Think tanks in Brussels : The EU market of ideas under strain

Download the Point of view of Julian Blum

Analyzing funders allows us moreover to bring to the fore certain players seeking to influence the European agenda (Member States, third countries, philanthropic foundations, private companies, political parties). This analysis highlights a clear dominance of American players, especially tech companies, the consolidation of a Eurosceptic ecosystem, the insufficient presence of French actors, and the emergence of Chinese funding.

Against a backdrop of increasing fragility, heightened by the recent withdrawal of funding from the European Commission, this report sets out recommendations to strengthen the resilience of policy research.

Introduction

Think tanks are relatively little-known players in the public debate in France, but their influence on European institutions is no less significant. These institutions, at the crossroads of academia, business and public administration, have seen their role grow considerably since the 1980s and the strengthening of the European project. They are, in fact, particularly well-suited to the workings of the European legislative process. Given the wide variety of subjects dealt with by the European institutions and their complexity, the production of ideas, studies, opinions and foresight has been partly delegated to third parties. This brings the way Brussels operates closer to the Anglo-Saxon, Nordic and German models, which are characterised by greater interaction with civil society than the French model.

As highlighted in various studies on these institutions, think tanks are fundamentally ambivalent organisations, situated at the intersection of research and political advocacy. Originating in the Anglo-Saxon world at the beginning of the 20th century with the aim of mobilising philanthropy to improve public policy, the model of the private think tank has spread, becoming a central player in political debate in many systems. Think tanks must therefore be understood both as a valuable resource for decision-makers and as vehicles of influence, at times promoting a specific agenda.

Drawing on quantitative data and interviews with key players, this study offers an up-to-date overview of this landscape, which remains relatively unknown outside so-called the Brussels ”bubble”. Whilst the EU’s transparency register lists seven hundred think tanks in contact with the Commission, around a hundred of which are based in Brussels, we have narrowed the sample down to around twenty institutes with an annual budget exceeding 500,000 euros and working on European public policies. This non-comprehensive study therefore does not account for a number of important players which are mainly based in member states or third countries, even if they are represented in Brussels.

Read the full note