, Friends of Europe, for introducing me to so many new changemaker friends.
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