ABOUT

  • About CEPS
  • Areas of expertise

Founded in Brussels in 1983, CEPS is a leading think tank and forum for debate on EU affairs, ranking among the top think tanks in Europe.

As one of the few think tanks in Brussels covering most European policy areas, we offer exchanges, provide insights on and potential solutions for EU policy-making through:

With an exceptionally strong in-house research capacity, we offer exchanges, provide insights on and potential solutions for EU policy-making. Our researchers provide expert insights and policy analysis across a vast array of policy areas:

What is Ideas Lab?

The most high-profile annual event on policies of the European Union
The aim of Ideas Lab is to provide a high-level intellectual forum for exchanges concerning the wide range of current and pressing issues faced by the EU. The discussions are open, insightful and impactful, with the active involvement of policymakers, researchers and representatives from industries and the civil society.
The Gathering of Top Influencers in EU Policies
Past editions of our flagship event saw the participation of thought leaders such as Kristalina Georgieva, Pascal Lamy and László Andor; European Ministers the likes of Didier Reynders and Ylva Johansson; Jean-Claude Juncker, Pierre Moscovici and Carlos Moedas of the European Commission; prominent MEPs such as Philippe Lamberts, as well as world-renowned thinkers – Ivan Krastev and Andrew Moravcsik.
A unique platform for thinking ahead for Europe
Of course, our aim is not to be the mouthpiece of policymakers. Which is why our guests come from all over Europe and beyond, from all sectors, and from both practitioners and academics. Our aim is for CEPS Ideas Lab to be the unique platform outside the established channels to question commonly-accepted policy positions and look for new approaches to meet the challenges faced by Europe and the world.
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Past editions

2018

2019

2020

Europe – Back on Track

Europe’s Choice

Europe’s Next Stage

2021

2022

2023

Seeking Immunity: Europe in a Post-Covid World

Peace and prosperity for Europe:
An impossible dream?

Moving Europe from darkness into light

Elia Tello

Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, U.S Mission to the EU

Francesco Gazzoletti

Managing Partner, FortyEight Brussels

Birgit Sippel

MEP, S&D Party, European Parliament

Didier Reynders

Commissioner for Justice, European Commission

Vasileios Rizos

Research Fellow and Head of Sustainable Resources and Circular Economy, CEPS

André Månberger

Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University

Wouter Ghyoot

Vice President Government Affairs, Umicore

Hildegard Bentele

MEP

Jana Plananska

Member of the Board of Advisors, Norge Mining Ltd

Christian Egenhofer

Associate Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Věra Jourová

Commissioner for Values and Transparency, European Commission

Catharina Sikow-Magny

Director, DG Energy, European Commission

James Matthys-Donnadieu

Chief Officer Customers, Markets, System, Elia Group

Markus Ferber

MEP

Axel Voss

MEP – JURI Committee member, European Parliament

Anand Menon

Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London

Andrea Renda

Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Rosa Castro

Senior Policy Manager, EPHA

Anders Nordstrom

Swedish Ambassador for Global Health, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Jonas Grimheden

Fundamental Rights Officer, Frontex

Petra Bard

Professor at Radboud University, Research Centre for State and Law (SteR), Nijmegen; Associate Professor at ELTE School of Law, Budapest; Research Affiliate at CEU Democracy Institute

Thorsten Beck

Director of the Florence School of Banking and Finance and Professor of Financial Stability, European University Institute (EUI)

Edouard Bourcieu

Chief Economist, DG Trade, European Commission

Slavina Spasova

Senior Researcher, European Social Observatory (OSE)

Martin Spolc

Head of Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission

Alicia Garcia Herrero

Chief Economist Asia Pacific, Groupe BPCE – Global Markets Research, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking

Elina Ribakova

Deputy Chief Economist, IIF

Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen

Director-General for Communication, European Commission

Veronika Movchan

Academic Director, Head of the Center for Economic Studies, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER)

Ralf Schneider

Group CIO, Allianz SE

Stefani Weiss

Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung

Jacek Truszczyński

Deputy Head of ‘International Value Chains’, DG GROW, European Commission

Richard Grieveson

Executive Director, wiiw

Niall Bohan

Director of Borrowing and Lending, DG Budget, European Commission

Victor Stolzenburg

Research Economist, World Trade Organisation

Céline Kauffmann

Head of the Entrepreneurship, SME and Tourism Division, OECD

Adrian Wende

Researcher, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna

Janine Dobelmann

Head of Government Affairs EU, NXP Semiconductors

Georgina Wright

Senior Fellow and Director of Europe Programme, Institut Montaigne

Jules Besnainou

Executive Director, Cleantech for Europe 

Kimberly Feldewerth

Policy Manager – Europe, The HALO Trust

Linda Zeilina

CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC)

