Centre for European Policy
The Centre for European Policy (German: cep | Centrum für Europäische Politik [1]) (cep) is a German think tank whose task it is to evaluate the European Union’s draft laws and legislation on the basis of ordoliberal free market criteria. Established in 2006 under the umbrella of the Stiftung Ordnungspolitik foundation, the cep is based in Freiburg.[2] It is headed by Lüder Gerken, chairman of the executive board of the Stiftung Ordnungspolitik and the Friedrich-August-von-Hayek Foundation. Members of the board of trustees include Roman Herzog, Leszek Balcerowicz, Frits Bolkestein, Udo Di Fabio, Jürgen Stark, Holger Steltzner and Hans Tietmeyer.[3]
Aims and objectives
cep works at the interface between science, politics and the public, and its aim is to consolidate, at EU level, policy which orients itself towards freedom and a free market economy while reducing regulation and red-tape to a minimum. As a centre of expertise, cep builds a bridge between EU politics and public awareness of EU politics in Germany. Through dialogue with academics, political decision-makers, the media and the public, cep develops strategies and concepts for the economic policy of the EU, monitors the EU’s most current political projects in a constructive and independent manner, and creates transparency and awareness for European policy and its impact on Germany.
cep endeavours to inform the public about developments at EU level and the impact of EU policy, at the same time proposing concrete options for action. In addition, cep produces expert reports and analyses and advises politicians from all parties on EU economic policies. The academic foundation of the work are ordoliberal free market principles.
The foundation strives to maintain and further develop the ordoliberal tradition of the Freiburg School of Economics. This school of thought was originally founded by Walter Eucken, substantially refined by Friedrich August von Hayek and put into political practice by Ludwig Erhard, the Minister for Economic Affairs who helped ignite the economic miracle in post-war Germany.
The foundation drafts realizable policy options and advocates public discussion of ordoliberal concepts and ideas. To this end, it regularly organises lectures and panel discussion with well-known politicians, scientists and economists such as Angela Merkel, Günter Oettinger, Wolfgang Schäuble, Jürgen Stark and Jens Weidmann.[4]
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Coordinates: 47°59′32″N 7°50′55″E / 47.99222°N 7.84861°E