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?
CEO, International Sustainable Finance Centre (ISFC)
Andreas Kopp
Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
Tinatin Akhvlediani
Research Fellow and Head of the Financial Markets and Institutions Unit, CEPS
Finbarr Bermingham
Journalist, SCMP
Mikko Huotari
Executive Director, MERICS
Dylan Macchiarini Crosson
Researcher, CEPS
Milan Nic
DGAP
Sergio Carrera
Senior Research Fellow and Head of Justice and Home Affairs unit, CEPS
Roberto Cortinovis
Researcher, CEPS
Davide Colombi
Research Assistant, CEPS
Berta Mizsei
Research Assistant, CEPS
Jorge Núñez Ferrer
Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
Thorsten Beck
Director of the Florence School of Banking and Finance and Professor of Financial Stability, European University Institute (EUI)
Rosanna Fanni
Researcher & TTD Coordinator, CEPS
Kimberly Feldewerth
Policy Manager – Europe, The HALO Trust
Anders Nordstrom
Swedish Ambassador for Global Health, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Rosa Castro
Senior Policy Manager, EPHA
Andrea Renda
Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
Anand Menon
Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London
Axel Voss
MEP – JURI Committee member, European Parliament
Markus Ferber
MEP
James Matthys-Donnadieu
Chief Officer Customers, Markets, System, Elia Group
Catharina Sikow-Magny
Director, DG Energy, European Commission
Christian Egenhofer
Associate Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
Francesco Gazzoletti
Managing Partner, FortyEight Brussels
Lorenzo Pupillo
Associate Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Cybersecurity@CEPS Initiative
Daniel Gros
Distinguished Fellow, CEPS
Hildegard Bentele
MEP
Cecilia Vejby Andersen
Head of Unit, Europe & Dublin, Asylum Department, DRC
Milena Lazarević
Programme Director, European Policy Centre Belgrade
Catherine Woollard
Director, European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
Ondrej Burkacky
Senior Partner, Senior Partner, McKinsey
H.E. Julianne Smith
US Ambassador to NATO
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
former NATO Secretary General
Dr. Nicholas Nelson
Senior Fellow, CEPA
Valsamis Mitsilegas
Professor, University of Liverpool
Dr. Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß
European External Action Service Managing Director for CSDP and Crisis Response
John Morijn
Chair in law and politics in international relations & Assistant professor of European human rights law, University of Groningen
Estelle Masse
Senior Policy Analyst and Global Data Protection Lead, AccessNow, EDRI
Stefan Maier
Head of Policy and Legal Support Unit, Representation for EU Affairs, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands, UNHCR
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
Kalypso Nicolaidis
Chair in International Affairs, School of Transnational Governance, EUI
Boldizsár Nagy
Associate Professor, Central European University
Michael O’Flaherty
Director, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights – FRA
Bea Cantillon
Professor, University of Antwerp
Alexander Stubb
Director of the School of Transnational Governance, EUI
Arancha González Laya
Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs
Margrethe Vestager
Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age and Commissioner for Competition, European Commission
Marija Pejčinović Burić
Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Council of Europe
Sviatlana Tsichanouskaya
Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus
Sabrina Maniscalco
Professor of Quantum Information, Computing and Logic, University of Helsinki
Michael Osborne
Manager of the Security research group, IBM Research Division
Christine Würfel
Head of Sustainability, Raiffeisen International
Jana Plananska
Member of the Board of Advisors, Norge Mining Ltd
Wouter Ghyoot
Vice President Government Affairs, Umicore
Rebecca Christie
Europe columnist for Reuters Breakingviews
Eva Maydell
MEP – ITRE Committee member
John Ryan
Acting Deputy Director-General, DG SANTE, European Commission
Erik Jones
Director of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute
Lars Zetterberg
Director of Mistra Carbon Exit, IVL
Gerassimos Thomas
Director General, DG TAXUD, European Commission
Milan Elkerbout
Research Fellow and Head of the climate policy programme, CEPS
Jonathan Barth
Co-founder and Policy Director, ZOE – Institut für zukunftsfähige ökonomien
Damian Boeselager
MEP
Katharina Gnath
Senior Project Manager, Program Europe’s Future, Bertlesman Foundation
Lawrence Meredith
Director, DG NEAR, European Commission
Georgia Skouma
Security & Privacy legal director, Delloitte
Cecilia Malmström
Former European Commissioner for Trade
Lucilla Sioli
Director for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Industry, DG CNECT, European Commission
Brando Benifei
MEP
Dragoș Tudorache
MEP – Committee on Civil Liberties
Cinzia Alcidi
Director of Research, CEPS
Alex Brazier
Managing Director, Deputy Head of the Blackrock Investment Institute (BII)
Fredrik Löjdquist
Director, Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies
Heather Grabbe
Senior Adviser, Open Society Foundations
Natacha Kazatchkine
Head of Unit – Civic space, Rule of law advocacy, Open Society Foundations
Emilio de Capitani
Visiting Professor – Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London
Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield
MEP
Birte Schorpion
Europe Regional Advocacy Coordinator, Danish Refugee Council (DRC)
Carl Dolan
Director, OSEPI
Eloise Todd
Co-founder, Pandemic Action Network
Lieve van Woensel
Foresight Adviser, European Parliament
Prof. Rym Ayadi
President, EMEA
André Månberger
Associate Senior Lecturer, Lund University
Céline Kauffmann
Head of the Entrepreneurship, SME and Tourism Division, OECD
Vasileios Rizos
Research Fellow and Head of Sustainable Resources and Circular Economy, CEPS
Didier Reynders
Commissioner for Justice, European Commission
Birgit Sippel
MEP, S&D Party, European Parliament
Jonas Grimheden
Fundamental Rights Officer, Frontex
Věra Jourová
Commissioner for Values and Transparency, European Commission
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
Jacek Truszczyński
Deputy Head of ‘International Value Chains’, DG GROW, European Commission
Jules Besnainou
Executive Director, CleanTech Group
Georgina Wright
Senior Fellow and Director of Europe Programme, Institut Montaigne
Janine Dobelmann
Head of Government Affairs EU, NXP Semiconductors
Adrian Wende
Researcher, Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna
Victor Stolzenburg
Research Economist, World Trade Organisation
Ivailo Kalfin
Executive Director, Eurofound
Niall Bohan
Director of Borrowing and Lending, DG Budget, European Commission
Richard Grieveson
Executive Director, wiiw
Stefani Weiss
Senior Expert, Bertelsmann Stiftung
Edouard Bourcieu
Chief Economist, DG Trade, European Commission
Ralf Schneider
Group CIO, Allianz SE
Veronika Movchan
Academic Director, Head of the Center for Economic Studies, Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER)
Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen
Director-General for Communication, European Commission
Elina Ribakova
Deputy Chief Economist, IIF
Alicia Garcia Herrero
Chief Economist Asia Pacific, Groupe BPCE – Global Markets Research, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking
Martin Spolc
Head of Unit, DG FISMA, European Commission
Slavina Spasova
Senior Researcher, European Social Observatory (OSE)
Isabell Hofmann
Senior Expert European Integration, Bertelsmann Stiftung