Prof. Rym Ayadi

President, EMEA

Estelle Masse

Senior Policy Analyst and Global Data Protection Lead, AccessNow, EDRI

Alexander Stubb

Director of the School of Transnational Governance, EUI

Bea Cantillon

Professor, University of Antwerp

Michael O’Flaherty

Director, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights – FRA

Boldizsár Nagy

Associate Professor, Central European University

Meltem Ineli Ciger

Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and an Associate Professor at the Suleyman Demirel University Faculty of Law

Cecilia Vejby Andersen

Head of Unit, Europe & Dublin, Asylum Department, DRC

Stefan Maier

Head of Policy and Legal Support Unit, Representation for EU Affairs, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands, UNHCR

John Morijn

Chair in law and politics in international relations & Assistant professor of European human rights law, University of Groningen

Margrethe Vestager

Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Commissioner for Competition, European Commission

Dr. Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß

European External Action Service Managing Director for CSDP and Crisis Response

Valsamis Mitsilegas

Professor, University of Liverpool

Nicholas Nelson

Senior Advisor, CEPS; Principal Researcher and Adjunct Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Jaap de Hoop Scheffer

former NATO Secretary General

H.E. Julianne Smith

US Ambassador to NATO

Ondrej Burkacky

Senior Partner, Senior Partner, McKinsey

Catherine Woollard

Director, European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

Milena Lazarević

Programme Director, European Policy Centre Belgrade

Arancha González Laya

Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs

Marija Pejčinović Burić

Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Council of Europe

Jorge Núñez Ferrer

Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Finbarr Bermingham

Europe Correspondent, SCMP

Berta Mizsei

Research Assistant, CEPS

Davide Colombi

Research Assistant, CEPS

roberto cortinovis

Roberto Cortinovis

Researcher, CEPS

Sergio Carrera

Senior Research Fellow and Head of Justice and Home Affairs unit, CEPS

Milan Nic

DGAP

Dylan Macchiarini Crosson

Researcher, CEPS

Mikko Huotari

Executive Director, MERICS

Tinatin Akhvlediani

Research Fellow and Head of the Financial Markets and Institutions Unit, CEPS

Sviatlana Tsichanouskaya

Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus

Andreas Kopp

Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Lorenzo Pupillo

Associate Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Cybersecurity@CEPS Initiative

Rosanna Fanni

Researcher & TTD Coordinator, CEPS

Daniel Gros

Distinguished Fellow, CEPS

Kalypso Nicolaidis

Chair in International Affairs, School of Transnational Governance, EUI

Christine Würfel

Head of Sustainability, Raiffeisen International

Michael Osborne

CTO for IBM Quantum Safe IBM Research Division , Zurich

Sabrina Maniscalco

Professor of Quantum Information, Computing and Logic, University of Helsinki

Ivailo Kalfin

Executive Director, Eurofound

Brando Benifei

MEP

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook

Executive Vice President/Senior Adviser, Bertelsmann Stiftung

Kathrine Fog

SVP Head of Energy Strategy & Policy, Hydro

Roberto García Martínez

CEO, Eurobattery Minerals

Marc Sadler

Program Leader, Sustainable Development, World Bank

Luca Giansanti

Head of European Government Affairs, Eni

Sofia Romansky

CEPS Young Thinker

Felicitas Murat

CEPS Young Thinker

Simon Van Hoeve

CEPS Young Thinker

Nubia Rodrigues

CEPS Young Thinker

Sarah Holton

Head of Prices and Costs Division, ECB

Don Graves

United States Deputy Secretary of Commerce

Dora Xia

Senior Economist, Bank for International Settlements (BIS)

Jan Zielonka

Professor of Politics and International Relations, University of Venice, Cá Foscari

Hien Vu

Associate Researcher, at the Global Governance, Regulation, Innovation and the Digital Economy Unit (GRID), CEPS

Fatima Abba

Senior Programme Officer, Global Health Security & Pandemic Preparedness Advocacy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Assaad Saab

Senior Advisor, Observatoire Méditerranéen de l’Energie (OME)

Anna Osypchuk

Director for Research, School for Policy Analysis, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Leonardo Meeus

Director, Florence School of Regulation (FSR) and the Loyola de Palacio Chair on European Energy Regulation and Policy in the Robert Schuman Centre

Dora Blanchet

Head of the sustainable finance unit, ESMA

Dennis Snower

President of the Global Solutions Initiative and Professor of Macroeconomics and Sustainability at the Hertie School

