‘Geo-Politics, Shifting power, Europe, Development Policies’

For the first meeting of the The Best of the European Think Tanks series, we have invited three of the most important think tanks in Europe, the expertise of which is particularly respected: the European Centre for Development Policy Management, Friends of Europe, and the Egmont Institute – Royal Institute for International Relations. Geert Laporte, Shada Islam and Johan Verbeke will first introduce their respective think tanks, their missions and their objectives – financial included. They will then talk about Europe and their aid policy for economic development. They will raise in particular the situation of Africa and the role of China in this respect, as well as discussing migratory issues and the major donors in economic development aid.
Kim Duchateau (B) will be sketching live during the event.

Geert Laporte is Deputy Director of the European Centre for Development Policy Management, specialised in the economic development of the European Union and its international relations, in particular with the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. He is responsible for the think tank’s relations with national, European and international political institutions.
Shada Islam, Director of Europe and Geopolitics at Friends of Europe, Shada is particularly interested in the future of European integration, in development, in the issue of migration and the Asian continent. She teaches Euro-Asian relations at the College of Europe, and regularly contributes to numerous international reviews. According to Politico (Washington) she is among the 20 most influential women in Brussels. 
Johan Verbeke, President of the Egmont Institute – Royal Institute for International Relations, has been Belgium’s ambassador to the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and the United States. He has also held high international office as the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations in Georgia, and the Head of the UN Observation Mission in Georgia.