I.D.E.A. THE EXECUTIVE THINK TANK OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

I.D.E.A. is an advisory service that provides innovative ideas and a unique space for interdisciplinary research and collaboration on core Commission priorities. It accelerates ideas for concrete action and reports directly to the Commission President.

The mandate of I.D.E.A. is to:

1. Provide Ideas and Inspirations for the core priorities of the President, helping to provide the compass that should inform the new Commission’s policies (e.g. strategic analysis and foresight, bold ideas but also specific advice on ongoing and future priorities).
2. Debate and Engage around new-evidence-based policy alternatives in the community of think tanks, research, and other institutions through active outreach (e.g. Future of Europe Conference, connectivity with the leading thinkers and doers across Europe, different formats for different purposes from ‘brown bag seminar’ to large tech summit.
3. Accelerate the conversion of these ideas and engagements into concrete and bold Action to help the EU Commission deliver to its citizens in a fast-changing context (e.g. provide options, best practices)

I.D.E.A. will provide for support to the President on concrete initiatives, as well as policy advice of a more long-term nature.

The I.D.E.A. shall include five clusters, namely:

1. Geopolitics and Europe in the Global Order,
2. Green Deal,
3. Digital, Technology, and Innovation,
4. Social Market Economy;
5. The Future of Europe and the EU’s institutions,

and an organizational backbone to support the topical clusters, that will provide assistance along the three priorities of I.D.E.A.’s mandate:

1. Ideas and inspirations: Support with foresight, data, and policy outputs,
2. Debate and engagement: Support with thought provoking seminars and event management, dissemination of policy ideas, findings and proposals, and outreach.
3. Accelerated action: Support with evaluation of impact of ideas.

Each team will be coordinated by a Team Leader.

The Head of I.D.E.A. is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Centre. This post is ranked as Director-General. He/she may be invited to attend College meetings at the request of the President. The Head of I.D.E.A. will be assisted by two Deputy Heads who are ranked as Directors. They will replace the Head in his/her absence and will assist her/him in coordinating the different teams. A Management and Resource Unit will directly support the Head and Deputy Heads. The unit is in charge of administrative, organizational and human resources activities.

The President may decide that specific jobs may be ranked at the level of adviser or principal adviser.

Only the Head of I.D.E.A., the Deputy Heads and the Head of the Management and Resource Unit shall be entitled to the benefit provided for in the second paragraph of Article 44 of the Staff Regulations.

Of particular interest for the work of I.D.E.A. is its capacity to react to changing policy scenarios with a high degree of flexibility. This can be obtained by including on a temporary basis, linked to the Commission mandate, staff drawn from within and from outside of the Commission.

To this end, I.D.E.A. shall have a job quota allocation to be decided by the President to host a specific advisory, policy and management capacity. The related functions are filled by either officials seconded in the interest of the service, or by temporary staff  engaged, applying mutatis mutandis the Rules governing the composition of the Cabinets of the Members of the Commission and of the Spokesperson’s Service, seconded National experts and contract agents as required.

The Head of I.D.E.A., the Deputy Heads, the Advisers and Principal Advisers are designated by the President. The power of appointing authority and authority to conclude contracts of employment is exercised by the Head of .I.D.E.A. for the Deputy Heads, the advisers and the principal advisers. With regard to the Team Leaders and the Head of Unit, the power of appointing authority and authority empowered to conclude contracts of employment is exercised by the Head of I.D.E.A. in agreement with the President.