On 15–16 June, Dr. Elena Lazarou, Director General of ELIAMEP, participated in a high-level, closed-door Think Tank Leaders’ convening in Brussels co-organized by the European Policy Centre (EPC) and On Think Tanks (OTT). The meeting brought together representatives of think tanks in the EU and UK to discuss the major challenges the sector faces today, as well as exchange best practices. The two-day agenda included discussions on the shrinking civil space, the changing nature of information and communication, funding challenges, relations with EU institutions, human resources and training, countering foreign interference, and Artificial Intelligence.
Some of the key conclusions of the workshop included the urgency of more resilient institutional communication, the need for more diverse think tank networks across Europe, the importance of continuously modernizing communication practices (including events) and the crucial nature of in-person contact. Some of the proposals brought in by Dr. Lazarou included a more structured and collective EU think tank engagement with the Commission; more collaboration between institutes in major EU capitals and more ‘peripheral’ EU member states for grant applications and projects; regular exchanges/networks of think tank administration professionals (for example communication, event, development and HR managers) and a strategy for youth engagement – both as an audience and a future workforce. She also highlighted the positive engagement of ELIAMEP with policy makers and emphasized that, while the proliferation of unreliable information is a fact, policy makers in Greece and Europe more widely continue to look to credible evidence-based research.
Dr. Lazarou is also a Senior Advisor for the European Policy Center.
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