Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based, not-for-profit think-tank for European Union policy
analysis and debate. The organisation, established in 1999, has no political or national
allegiance and is independent of the EU institutions.
Its declared goal is to foster open discussion and to stimulate new
thinking on the issues facing Europe and its citizens.[1] It is
located in the Bibliothèque Solvay in Leopold Park.
The organisation's activities focus in particular on six thematic areas:[2]
Friends of Europe's board of trustees is composed of people who hold, or have held, positions of responsibility in European affairs. Its President is Etienne Davignon, a politician, businessman and former vice-president of the European Commission. Other members of the Praesidium are:[3]
Friends of Europe's Secretary-General is Giles Merritt, a former Brussels correspondent of the Financial Times.[4]
In April 2009 European Commissioner for Administrative Affairs, Audit and Anti-Fraud Siim Kallas publicly criticised Friends of Europe for not registering in the European Commission's "voluntary lobbyists register."[5] Kallas maintained that think tanks, such as Friends of Europe, were an important source of visibility of indirect interest representation at the EU level, and that Friends was explicitly marketing visibility for sponsors. Secretary-General Giles Merritt responded that the organisation made its sources of funding public on its website, and was not promoting any particular interests. He suggested the creation of a separate register for think tanks.
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