ECFR Council: About

• About
• Board
• Members

The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think-tank which conducts research and promotes informed debate across Europe on the development of a coherent and effective European values-based foreign policy. We are composed of a core think-tank of innovative researchers, a distinctive network of national offices in 7 European capitals and a Council of prominent Europeans who, through their individual networks and collective engagement, contribute to europeanise the national conversations on the EU’s foreign policy priorities and dilemmas.

The ECFR Council, chaired by Martti Ahtisaari, Joschka Fischer and Mabel van Oranje, is a unique European strategic community of over 170 members - including serving ministers, members of parliament, EU senior officials, former NATO secretary generals, intellectuals, journalists and business leaders - from the EU’s member states and candidate countries. It meets once a year as a full body to discuss the foreign policy challenges of the day. Members are appointed for a three-year renewable term by invitation from the ECFR Board of Trustees.

Council Members benefit from the opportunity to belong to an exclusive network of European leaders; to participate in the annual meetings of the Council and local ‘Ginger Group’ meetings in countries where we have a national office; to input into ECFR’s policy planning cycle; to receive pre-publication copies of all ECFR reports; to receive private briefings from ECFR policy staff; to receive support from ECFR advocacy and media teams to stimulate debate and promote ECFR priorities in their own countries; to nominate individuals for ECFR Council membership.

In return, we ask Council Members to commit themselves to some of the following responsibilities; to participate in our annual meetings; to support ECFR initiative by providing intellectual input and advice to our policy team; to engage in advocacy initiatives to promote ECFR goals through high-level meetings, open statements and interventions in national debates; to assist ECFR in organising outreach events in their own countries

Hover on a country to visualise its Council Members. Click on it for a more detailed description.