CARNEGIE EUROPE FOUNDATION

Their core work

Carnegie Europe is the Brussels-based foreign policy think tank of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace — one of the world's oldest and most respected international affairs research institutions. Their work centers on analyzing the EU's role in global governance: how Europe responds to fragile and contested state orders, how international organizations coordinate action, and what new governance frameworks are needed for a changing world order. In H2020, they contributed policy analysis expertise and global institutional networks to research consortia examining EU external action and governance coherence. They translate academic research into policy-relevant insights for EU institutions, governments, and international organizations.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earlier H2020 work (EU-LISTCO, 2018-2021), Carnegie Europe's contribution centered on the challenges of EU engagement in areas of limited statehood and contested political orders — essentially, how Europe deals with fragile and conflict-affected regions. By their second project (ENGAGE, 2021-2024), the focus had shifted upward in abstraction: from specific governance failures to the broader architecture of global governance and the strategic coherence of the EU as a global actor. The trend suggests a move from diagnostic analysis of specific governance deficits toward designing normative frameworks and institutional reforms for Europe's global role.

Carnegie Europe is moving toward high-level governance design and strategic coherence work — making them increasingly relevant to consortia tackling EU institutional reform, multilateralism, and the EU's global role in climate, security, and development.

How they like to work

Carnegie Europe has participated in EU research projects exclusively as a partner, never as consortium coordinator — consistent with a think tank model where they contribute analytical and policy expertise rather than managing large research infrastructure. With 25 unique partners across 16 countries in just two projects, they engage in large, diverse consortia, suggesting they are valued as a node connecting policy research with broader academic and institutional networks. This profile makes them a reliable specialist partner who brings credibility and global reach without competing for project leadership.

Carnegie Europe has built a notably broad network for an organization with only two H2020 projects — 25 unique consortium partners spanning 16 countries. This reflects the cross-national composition typical of governance and security research consortia, and suggests Carnegie brings connection to a wide range of European and international academic and policy institutions.

What sets them apart

Carnegie Europe brings something most academic research institutes cannot: a globally recognized policy brand with direct access to EU institutions, foreign ministries, and international organizations in Brussels. Where university partners provide empirical research, Carnegie translates findings into actionable policy recommendations with real institutional reach. For consortia working on EU foreign policy, global governance, or security, Carnegie's participation adds credibility and dissemination reach that academic partners alone cannot provide.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EU-LISTCO
  The larger of the two projects (EUR 505,599), addressing one of the EU's most complex foreign policy challenges — how to engage effectively with fragile and contested state orders on Europe's periphery and beyond.
• ENGAGE
  Directly tackles the design of future EU global governance architecture, placing Carnegie at the intersection of academic research and real-world EU institutional reform debates.