As 2024 dawns, the European Union stands amidst a confluence of crises, each with the potential to reshape the continent’s fate. The year teems with challenges: the ongoing war in Ukraine, escalating tensions in the Middle East, a potential economic downturn in the Member States, farmers demonstrating in many European capitals, and the complex dance of EU enlargement and institutional reforms. Added to this are the daunting prospects of climate change and conflict-driven migration, the ascent of populist and Eurosceptic factions within the Union, and the unpredictability of the upcoming US elections.
Amidst these trials, the EU must craft a delicate balance, a ‘magic formula’, that aligns the pursuit of competitiveness with imperatives like the green transition and strategic autonomy. And it needs to rebuild trust among its citizens, who often feel disenfranchised and excluded from key decisions that affect their future as much as they affect the future of the world order. In such turbulent times, the role of researchers and think tanks becomes ever more critical. The diffuse sensation among researchers is that ‘more of the same’, an incremental strategy aimed at course-correcting the status quo, will not be sufficient for the EU to thrive in this extraordinary, multi-risk time.
At CEPS, the oldest and largest think tank focused on EU affairs in Brussels, we embrace our responsibility to try to steer Europe and the broader international community towards a haven of stability and prosperity, including by engaging in disruptive, courageous systemic thinking. As we unveil and embark upon our research agenda for the coming year, it is therefore inevitable that our commitment goes beyond a set of individual projects. We are inaugurating ground-breaking initiatives designed to elevate the calibre and influence of our work. In this document, we briefly outline our priorities and provide a snapshot of our renewed modus operandi.
