Friends of Europe

Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based, not-for-profit think tank for European Union policy analysis and debate.

History
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.

Themes
The organisation's activities focus in particular on five thematic areas: Climate, Energy & Sustainability, Peace, Security & Defence, Health, Digital & Data Governance and Global Europe.

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.

Board of trustees
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 and former vice-president of the European Commission. Trustees include :


 * Pat Cox, President of the European Movement International and former President of the European Parliament
 * Mario Monti, former prime minister of Italy
 * Isabelle Durant, former deputy secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and former deputy prime minister of Belgium
 * Pascal Lamy, Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and former European Commissioner for Trade
 * Guy Verhofstadt, former Prime Minister of Belgium
 * António Vitorino, former European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs and former Portuguese Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister
 * Petra De Sutter, Belgian gynaecologist and politician, currently serving as federal Deputy Prime Minister.

Friends of Europe's Secretary-General is Geert Cami''.

Funding
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.

The breakdown per source of funding is as follows:


 * European and international institutions: €2 050 894 (43%)
 * Diplomatic missions, national, regional and local authorities: €1 399 249 (29%)
 * Corporate sector (compaies and trade associations): €779 102 (16%)
 * Private non corporate sector (foundations and NGOs): €170 758 (5%)
 * Participation fees ("Membership"): €351 815 (7%)