Located in Brussels at the heart of EU political decision-making, the European Affairs Programme provides in-depth as well as policy-oriented analyses on a wide range of themes of relevance to EU and Belgian policy makers. Topics that are – or ought to be – central to the EU policy debate are given special attention. Aside from a constant focus on institutional matters, various substantive EU policies dominate the Programme’s research agenda, such as the Green Deal, the digital agenda, the consolidation of an inclusive social model, the protection of people and the defence of rights, and the promotion of Europe’s interests in the world.
The Programme also deals extensively and in a forward-looking way with the impact of the multiple crises the EU has had to address over the last decade. They all had an impact on its policies, its decision-making processes, and more generally its architecture, which is proof of the resilience of the European project.
With the aim of reaching the broadest audience possible, the European Affairs Programme seeks to share its expertise and stimulate the debate through a variety of publications as well as by organizing round tables, expert-seminars, and conferences.
External publications
The European Green Deal was launched in December 2019, touted by new President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as the EU’s “man on the moon moment” for […]
The European Council has planned to hold a strategic debate on migration at its meeting on 16 October 2026. One might, of course, view this strategic debate as reflecting the […]
In June 2022, a few months after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Council granted to Ukraine and Moldova candidate status hastily. Western Balkans countries, notably Albania and North […]
Commentaries
It is an honor to join the Egmont Institute at this moment in time. We live in what some call a ‘geopolitical era’, and this makes the Institute into a […]
For the past several years, European debate about China in the Arctic has been caught between strategic concern and incomplete evidence. China calls itself a ‘Near-Arctic State’, operates polar research […]
Commentaries
Earlier this year, several European countries announced a deployment to Greenland. Belgium and the Netherlands were among them. The public debate surrounding the transatlantic saga became heated, with questions about […]