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European Policy Centre

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The European Policy Centre (EPC) is a think tank working on Europe Union and global affairs. EPC provides independent and evidence-based analysis and policy recommendations and helps leaders in Europe and across the globe manage geopolitical risks and make better policy choices. Founded in 1997, the EPC is one of the oldest, largest and most reputable think tanks in Brussels. In 2025, On Think Tanks named EPC one of the 100 "think tanks to watch" in the world, one among four top think tanks in Brussels and 10 across the EU and European Free Trade Area (EFTA).

EPC logo
EPC conference centre
The premises of the European Policy Centre on Rue du Trône 14–16 in Brussels, Belgium

The non-profit organisation is run by Chief Executive Fabian Zuleeg, together with the EPC Management team: Director of Studies, Janis A. Emmanouilidis; Director for European and Global Affairs, Almut Müller; Chief Operating Officer, Emma Woodford, Chief Financial Officer, Maral Bedrossian and Associate Directors Corina Stratulat, Georg Riekeles, Elizabeth Kuiper and Bianca Baumler.

Thought Leadership

The EPC's 60+ analysts conduct and publish research, policy analysis and recommendations, and convene top policymakers, industry, civil society and thematic experts working on – and affected by – EU and global affairs. The EPC's work is also complemented by insights and contributions from senior advisers and external experts.  

Multi-disciplinary in nature, the thematic work of the EPC is structured around seven Programmes:

  1. European Migration and Diversity (led by Alberto Horst-Neidhardt)
  2. Sustainable Prosperity for Europe (led by Stefan Sipka)
  3. European Politics and Institutions (led by Corina Stratulat)
  4. Health and Societal Resilience (led by Elizabeth Kuiper)
  5. Europe's Political Economy (led by Georg Riekeles)
  6. Europe in the World (led by Almut Möller and deputy Amanda Paul)
  7. Transnationalisation (led by Johannes Greubel)

Under the Transnationalisation Programme, the EPC runs the Connecting Europe project (supported by the Mercator Foundation), which promotes sustainable exchanges between civil society organisations across Europe and the policy community in Brussels.

Fostering European integration, the EPC also features prominently in broader debates about the role of think tanks in strengthening liberal democracies.

The EPC's thought leadership is made possible by the Executive Office and the Operations team, which include human resources, project, communication and event management.  

Convening power

The EPC attracts EU Commissioners, presidents, ministers and other high-ranking officials from both EU and non-EU countries. Speakers have included: Teresa Ribera,  

Executive Vice-President of the European Commission;  Maroš Šefčovič, EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security; Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank;  Nadia Calviño, President, European Investment Bank;  Kęstutis Budrys, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania;  Theo Francken, Belgian Minister of Defence;  Peter Kyle, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology;   Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia; Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for the Economic Community;  Andrew Puzder, US Ambassador to the EU, as well as CEOs in the private sector, e.g. Tinne van der Straeten of WindEurope and Per Franzén of the Swedish global investment organization EQT.

In the past, the following global and EU leaders have also led EPC discussions while in their former roles: Salil Shetty, while Secretary General of Amnesty International; Margaret Chan, while Director-General of the World Health Organization; Donald Tusk, while President of the European Council; Jacques Delors, while President of the European Commission; Jean-Claude Juncker, while President of the European Commission; Martin Schulz, while President of the European Parliament; Mario Draghi, while President of the European Central Bank, among many others influential decision-makers.

Governance

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Brigid Laffan is President of the European Policy Centre and chairs its Strategic Council, which includes Jean-Claude Juncker, Joaquin Almunia, Maria Joào Rodrigues, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, Janez Potočnik, André Sapir, Wolfgang Schüssel, Marta Dassù, Catherine Day, Monica Frassoni, and Nathalie Tocci among others.

The EPC's General Assembly and Governing Board are chaired by Declan Kelleher, Former Irish Ambassador to the EU and to China.

Former Presidents of the European Policy Centre include Herman Van Rompuy, Peter Sutherland (1998–2011) and Philippe Maystadt (2011–2014). Former Chairs of the Governing Board include David O'Sullivan, former EU Ambassador to the US; Hywel Ceri Jones, founder of the Erasmus Programme; António Vitorino, former European Commissioner; and Meglena Kuneva, former European Commissioner.

Membership

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The EPC has a membership of around 350 organisations, which include the following companies and organisations: Astra Zeneca, Jeronimo Martins, Danish Agricultural Council, Turkish Industry & Business Association, Mission of the Kingdom of Morocco to the European Communities, Mission of the People's Republic of China to the European Communities, the Taipei Representative Office in the EU and Belgium, the Open Society European Policy Institute, and the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies. [1]

Governance

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Brigid Laffan is President of the European Policy Centre and chairs its Strategic Council, which includes Jean-Claude Juncker, Joaquin Almunia, Maria Joào Rodrigues, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard, Janez Potočnik, André Sapir, Wolfgang Schüssel, Marta Dassù, Catherine Day, Monica Frassoni, and Nathalie Tocci among others.

