Center for European Policy Analysis

Center for European Policy Analysis
Name	Center for European Policy Analysis
Type	Think tank
Founded	2005
Founder	Randy Scheunemann
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Focus	European security, transatlantic relations, energy security

Center for European Policy Analysis is an American think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., focused on analysis of European security, transatlantic relations, and strategic competition. Founded in 2005, the organization engages with policymakers, scholars, and commentators across NATO, the European Union, and partner capitals to influence policy debates on Russia, Ukraine, energy, and defense. Its work intersects with institutions such as NATO, the European Commission, the Bundestag, and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

History

The organization was established in 2005 amid debates following the Iraq War and the enlargement of NATO and the European Union, interacting with figures from the Bush administration, the Obama administration, and the Trump administration. Early engagements connected the institution with NATO Enlargement, Baltic States, Visegrád Group, and leaders from Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia. Its 2010s activities involved analyses related to the Crimean crisis (2014), the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and responses coordinated by European Council summits, the G7 and the G20. During the 2020s, the institution contributed commentary on the Russian invasion of Ukraine (2022), sanctions policy discussed at the United Nations Security Council, and energy security debates involving Nord Stream projects and the European Green Deal. Prominent interlocutors have included officials from the U.S. Department of State, the German Bundestag, the French National Assembly, and the Office of the President of Ukraine.

Mission and Activities

The organization's stated mission emphasizes strengthening transatlantic cooperation among allies such as United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Poland to deter revisionist powers including Russian Federation and to support partners like Ukraine and Georgia. Activities span publishing policy briefs for members of U.S. Congress, organizing panels with representatives from European Commission, advising on defense planning discussed at NATO Summit meetings, and briefing delegations from European Parliament committees. It examines energy supply chains involving Gazprom, infrastructure debates exemplified by Nord Stream 2, and sanctions frameworks coordinated with the European Council. The institution has engaged analysts from think tanks such as Brookings Institution, Atlantic Council, Chatham House, and German Marshall Fund.

Research Programs and Publications

Research programs focus on security studies relating to Eastern Europe, Central Europe, and the Baltic Sea Region, with thematic work on cybersecurity incidents like those attributed to actors tied to GRU operations and on information warfare techniques associated with RT (TV network), Sputnik (news agency), and proxy networks. Publications include policy memos, strategic assessments, working papers, and edited volumes that reference legal instruments like the Helsinki Accords, Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances, and sanctions under European Union law. Analysts produce content on energy geopolitics involving Nord Stream, Yamal-Europe pipeline, and liquefied natural gas imports from suppliers including Qatar and United States Department of Energy-authorized exporters. The organization’s authors have cited historical precedents such as the Yalta Conference, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, and the Warsaw Pact to contextualize present-day security dilemmas, and have collaborated with academics from Harvard University, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Oxford, and London School of Economics.

Events and Outreach

The organization hosts conferences, roundtables, and speaker series featuring policymakers, military officers, and scholars such as representatives from the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives, the Bundeswehr, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, and the National Defense University. Annual forums have drawn ambassadors from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and delegations from European Commission cabinets. Public events have featured commentators from media outlets like The Washington Post, The New York Times, Financial Times, Politico, and Bloomberg News. Outreach includes testimony before committees such as the House Foreign Affairs Committee and briefings for staffers of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources reported in public disclosures include philanthropic foundations, corporate donors, and individual contributors, interacting with entities tied to the energy sector, defense contractors, and transatlantic foundations such as the Smith Richardson Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Open Society Foundations. Governance is overseen by a board including former diplomats, military officers, and policy experts with connections to institutions like the U.S. Department of Defense, Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), and national foreign ministries. Senior fellows and advisors have backgrounds from Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Council, and academic chairs at Georgetown University and George Washington University.

Impact and Reception

The organization’s research has been cited in discussions at NATO Summit meetings, in briefings to the U.S. Congress, and in analyses by media outlets such as BBC News, Deutsche Welle, Le Monde, and Der Spiegel. Supporters highlight contributions to policy debates on aid to Ukraine and sanctions on the Russian Federation; critics have queried ties to donors linked to the energy and defense sectors and debated methodological approaches in reports cited by outlets like Reuters and Associated Press. Its influence is reflected in collaborations with European Parliament committees, engagements with the Atlantic Council, and participation in Track II dialogues with counterparts from Turkey, Sweden, Finland, and Romania.

Category:Think tanks based in the United States