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.
Our team comprises approximately 60 researchers and 18 support staff from 23 nationalities as well as an extensive network of partner institutes.
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: from economy to energy and climate, to foreign policy, amongst others.
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.
Past
editions
Peace and prosperity for Europe: An impossible dream?
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
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