After a 35-year diplomatic career all around the world, Johan Verbeke is back in Brussels. He will be the new CEO of the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations. The Egmont Institute is an independent think tank that conducts interdisciplinary research in a spirit of total academic freedom. The Institute plays an essential role in complementing traditional Belgian foreign policy.
In addition to being a research center, the Egmont Institute also organizes events - such as conferences or symposia - for researchers, as well as for Belgian and foreign diplomats who can attend training courses.
The organization is constantly progressing in international think tank rankings, which Johan Verbeke attributes to its audacity in proposing new thoughts. The new Director General, who has a very modern vision of diplomacy, considers that “it is not always optimal to base oneself on the past; we must find new and creative solutions that are adapted to current situations. It is also necessary to desacralize international institutions and assess their importance through their operational value and the quality of their actions. Finally, we must go beyond the old practices of absolute secrecy and go towards a public diplomacy".
To read his inaugural speech go to: http://www.egmontinstitute.be/content/uploads/2017/08/Welcome-Address-of-the-new-Director-General-aug-2017.pdf