The EPC's General Assembly and Governing Board are chaired by Declan Kelleher, Former Irish Ambassador to the EU and to China.

Former Presidents of the European Policy Centre include Herman Van Rompuy, Peter Sutherland (1998–2011) and Philippe Maystadt (2011–2014). Former Chairs of the Governing Board include David O'Sullivan, former EU Ambassador to the US, Hywel Ceri Jones, founder of the Erasmus Programme; António Vitorino, former European Commissioner; and Meglena Kuneva, former European Commissioner.

Funding

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The EPC is funded through several sources, including its strategic partners: the King Baudouin Foundation, based in Belgium and Stiftung Mercator, based in Germany. The over 300 EPC members also pay annual fees, with amounts according to the type of membership. In addition, other foundations, corporations and the European Commission provide grants or fund specific events and publications.[2][3]

EPC's independence remains contractually firm in all financial agreements.

Tobacco companies

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In the 1990s and 2000s, the European Policy Centre (EPC) was linked to lobbying activities carried out on behalf of the tobacco industry, particularly British American Tobacco (BAT) and Philip Morris International (PMI). Research based on internal tobacco industry documents suggests that the EPC played a role in the development of the European Union's "Better Regulation" agenda, which critics argue prioritises business interests over public health, social, and environmental concerns. Specifically, EPC helped tobacco companies, as well as other industry groups, lobby "to ensure that the EU framework for evaluating policy options emphasised business interests at the expense of public health". [4][5][6]

The campaign ultimately succeeded, with all new EU public policies now subject to mandatory impact assessment. Although officially covering economic, social, and environmental impacts, researchers suggest that economic effects often receive the most weight, in line with the original objectives of BAT and allied corporations.[7]

Hiding tobacco industry involvement. Studies have argued that the EPC's involvement helped obscure the role of tobacco companies in promoting these regulatory changes, by creating a broader coalition of corporate supporters. Interviews with European Commission officials at the time revealed little awareness of tobacco industry participation in the campaign, supporting claims that lobbying networks deliberately concealed the sector's role. [6]

Following the public release of these findings, EPC's then–Chief Executive Hans Martens stated that BAT was merely a member of the Centre and "not very active," stressing that the company received no special favours compared to other members. [6]

References

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  1. ↑ "Members". www.epc.eu. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "Annual Report". www.epc.eu. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "Financing". www.epc.eu. Archived from the original on 1 May 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  4. ↑ Smith, K E; Gilmore, A B; Fooks, G; Collin, J; Weishaar, H (December 2009). "Tobacco industry attempts to undermine Article 5.3 and the "good governance" trap: Table 1". Tobacco Control. 18 (6): 509–511. doi:10.1136/tc.2009.032300. ISSN 0964-4563. Archived from the original on 8 November 2025.
  5. ↑ Boseley, Sarah (12 January 2010). "Tobacco corporations lobby to hamper passing of EU health laws, say academics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Big tobacco distorted EU treaty, scientists say". EUobserver. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  7. ↑ "Transparency Register". ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  1. "Annual Report - European Policy Centre". www.epc.eu. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  2. "Financing". www.epc.eu. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  3. Following shocking new report about scale of the EU-NGO propaganda complex, MCC Brussels calls for establishment of EU DOGE". brussels.mcc.hu. 12 February 2025. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  4. "EPC – European Policy Centre – Independent think tank".
  5. "Members". www.epc.eu. Archived from the original on 9 September 2025. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  6. Smith, K.E.; et al. (2009). "Tobacco industry attempts to undermine Article 5.3 and the "good governance" trap". Tobacco Control. 18 (6): 509–511. doi:10.1136/tc.2009.032300. hdl:20.500.11820/869a2194-3a4b-4637-8d8a-a0f7e8f3653e. PMID 19955541. S2CID 207031196.
  7. Sarah Boseley (12 January 2010). "Tobacco corporations lobby to hamper passing of EU health laws, say academics". The Guardian.
  8. Leigh Phillips (13 January 2010). "Big tobacco distorted EU treaty, scientists say". EUobserver.
  9. "Transparency Register - Search the register". ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  10. Smith, Katherine E.; Fooks, Gary; Collin, Jeff; Weishaar, Heide; Mandal, Sema; Gilmore, Anna B. (12 January 2010). ""Working the system" —British American Tobacco's influence on the European Union Treaty and its implications for policy: an analysis of internal tobacco industry documents". PLOS Medicine. 7 (1) e1000202. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000202. ISSN 1549-1277. PMC 2797088. PMID 20084098.
  11. "Big tobacco distorted EU treaty, scientists say". EUobserver. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  12. "Big tobacco distorted EU treaty, scientists say". EUobserver. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2025.
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