Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies
 | |
| Abbreviation | Martens Centre |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2007 |
| Type | Political foundation at European level |
| Headquarters |
Rue du commerce 20 1000 Brussels, Belgium |
President | Mikuláš Dzurinda |
| Website |
www |
The Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies is the Political foundation at European level of the European People's Party and an EU think tank. It was founded in following the 2007 revision of the EU Regulation that allowed for the creation of European foundations affiliated to Europarties. The European People's Party (EPP) established the Centre for European Studies (CES) as its official foundation/think tank.[1] During the EPP Congress held in Dublin[2] on 6 and 7 March 2014, the think tank was renamed in honour of its founder Wilfried Martens, now being the "Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies".[3]
The Martens Centre embodies a pan-European mindset, promoting Christian Democrat, conservative and like-minded political values. It serves as a framework for national political foundations linked to member parties of the EPP. It currently has 29 member foundations in 22 EU and non-EU countries. The Martens Centre takes part in the preparation of EPP programmes and policy documents. It organises seminars and training on EU policies and on the process of European integration. The Martens Centre also contributes to formulating EU and national public policies. It produces research studies and books, electronic newsletters, policy briefs, and the twice-yearly European View journal. Through its papers, conferences, authors’ dinners and website, the Martens Centre offers a platform for discussion among experts, politicians, policymakers and the European public.[1]
About
Executive Board
The Executive Board of the Martens Centre is composed among others by Mikuláš Dzurinda, President of the Martens Centre, Joseph Daul, President of the European People's Party, Antonio López-Istúriz White, Secretary General of the EPP and Secretary-Treasurer of the Martens Centre, and Tomi Huhtanen, Director of the Martens Centre. The roles of the Board range from drafting the annual programme based on agreed research priorities, ensuring the legal representation and financial supervision of the activities of the Martens Centre, as well as steering the expansion of the Centre’s network of member organisations.[3]
Academic Council
The Executive Board nominates esteemed academics and researchers as members of the Academic Council in order to increase the academic scope of the Centre and oversee the scientific standards of its research, studies and activities. This includes enhancing its standing and visibility in the academic sphere, contributing with expertise, advice and ideas to ensure the Centre is always pursuing cutting-edge research. The Academic Council also proposes new and innovative projects and implements the highest standard of peer review.[3]
Research Associates
Research Associates are politically like-minded academics who can provide research papers, short analyses and blogs and who are also capable of providing quick advice on current affairs. The Research Associates contribute to an improved reflection process on fundamental strategic questions and indirectly provide input for strategic debates in the EPP family.[3]
General Assembly
The General Assembly is composed of the representatives of the Martens Centre's political foundations/think-tanks members and of individual members. Both these organisations and the individual members represent the interests of the European People’s Party and of its member-parties In order for a political foundation/think-tank to become a member of the Centre, it must be recognized by its respective EPP member party and be engaged in promoting political information and debate and facilitating EU integration. Additionally, the Centre can accept supporting members as non-voting members. All members have to be committed to support the objectives and aims of the Centre.[3]
Member Foundations
The Martens Centre functions as a pan-European platform for our member foundations, individuals and think tanks from all over Europe that share the central values of the European People’s Party family and of its centre-right partners. In working closely together we strive firstly to contribute to the public awareness of European citizens, thus bringing the European debate closer to the public. Secondly, by bringing together the brightest minds of Europe we strive to help our decision-makers and opinion leaders, such as EPP Heads of State and Governments and party leaders to formulate new and effective policy options. Together with its members, the Centre currently organises more than 100 activities every year across all Europe, ranging from publications, research projects, conferences, trainings and other events. Currently, the Centre has 29 member foundations and 16 individual members and is continuously expanding its network.[3]
The Martens Centre includes as members a number of national think tanks and foundations affiliated to EPP member parties. In cooperation with its member foundations, the Martens Centre organises events and publishes books. For more information, please visit the Martens Centre website.[4]
Full list of member foundations:
| Name | Country(first election) |
Website |
|---|---|---|
| Political Academy of the Austrian People's Party |  Austria |
http://www.modernpolitics.at/ |
| CEDER Study Centre of CD&V | .svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
http://ceder.cdenv.be/ceder |
| Croatian Statehood Foundation |  Croatia |
http://www.zhdz.hr/ |
| Institute for Eurodemocracy Glafcos Clerides |  Cyprus |
http://www.insteurodemocracy.eu/ |
| European Academy for Democracy |  Czech Republic |
http://www.ead.cz/ |
| Pro Patria Institute |  Estonia |
http://www.propatria.ee/en/ |
| Hanns Seidel Foundation |  Germany |
http://www.hss.de/ |
| Konrad Adenauer Foundation | Germany |
http://www.kas.de/ |
| Konstantinos Karamanlis Institute For Democracy |  Greece |
http://www.idkaramanlis.gr/ |
| Foundation for a Civic Hungary |  Hungary |
http://www.szpma.hu/ |
| Alcide De Gasperi Foundation |  Italy |
http://www.fondazionedegasperi.it/ |
| Instituto Luigi Sturzo | Italy |
http://www.sturzo.it/ |
| Institute of Democratic Politics |  Lithuania |
http://www.dpi.lt/ |
| Academy for the Development of a Democratic Environment |  Malta |
http://www.azad-malta.com/ |
| CDA Research Institute |  The Netherlands |
http://www.cda.nl/wi |
| Amaro da Costa Institute |  Portugal |
http://www.idl.pt/ |
| Institute for Popular Studies |  Romania |
http://www.isp.org.ro/ |
| Kós Károly Academy Foundation | Romania |
http://www.koskarolyakademia.ro/ |
| Anton Tunega Foundation |  Slovakia |
http://www.tunega.sk/ |
| Institute for Modern Slovakia | Slovakia |
http://www.ipms.sk/ |
| Jože Pucnik Institute |  Slovenia |
http://www.ijpucnik.si/ |
| Foundation for Social Research and Analysis |  Spain |
http://www.fundacionfaes.es/ |
| Miquel Coll I Alentorn Institute of Humanistic Studies | Spain |
http://www.inehca.org/ |
| Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation |  Sweden |
http://www.hjalmarsonstiftelsen.se/ |
| Association Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria |  Bulgaria | |
| Institute Dr. Janez Evangelist Krek | Slovenia |
http://www.ijek.si/ |
| New Initiatives Centre |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
http://www.cni.ba/ |
| Toivo Think Tank |  Finland |
http://www.toivoajatuspaja.fi/ |
| TOPAZ | Czech Republic |
http://www.top-az.eu/ |
Partners
The Martens Centre continues to build strategic relationships with organisations throughout Europe.
