On the Move: Patterns, Power, Politics

Our central argument was that EU think tanks’ evolution has resulted in an interconnected hybrid EU think tank sphere, built on a common need for access to the political elite, to financial resources, and to media attention. We substantiated our claim by taking a closer look at three dominant Brusselsbased EU think tanks. Hence we proved that their activities are driven by the logics of the market or more precisely the ‘art’ of responsiveness to political demand and the ability to sell ideas. In this struggle for economic survival a tendency for enhanced competition but also cooperation can be recognised in approaching the target audience. EU think tanks tend to please politicians and EU stakeholders by giving intellectual feed to pre-existing concepts. You hardly find any EU-sceptic think tanks around Brussels. Yet, without producing innovative ideas, they only act as a driving force behind already established political debate. We argued that meeting the challenges of 21st century requires updating think tanks’ logic from an obsolete “EU operating” system focused entirely on corporate and institutional elites to a future orientated “EU shaping” system that emphasises creative and innovative thinking beyond existing institutional and financial frameworks.Wirtschaf