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The European Rim

Stretching from Saint Petersburg to Port Said, and from Casablanca to the Caspian Sea, the European Rim encompasses EU candidate countries, the agricultural heartlands of Ukraine and western Russia, the immense oil deposits of the Caspian Sea and the Middle East, and the considerable human and natural resources of North Africa. It is a vast region with great economic challenges, and also great social and political turmoil.

Under the right international conditions, and with the necessary economic reforms, the region of the EU Rim promises to become a major source of economic growth, giving the euro-zone such trade and investment dynamism once associated with the Pacific Rim.

The years to come, will be critical for the European project, and the European Rim. By 2008, the European Union has reached 27 members, and is poised to embrace the remainder of the Balkans. The EU's  last round of enlargement has resulted in the accession and the integration of countries from the post Soviet sphere. The promise of further economic co-operation with countries of Central Asia must be an important focus for EU policy.

Efforts at resolving the long-standing Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as a hoped-for democratic transition in post-war Iraq could greatly affect the positive business environment in the Middle East. In the Eastern Mediterranean a promise of a resolution of the equally long stranding Greek-Turkish dispute over Cyprus and the Aegean continental shelf, would also open broad new economic horizons in the region.

EU relations with North Africa are marked by the importance of the Mediterranean as a major trading artery, as well as shared security concerns regarding among other things illegal immigration and terrorism.

The European Union agenda for the next few years will be dominated by the implementation of a truly Common, Foreign and Security Policy. As regards defense and trade issues, in general, the way in which the EU interacts with the United States as well as Russia will have a major impact on the future development of the European Rim.

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Founded in 2001, The European Rim Policy and Investment Council is a network of professionals, academics, former and acting diplomats, politicians and policymakers, business firms and non-governmental organizations.

Mission Statement:

ERPIC is committed to advancing mutual understanding between Europe, and its neighbours, by promoting closer economic, social and political interaction between the European Union, and its periphery.

Aims:

ERPIC brings together members of business, investment, policy, media and academic communities to reflect on the problems and challenges facing the regions that border the European Union.

ERPIC analyses the implications of the policies of the EU, as well as those of individual EU and non-EU member states.

ERPIC acts as a resource centre for those with business and policy interests in the European Rim by providing information and risk assessment relevant to policy-makers, regional and global companies, and international investors.

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Roundtables:

Hosted by member institutes and businesses, ERPIC roundtables focus on subjects of concern to policymakers, businessmen and investors in the various regions of the European Rim.

Conferences:

ERPIC conferences provide a platform for the analysis, evaluation and development of political and economic strategies that further interact with the European periphery.

Reports:

Commissioned from experts, ERPIC reports analyse the impacts of new thinking on existing regional, economic, security and other policies.

Interviews:

ERPIC interviews are conducted with interesting actors in the political, economic and business environment of the European Rim.

Electronic Journal:

ERPIC Publications is an online compilation of studies, articles, working papers, reports, interviews, reviews and other material.

ERPIC is an independent, non-government, non-profit, member supported organisation. Membership of the Council is by invitation, and consists of business and professional firms as well as individual businessmen, policymakers, investors, professionals, journalists, scholars, and analysts with interests in the regions bordering the European Union.

ERPIC is governed by a Board of Directors that are directly responsible to the Members of the Council.

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ERPIC, co-operates closely with the IEM over several programmes with a special focus on the region of the EU Rim.

The IEM is an international non-governmental organisation that reaches out to civil society founded on democratic principles, and the respect for human rights. It now has 44 national councils, and 23 member associations all working together to further the European project. The IEM since its inception following the Second World War, has played a crucial role in the creation of modern Europe. The IEM aims to influence political and cultural development in a broader European context. It provides information and analysis, but also exercises political pressure. The European Parliament, the Commission, as well as national parliaments, authorities and governments, business people and associations and NGOs have been influenced through the IEM’s network of contacts. The IEM is the only NGO of its type which covers almost all of Europe i.e. the EU countries, the candidate countries, as well as the non-candidate countries. For more information on the International European Movement, please see the following website:www.europeanmovement.eu

National Councils in the EU Member States
National Councils in the European Economic Area/ European Free Trade Association EEA/ EFTA
National Councils in the Candidate Countries
National Councils in the Acceding Countries
National Councils in the Potential Candidate Countries
National Councils in the EU Neighboring Countries

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