Alfred von Oppenheim-Center for European Policy Studies
The Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies (AOZ) was established at the German Council on Foreign Relations in 2006. Since then the Oppenheim Center has become a place for the research and analysis of current European issues as well as a forum for European and international researchers and practitioners to meet and discuss, for example in the framework of the “Brussels Briefing” event series.
The AOZ team is looking beyond the current questions of European integration, focusing on the future of the European Union. The traditional expectations of Europe – peace and freedom – remain a challenge to future European politics. After many decades of internal reforms and several rounds of enlargement, the European Union must be assessed in its ability to preserve the continent’s international relevance in the future.
A first touchstone for the European Union’s presence and credibility will be the enlargement policies towards the Western Balkans and Turkey along with the neighbourhood policies in the Mediterranean, the Southern Caucasus and Eastern Europe. Also, energy and climate issues on both regional and international levels are of major importance for the future of the European Union. Here, it will be the core challenge to organize a reliable and efficient transition towards a sustainable system of energy supply.
With regard to these and other European issues the AOZ aims to be a forum of strategic analysis. European politics is no longer a separate field of research; “Europe“ is a topic of horizontal relevance. Therefore, the aim of the AOZ is to think politics in a “European way” and to bring together people from various backgrounds.
