ETTGers convened in Maastricht for the network’s 3rd Annual Retreat, hosted ECDPM on the margins of the 5th ETTG Annual Dialogue. Building on previous gatherings in Rome and Paris, the annual retreat provides a vital space for researchers, directors and sherpas to reflect on think tank management while identifying emerging, strategic priorities for joint European research on global development.
This year’s strategic sessions addressed two critical dimensions of our collective work:
Reforming the Multilateral Trade Agenda: In a context marked by geopolitical fragmentation, economic nationalism and the paralysis of traditional multilateral institutions, the global trade landscape is undergoing a structural transformation. Discussions focused on the European Union’s efforts to balance “Open Strategic Autonomy” with new defensive instruments, unilateral sustainability measures such as the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and long-term partnerships across the Global South. Led by insights from Axel Berger (IDOS) and Ettore Greco (IAI), and moderated by San Bilal (ECDPM), members explored frameworks to align EU economic security with equitable, sustainable global development, setting out pathways for collective research on trade policy adaptation amidst the green and digital transitions.
Evaluating Impact: Amid shifting political mandates, budgetary pressures and rapid technological change, members evaluated how policy networks convert shared evidence into meaningful influence across EU institutions and partner countries. Introductory remarks from Mariana Camelo (ETTG), Anna Schuesterl (ODI Global) and Ángel Badillo (Elcano Royal Institute), moderated by Daniele Fattibene (ETTG), opened a two-fold debate. Participants examined methods to enhance network outreach in European decision-making, alongside a timely discussion on how artificial intelligence tools, including specialised internal platforms are transforming research management, discoverability, and communications in AI-driven search environments.
The outcomes of these discussions, opened and concluded by our Director Iliana Olivié (ETTG / Elcano), will directly inform ETTG’s collective research agenda and institutional priorities over the coming year.
