The Renaissance Europe Institute is a Europe-based Think Tank dedicated to advancing a unified, more competitive and strategically independent Europe — through independent analysis, serious discussion, and a clear commitment to Europe's long-term strength.
The Renaissance Europe Institute is a Europe-based Think Tank dedicated to advancing a unified, more competitive and strategically independent Europe.
We focus on the economic, industrial, technological, financial, energy and geopolitical foundations required for Europe to remain a leading global power in the 21st century.
Through research, public debate, policy events and high-level convening, the Institute brings together policymakers, executives, investors, academics and leaders from strategic sectors to discuss the long-term future of Europe.
Our thesis is simple: Europe has the talent, capital, institutions and industrial base to lead globally, but it must overcome fragmentation, strengthen its strategic sectors and build deeper coordination across capital markets, defence, energy, technology and industry.
The Renaissance Europe Institute exists to contribute to that debate — with independent analysis, serious discussion and a clear commitment to Europe's long-term strength.
Our research is organised across five interlocking programmes — capital markets, regulatory integration, defence, energy sovereignty, and industry and technology. Each programme works with advisory committees of practitioners drawn from policy, finance, industry, and academia to pressure-test analysis before publication. Output is structured into three formats: long-form strategic blueprints, executive briefs, and embargoed memos circulated to subscribers of The Long View.
We convene policymakers, executives, investors, academics and leaders from strategic sectors through off-the-record working sessions and public events — creating the conditions for serious discussion about Europe's long-term future.
We do not accept funding from sovereign states, single corporations, or political parties. We do not publish work we cannot defend on its evidentiary merits. The full editorial policy lives here.
The name is deliberate. The European Renaissance was a moment when fragmented city-states discovered that scale — of capital, of talent, of institutional ambition — produced a step-change in continental capacity. The same logic applies today. Europe is not short of ingredients. It is short of the coordination, integration, and strategic alignment required to deploy them at continental scale.
This is not a romantic exercise. The next decade will determine whether Europe remains a secondary player in a system shaped by others, or re-emerges as a central force in global economics and geopolitics.
Each focus area maps to a structural condition that must change for Europe to lead globally. Together they describe the continental agenda — capital, regulation, energy, industry, and defence.
Europe holds one of the largest pools of private wealth globally, yet a disproportionate share remains in low-yield deposits. Redirecting this capital into equities, venture, infrastructure, and strategic industries is essential to scaling European companies and increasing global market share.
Divergent national rules continue to fragment markets, limit cross-border investment, and prevent firms from scaling efficiently. A unified rulebook is not a political ambition — it is an economic necessity.
Sustainable growth requires abundant, secure, and competitively priced energy. Europe must achieve full energy sovereignty through a diversified system combining renewables, nuclear, large-scale electrification, storage, grid infrastructure, hydrogen, and next-generation technologies.
Europe must move beyond preserving existing industries and actively build new global leaders. This requires coordinated public and private investment, regulatory support, and a clear strategy to dominate high-value sectors.
Economic power without hard power is structurally incomplete. Europe must develop the capability to defend its interests independently and operate as a credible geopolitical actor.
The Renaissance Europe Institute exists to contribute to that effort — through independent analysis and a clear commitment to Europe's long-term strength.
Each programme publishes long-form strategic blueprints, executive briefs, and quarterly outlooks. Outputs are sequenced against measurable continental milestones, not against the news cycle.
Turn the €33 trillion in European household savings and pension assets into productive investment at continental scale — funding European companies, infrastructure, and global expansion.
End fragmentation in regulation, taxation, and corporate law. Build a unified single market with the execution discipline to scale startups into global champions before they leave the continent.
Develop full-spectrum defence, space, cyber, and intelligence capabilities, with interoperable procurement and credible deterrence — to protect and project European interests independently of any single ally.
Secure abundant, low-cost, low-carbon energy across nuclear, renewables, grid, and storage. Eliminate external dependence and restore European industrial competitiveness on energy-intensive value chains.
Build the regulatory frameworks, capital pipelines, and public-private partnerships that prioritise European companies in strategic sectors — semiconductors, AI, biotech, advanced materials, and space.
A working snapshot of the continental indicators that define Europe's strategic position — benchmarked against the United States, China, and the G7. Sourced from Eurostat, ECB, IEA, and NATO.
Aggregated EU GDP at market prices. The continent remains the world's third-largest economic bloc, but growth has trailed the US for nine of the last twelve years.
Total European household financial assets. Roughly 35% sits in low-yield deposits — capital that a real Savings & Investments Union could redirect into productive equity.
Aggregate EU defence outlays in 2025, up sharply since 2022 but still fragmented across 27 procurement cycles and seven non-interoperable platforms.
Net energy imports to the EU‑27. Down from peak 2022 levels but still equal to ~2.3% of GDP — the structural cost of incomplete energy sovereignty.
Total market capitalisation of EU‑listed equities — roughly 28% of the comparable US figure, illustrating the depth gap a Capital Markets Union would close.
EU R&D spending as % of GDP. Below the Lisbon Strategy 3% target set in 2000, and well behind innovation peers, with high variance across member states.
Combined EU‑27 population. The single largest integrated consumer base in the OECD — but split across 24 official languages and 27 regulatory regimes.
EU share of global cleantech manufacturing capacity. The continent leads on offshore wind and electrolysers but trails on solar PV, batteries, and grid hardware.
The Institute was founded in January 2026. Each milestone below corresponds to a published commitment — a paper, a programme, a convening — not to an announcement.
The Renaissance Europe Institute was established as an independent, non-partisan policy platform focused on European integration and strategic autonomy.
Capital markets, single market, defence, energy, and industry — each with an advisory committee of practitioners drawn from policy, finance, and industry.
A weekly editorial briefing circulated to policymakers, institutional investors, and operators across the continent.
Including 'Reclaiming German Power' and 'What the European Union Needs to Become a Global Superpower'.
Closed-door working session bringing together senior policymakers, industrialists, investors, and military leaders.
"We do not accept funding from sovereign states, single corporations, or political parties. The integrity of our analysis is the only product we sell. "
The Renaissance Europe Institute is constituted as a non-profit foundation under Belgian law. We are financed by a diversified base of individual donors, philanthropic foundations, and subscriber revenue from The Long View.
No single funder represents more than 6% of annual revenue. Funders have no influence over editorial direction. Specific funding sources for any working paper are disclosed on the published version.
The full independence framework — including disclosures, conflict-of-interest rules, and donor caps — is published in our editorial policy.
We welcome research commissions, off-the-record briefing requests, press enquiries, and applications to contribute to our work. Pick the route that fits.
