Foundation
In July 2020, two friends decided it was time to take action.
The world had moved on since they first met in the corridors of the European Commission some twenty years earlier.
They had worked in politics, academia and business and had always had a passion for history, writing and taking part in the public debate.
Inspired by working in Moscow and elsewhere in the world, Hans had just finished his book The Strongmen. Luuk was writing Pandemonium, the story of Europe’s moment of loneliness during Covid-19, wedged between China and Trump’s America.
Both concluded that more strategic thinking about Europe was urgently needed, as well as a dedicated hub in Brussels to provide it. By the start of 2022, three EU governments had said they were willing to support building such a place. That created sufficient momentum to bring Sébastien on board, do the legal paperwork and give a name to the institute.
In October of that year, the political foundation stone for BIG was laid in Prague. The institute’s construction could now start in earnest, with its first publications, new backers and an expanding team.
“Nous sommes à un moment décisif. J’ai la conviction que l’Europe doit apprendre à agir, mais aussi à penser, de façon géopolitique. L’institut géopolitique de Bruxelles sera un catalyseur clé pour articuler les intérêts stratégiques proprement européens.”
— Emmanuel Macron, Président de la République française
“Europa erlebt eine Zeitenwende. Wir müssen gemeinsam einen Weg finden, damit Europa überleben und eine starke Position unter den anderen großen Akteuren auf der Weltbühne behalten kann. Deshalb kommt diese Initiative zur rechten Zeit und ist sehr sinnvoll.”
— Olaf Scholz, Bundeskanzler der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
“I applaud this courageous initiative. It will augment geopolitical thinking at the very heart of the EU, in Brussels. I hope other member states will soon join us in supporting this project, allowing BIG to grow into a convening power for strategic expertise from across the continent.”
— Mark Rutte, Minister-president van Nederland