Our story

The Ukrainian Think Tanks Liaison Office in Brussels (hereafter – the Office) is a non-profit organisation that unites leading Ukrainian think tanks, whose unique mission is to advance Ukraine’s reforms and its European integration.

The idea of establishing a liaison office in Brussels emerged as a response of the Ukrainian expert community to the need of increasing its impact on both Ukraine’s European integration policy and the EU’s policy towards Ukraine.

The story of the Office dates back to autumn 2013, when Olena Carbou, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Office, held consultations with non-governmental think tanks in Kyiv. Nine of them supported the idea and together with Olena made their first fees and contributions. This enabled the Office to start its activities in Brussels in early 2014. In April 2014, the Office has been officially registered in Belgium as a non-profit organisation (ASBL).

We believe that with our help, the Ukrainian expert opinion has earned its independent voice in the EU, which is to be strengthened through all possible channels.

Today, the Office represents and unites think tanks that focus on a wide array of Ukraine-related issues, provide high-quality research and policy recommendations as well as influence, monitor, and evaluate the implementation of reforms.

In 2021, for the fifth year in a row, the Office has been included into the list of the top think tank networks worldwide according to the University of Pennsylvania’s Global Go To Think Tank Index, the most widely cited and influential index of think tanks.