David O'Sullivan

International Special Envoy for the Implementation of EU Sanctions

Jeff Swartz

Vice President, Low Carbon Solutions, bp trading & shipping

Lourdes Acedo Montoya

Head of Unit for MFF and economic budgetary analysis, DG Budget, European Commission

Vicente Hurtado Roa

Head of unit of CBAM and green taxation at DG TAXUD, European Commission

Florian Dorn

Director EconPol Europe, ifo Institute

Irina Orssich

Head of Sector, AI Policy Development and Coordination, European Commission

Caterina Rodelli

EU Policy Analyst, Access Now

Jan Rempala

Adviser, BusinessEurope

Karine Perset

Head of the AI Unit, OECD

Stephanie Pope

EU Migration Policy Advisor, Oxfam International

Emily O’Reilly

European Ombudsman

Suzana Carp

Deputy Executive Director, Cleantech for Europe

Gustav Kalbe

Acting Director, Digital Excellence and Science Infrastructure, DG Connect, European Commission

Christian Kastrop

Honorary Professor of Public Finance, Fiscal Rules and International Institutions, Freie Universität Berlin

Maria Martin-Prat

Deputy Director General, DG TRADE, European Commission

Eulalia Rubio,

Senior Research Fellow, Jacques Delors Institute

Ilze Tralmaka

Senior Legal and Policy Officer, Fair Trials (FTE)

Joanna Apap

Member of the Strategy and Coordination Unit, DG EPRS, European Parliament

Michele LeVoy

Director, PICUM

James Moran

Associate Senior Research Fellow, CEPS

Jos Delbeke

EIB Chair, School of Transnational Governance, European University Institute, Florence

Nigel Howorth

Partner and Head of Clifford Chance’s Global Environment Group and Environment & Climatic Trading Group

Lieve Van Woensel

Former Foresight Adviser, European Parliament

Georgia Skouma

Security & Privacy legal director, Delloitte

Fredrik Löjdquist

Director, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies

Alex Brazier

Managing Director, Deputy Head of the Blackrock Investment Institute (BII)

Cinzia Alcidi

Director of Research, CEPS

Dragoș Tudorache

MEP – Committee on Civil Liberties

Lucilla Sioli

Director for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry, DG CNECT, European Commission

Eva Maydell

MEP – ITRE Committee member

Cecilia Malmström

Former European Commissioner for Trade

Lawrence Meredith

Director, DG NEAR, European Commission

Natacha Kazatchkine

Head of Unit – Civic space, Rule of law advocacy, Open Society Foundations

Katharina Gnath

Senior Project Manager, Program Europe’s Future, Bertelsmann Stiftung

Damian Boeselager

MEP

Jonathan Barth

Co-founder and Policy Director, ZOE – Institut für zukunftsfähige ökonomien

Milan Elkerbout

Research Fellow and Head of the climate policy programme, CEPS

Gerassimos Thomas

Director General, DG TAXUD, European Commission

Lars Zetterberg

Director of Mistra Carbon Exit, IVL

Erik Jones

Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute

John Ryan

Acting Deputy Director-General, DG SANTE, European Commission

Heather Grabbe

Senior Adviser, Open Society Foundations

Emilio de Capitani

Visiting Professor – Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London

Catherine Collin

Advisor to the acting Managing Director – EIB Global

Jiří Švarc

Head of Unit, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Rubini Gropas

Deputy Head, European Commission and Visiting Professor, College of Europe

Aaron Rosa

Foresight Researcher, Fraunhofer ISI

Giulio di Blasi

Member of the Cabinet, Commissioner Ylva Johannson, European Commission

Anjum Shabbir

 Associate Researcher, CEPS

Anna Buchta

Head of Policy & Consultation Unit, EDPS

Lina Vosyliute

Research Fellow, CEPS

Arturas Piliponis

Digital Leader for EU institutions, EY

Ignazio Angeloni

Part-time Professor, Robert Schuman Center, European University Institute

Adeline Hinderer

Head of Unit Far East, DG Trade, European Commission

Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield

MEP

Ambassador Didier Chambovey

Head of the Swiss Permanent Mission, WTO and EFTA

Peter Sandler

DG Trade, European Commission

Arnoldas Pranckevičius

Ambassador, Permament Representation of Lithuania to the European Union

Jens Eskelund

Vice President of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China

Rebecca Christie

Europe columnist for Reuters Breakingviews

Eloise Todd

Co-founder, Pandemic Action Network

Carl Dolan

Director, OSEPI

Birte Schorpion

Europe Regional Advocacy Coordinator, Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Isabell Hoffmann

Isabell Hofmann

Senior Expert European Integration, Bertelsmann Stiftung