User:KatoZilvervloot/EuropeanNeighbourhoodCouncil

European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) is an EU-based think tank that focuses on European Foreign Policy, such as Enlargement Policy, European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and the European Union Global Strategy (EUGS). Located in Brussels, the ENC primarily conducts research and project implementation on topics related to education, economy, foreign policy, security and democracy.

The organisation aims to bridge the foreign policy gap between the European Union, Candidate Countries and Potential Candidates, European Neighbourhood Countries and Wider Europe. ENC’s wide range of activities are guided by advice from both EU and non-EU academics, fulfilling the aim of joint ownership. This helps develop local and bottom-up research through ENP-EU partnerships. ENC is the youngest think tank dealing with EU Foreign Policy in Brussels, with an average age of 25 years. Through the ENC's training programmes with Turkey and Central Asia, the organisation supports activists, academics and journalists.

Organisation's structure
ENC is supported by External Advisors and over 70 Academic Council Members, both selected from EU and non-EU countries. ENC was founded by its Managing Director, Samuel Doveri Vesterbye. In 2017, the critically acclaimed European Neighbourhood Policy Chair and Professor Tobias Schumacher (College of Europe) was appointed member of ENC's Academic Council.

Activities
ENC functions as an implementing think tank, meaning that it both conducts research, while simultaniously organising on-the-ground events, training programmes and other local activities in cooperation with ENC partner organisations and EU Delegations. ENC runs a series of training programmes with different countries, specialising in supporting young entrepreneurs, tech-experts, democracy activists, journalists and academic researchers. With Internews as a partner, the ENC is the primary EU-based beneficiary of the Instrument contributing for Stability and Peace (IcSP) for cross-regional support in media support and anti-radicalisation. This programme particularly focuses on training journalists in practical tools to support anti-radicalisation and improved media literacy through technology, sourcing, artificial intelligence, ethical journalism, and best-practice reporting.

ENC analysis consists of monthly publications by ENC Academic Council Members, including EU recommendations, on topics related to EU Foreign Policy. ENC’s staff regularly publishes research ,news articles    and is invited to conduct election monitoring and country-based economic, transition and EU-relations research  on a regular basis. During 2018 and in the lead up to the release of the EU Strategy on Central Asia, ENC organised roundtables, workshops and policy-research to support the EEAS new 2019 Strategy.

On social media, the organisation releases its publications and training summaries via Twitter, Facebook and Soundcloud. Staff members and researchers publish weekly comprehensive podcasts on varying topics ranging from Violent Extremism and Migration to China's Belt and Road Initiative, Ukraine cooperation with NATO and Turkish geostrategy.

Funding
ENC is an independent and non-for-profit non-governmental organisation, registered in Belgium. The organisation receives funding from the European Union, including EU Member States and EU-based private foundations.