Bruegel

Bruegel is a European think tank specializing in economics. Established in 2005, Bruegel is independent and non-doctrinal. Our mission is to improve the quality of economic policy with open and fact-based research, analysis and debate. We are committed to impartiality, openness and excellence. Bruegel’s membership includes EU Member State governments, international corporations and institutions.

Through publications, events, social media, or its lively blog, Bruegel has carved a unique discussion space for anyone interested in improving the quality of economic policy. Through a dual focus on analysis and impact, and dynamic relationships with policymakers at every governance level, it has also established itself as a vibrant laboratory for economic policies. Bruegel ranked #1 Think Tank in Western Europe, #1 International Economic Policy Think Tank in the World, and #2 Think Tank in the World (non-US) in the 2012 Global Go To Think Tank Report and Policy Advice published by the University of Pennsylvania.

Bruegel is a non-profit international association under Belgian law (AISBL), governed by its Statutes and its Bylaws. The Board is appointed by the members with some board members being directly elected. It is chaired by Jean-Claude Trichet and its 11 members all have distinguished backgrounds in government, business, civil society and academia. Former chairmen Mario Monti and Leszek Balcerowicz were appointed Honorary President and Honorary Chairman, respectively.

The Board decides on strategy, adopts the research programme and budget and approves appointments of senior staff. It appoints the Director and the Deputy Director each for a period of three years renewable twice (according to Art. 9, par. 2 of the Statutes).

The Director - currently Guntram Wolff - is in charge of the management of Bruegel, with the assistance of the Deputy Director. They jointly prepare the research programme, annual work plan, budget, and annual report and present them to the Board. They also exercise editorial oversight over publications and control the quality of output. Bruegel takes no institutional standpoint and publications reflect the views of the authors only.

The Scientific Council is appointed by the Board and advises Bruegel’s management and staff, as well as the Board, on research. It also evaluates the quality of Bruegel’s research. The chairperson of the Scientific Council attends Board meetings.

The independence, professional integrity and objectivity of Bruegel’s research are among its principal assets. All Bruegel scholars have to sign a Statement of Research Integrity, which commits them to avoid partisanship, parochialism, and capture of special interests. Bruegel’s scholars and management disclose their outside interests annually.

Bruegel publishes all funding and spending in a transparent manner in its Annual Report (see list on the right hand side of this page). Bruegel‘s income is composed mainly of annual subscriptions from its members. All corporate members contribute the same amount, i.e. ‚ €50,000 per year. State membership contributions depend on the size of the country. In total, subscription funding is balanced between public and private-sector contributions, and no single member contributes more than 3% to 5% of the yearly budget, depending on the budget year. A diversified funding base helps to buttress Bruegel’s independence.

Bruegel’s work is evaluated every three years by an independent committee. Bruegel’s members appoint the committee, balancing background and experience with the aim of reviewing all of Bruegel’s output and how well it has fulfilled its mission. The committee is free to determine for itself the most effective way of evaluating Bruegel’s work and it is assisted in the task by the Scientific Council who give the committee an assessment of the scientific quality of Bruegel’s output. Bruegel has undergone this independent evaluation exercise in 2007, 2010 and 2013, and will begin another evaluation in 2016.

Bruegel is comprised of a core fellowship of top researchers from around the world, Resident, Non-resident and Affiliate, plus a team of operational staff. It also operates a Visiting Fellow programme, which allows researchers from around the world to contribute to Bruegel’s work for a limited time, normally visiting from another institution. For any questions on membership and Bruegel more generally, please do not hesitate to contact our Secretary General, Matt Dann.