An independent non-profit think tank, EGMONT – The Royal Institute for International Relations prides itself on its total academic freedom, with policy research at its core. Founded in 1947 by a group of Belgian politicians, EGMONT receives a substantial proportion of their funding from the Foreign Ministry of Belgium as well as from EU institutions, membership fees and private partners. Their three research programmes consider European Affairs (with an emphasis on the single market, climate, energy and the EU budget), Europe in the world and Africa (focusing on sub-Saharan and Central Africa). Located in the prestigious Egmont Palace in Brussels, EGMONT provides a training programme for civil servants and a forum for visiting heads of state. Led by director general Hugues Chantry, whose ambassadorial career has included stints in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, EGMONT is currently pioneering the Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture (MENARA) project, mapping geopolitical shifts in the Middle East and North Africa.
