Friends of Europe occupies a special place in Brussels at the heart of the debate on Europe's future.

In the late 1990s there was little discussion in Europe of the two most urgent issues facing the continent’s policymakers: institutional reform and improving communication. To address these key questions, in 1999 the new think-tank Friends of Europe – Les amis de l’Europe published a call for action in a groundbreaking report called “A European Union that works: Blueprint for reform”.

Friends of Europe brought together a pan-European Board of Trustees, under the leadership of former EU Commission Vice-President Etienne Davignon. At a time when the think-tank scene was very Anglo-Saxon, Friends of Europe strove to offer a new pan-European, politically independent platform for fresh thinking and analysis.

Since its creation, Friends of Europe has gone from strength to strength, winning an international reputation for lively and provocative debate on the major issues confronting Europe. Its analytical reports contribute significantly to the EU policymaking process.

Milestones in Friends of Europe’s development include “Hearing from Europe” in 2003, the first ever 28-nation satellite TV debate on what became the Lisbon treaty, and a series of groundbreaking reports on topics as diverse as reform of the EU, its communications shortcomings, Turkish membership, Cyprus and the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

Friends of Europe has built a reputation over the past ten years for welcoming high profile speakers from the world of supranational and national politics, business, academia, civil society and the international media.