Annual report: our work in 2022

“Increased defence needs, supply chain disruptions, an influx of refugees, as well as the growing energy and cost-of-living crises, came to the fore. Nevertheless, long-standing challenges persisted. More than ever before, our societies faced the urgency to reinforce and strengthen democracy, equality of opportunity and sustainability,” write Geert Cami, Co-Founder and Secretary-General at Friends of Europe, and Thomas Leysen, President of the Governing Board of Friends of Europe.

2022 was a transition year for Friends of Europe, while it established its internal thinking on the Renewed Social Contract and ensured that it becomes the overarching narrative of the organisation’s work through 2030. The Renewed Social Contract was embedded across all areas of expertise and is now the lens through which we present ourselves to the world.

• 77 events, with 500+ speakers and 5,000 participants
• 180+ publications, articles and podcast episodes
• 2,600 media mentions
• 327,000 followers and 84.3mn+ impressions on social media
• Debating Europe: welcomed 2,100+ participants and reached 2mn+ citizens through 210+ debates, panels, democracy workshops and focus group reports
• Africa-Europe Foundation: 190+ Strategy and High-Level Group members and Women Leaders; and 40+ international and local initiatives

• January: In the weeks leading up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Friends of Europe launched its Frankly Speaking Podcast
• and evaluated its planned activities to address the mounting consequences of Russia’s aggression.
• February: Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme welcomed a new class of 46 young leaders and hosted its spring seminar. Meanwhile, the Africa-Europe Foundation partnered during Africa-Europe Week.
• April: Our Balkan Journey initiative formed a working group on women’s economic empowerment in the Western Balkans.
• May: Our tabletop exercise brought together public-private civil society actors on the topic of boosting public-private cooperation in hybrid crises.
• June: Friends of Europe held its annual Climate and Energy Summit and organised its first-ever Making Space Matter Summit, which saw the launch of our tenth European Defence Study. The Africa-Europe Foundation launched its Working Group on Climate Adaptation.
• September: The Transatlantic Climate Dialogue series concluded at the EYL40 autumn seminar and Friends of Europe completed the first iteration of its Iran in Focus programme.
• October: Our President’s Gala Dinner centred around womanity and the State of Europe high-level roundtable marked the starting point for the definition of ‘10 policy choices for a Renewed Social Contract for Europe’.
• November: Debating Europe and Debating Africa published its findings on young people’s perceptions on global security and the future of democracy.
• December: We closed the year with our annual Health Innovation; Peace, Security & Defence; and EU-Western Balkans summits, as well as the Europe-China Forum.

Learn more about our work in 2022 here.