Founded in 1992 by Philippe Herzog, Jean-Pierre Brard, Jean-Christophe Le Duigou, Jean Peyrelevade and Michel Rocard, Confrontations Europe is an association that brings together European citizens and decision-makers with a variety of interests and diverse backgrounds from different countries in Europe. Its newsletter has a European readership network of 30,000. It is not political affiliated.

Claude Fischer chairs the association, assisted by a vice-presidency consisting of Jean-Paul Bailly, Marcel Grignard, Alain Lamassoure and Philippe Herzog as founding chairman.
The organisation has become an important network of citizens and European players, a European think tank renowned in Brussels and an active civil lobby to the institutions.
More information on the team and vice-presidency 

Its aims

To extend our national culture and involve French citizens in the construction of Europe.
To foster exchange and encounters between French people and other Europeans.
To promote the development of a civil European society.
To contribute to the development and the implementation of a social, economic and cultural European project.
To influence political decisions and strategies drawn up by key players.

Its method

Collate the views and experience of a range of stakeholders and foster collaboration to develop analyses and options.
Create a network of ‘Confrontations’ correspondents, partners and associations both at a regional and European level.
Enhance the public debate and work towards making conflicts more constructive in France and in Europe.
Enter into dialogue with national and European institutions.

Its projects

Thanks to its work as an observer of the European Union’s institutions agenda, it offers an analysis and an expertise on economic, financial, social and political issues on the European Agenda.

Its MEPs Club, “Europe@Work”, is led by a Steering Committee of 8 members: Elisa Ferreira (PT, S&D), Robert Goebbels (LU, S&D), Gunnar Hökmark (SW, PPE), Inigo Mendes de Vigo (ES, PPE), Andreas Schwab (DE, PPE), Josef Szajer (HU, PPE), Alain Lamassoure (FR, PPE) and Philippe Herzog. It is composed of around 40 MEPs from different political groups and countries.

After the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty, Confrontations Europe went on a “Tour around Europe” to dialogue with Europeans and to work with them towards an option of a “New Single European Act”. Today, the association fosters deeper integration of the internal Market, the implementation of structuring projects in Europe and the reform of the economic and monetary Union.

The organisation has many publications: Confrontations Europe, La Revue, of which 30 000 copies are distributed; Interface, the e-newsletter of the Brussels Office; L’Option of Confrontations Europe, which analyses pressing issues and the books in our collection « Europe after Europe » Editions Le Manuscrit.

Each year it organizes numerous symposiums and conferences.

The initiatives and publications are prepared by working groups, which gather around 1,000 people who debate socio-economic and cultural issues high on the European agenda.