List of official partners:[5]
| Name | Website |
|---|---|
| International Republican Institute | http://www.iri.org/ |
| Jean Monnet European Center of Excellence, University of Athens | http://en.jmc.uoa.gr/profile.html/ |
| Slovak Atlantic Commission | http://www.ata-sac.org/ |
| Robert Schuman Foundation | http://www.robert-schuman.eu/ |
Publications
As the political foundation and think tank of the EPP, the Martens Centre monitors, analyses and contributes to the debate relating to the policies of the EU and relevant for both the expert level and for the wider European public. The Martens Centre produces research papers, books and policy briefs. These publications can be found in PDF, ePub and Mobi format on the Martens Centre.[6]
The Martens Centre also produces the European View, a policy paper that serves as the intellectual platform for politicians, opinion makers and academics to tackle contemporary themes of European politics, focusing on one specific topic in each issue.[7]
Events
The Martens Centre organises the Economic Ideas Forum (EIF), providing high level economic experts, Ministers of Economy, EU Commissioners, EU Prime Minister, as well as business leaders from around the world an opportunity to consider innovative ideas and proposing solutions to the economic challenges facing the EU economy. EIF 2014[8] will be held in Bratislava, Slovakia, on 16 and 17 October.[3]
The Martens Centre also holds the Annual Transatlantic Think Tank Conference[9] bringing together high-level think tankers, experts, policymakers and other stakeholders from both sides of the Atlantic to discuss important themes in transatlantic relations.
Online initiatives
TellBarroso
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During the 2009 European election campaign, the Martens Centre launched a successful web-based survey module "Tellbarroso" an innovative web-based platform which invited European citizens to participate in the political decision-formation process and attracting more than 150.000 participants.[11] This pioneer initiative was personally endorsed by José Manuel Durão Barroso, the EPP candidate, for re-election as commission President.
Springeneration
In 2012 the Martens Centre was involved in the organization of Springeneration, a project aimed at creating a platform for dialogue between Europeans and people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The initiative attracted 71,000 participants.[12]
Up2Youth
The Martens Centre launched in 2014 a new initiative to gather the best ideas from the youth across Europe. The "Up2Youth" public opinion platform was an interactive, online initiative for young Europeans to express and exchange ideas on the issues that matter the most to them. From education to jobs, and from social policy to foreign affairs, the platform allowed participants to address a wide range of issues.
The ten participants offering the best policy ideas were invited to the EPP Congress in Dublin, Ireland on 6 and 7 March 2014 to meet and share their ideas directly with EU leaders, including the EPP’s candidate for President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. Furthermore, the participant offering the very best idea was also offered a paid, six-month internship at the Martens Centre in Brussels.[13]
References
- 1 2 martenscentre.eu
- ↑ http://dublin2014.epp.eu//
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 martenscentre.eu
- ↑ Martens Centre. "martenscentre.eu". martenscentre.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ Martens Centre. "Network | thinkingeurope.eu". Martenscentre.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ Martens Centre. "martenscentre.eu". martenscentre.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "European View - Springer". Link.springer.com. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "Economic Ideas Forum - Helsinki 2013". martenscentre.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "4th Transatlantic Think Tank Conference". martenscentre.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "Europe: I Struggle, I Overcome: Wilfried Martens: 9783540892885: Amazon.com: Books". Amazon.com. 2009-08-28. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "tellBarroso.eu". tellBarroso.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "springeneration.eu". springeneration.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
- ↑ "up2youth.eu". up2youth.eu. Retrieved 2014-08-15.
External links
- Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies Martens Centre homepage
- European People's Party EPP portal site
- Centre for European Studies ISSUU Centre for European Studies ISSUU page
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