High Level Group

What High Level Group does

High Level Groups (HLG) is a Brussels-headquartered, independent tripartite policy innovation platform operated through the Belgian non-profit Centre Condorcet asbl (RPR Brussel BE0776 955 251). It was initiated by a Council Presidency in 2012 and runs nine active High Level Groups — Financing Sustainability Transition, Managing Sustainability Transition, Accelerating Sustainability Technologies, Trade & Economic Resilience, Clean Energies & Supply Security, Agri-food System Innovation, Forest & Biomaterial, Neighbourhood Interdependency, and African Partnerships — each chaired by a former senior policymaker (including Pietro Carlo Padoan, Johannes Hahn, Manuel Heitor, Peter Altmaier, Andris Piebalgs, Phil Hogan, Esko Aho, Sir Ivan Rogers and Mukhisa Kituyi). Four earlier HLGs (Citizenship Innovation, Governance Innovation, Innovation Policy Management, Systems Innovation) have concluded their mandates.

The product is the HLG methodology itself: temporary public-private think tanks that hold structured dialogues between experts from public administrations, business, academia and other think tanks, participating voluntarily ad personam, to produce diplomatically transparent policy proposals. The methodology is positioned as fundamentally different from the Commission's formal high level groups because HLG sets its own agenda and is not bound by a formal mandate. Deliverables are periodic Blueprint reports (2014, 2019, 2024-2029) plus HLG-specific recommendations distributed to the Council Presidency, EU Member State governments and the European Commission; the most recent Blueprint was presented to the Belgian Council Presidency and frames the 2026 work programme, including alignment with the Letta single-market and Draghi competitiveness reports. The operational backbone is Centre Condorcet asbl, headquartered at Rue van Campenhout 22, BE-1000 Brussels, with an internal research team of approximately 18 staff (15 Senior Fellows/Researchers plus 3 Research Assistants/Project Coordinator) supporting a wider network of over 100 expert contributors.

HLG does not sell its services and does not publish financial figures. Funding is received indirectly through Centre Condorcet from foundations and corporations, governed by a structural rule that no single contribution exceeds 10% of the annual budget, which is the mechanism through which the platform preserves independence. Outputs are shared primarily with EU institutions (European Commission, Council of the EU and Member State governments) on request; reports are not commercially priced. The go-to-market is community-led and content-led: workshops and structured meetings drive top-of-funnel awareness, while reports and the Blueprint drive mid-funnel engagement with EU decision shapers. Distribution is regional (EU institutions and Member States). Strategic partners include the European Policy Centre (co-developed the Governance Innovation HLG in 2020) and INGSA (network membership for evidence-based policymaking).

Name

High Level Group

Legal name

Centre Condorcet asbl

Website

https://highlevelgroup.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

High Level Groups operates as independent tripartite policy innovation laboratories organised by Belgian non-profit Centre Condorcet asbl, bringing together over 100 experts from government, business, academia and think tanks to produce policy recommendations for EU institutions and Member States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Advisory Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Professional Organizations (813920), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA), United Nations System & Specialized Agencies (BPADAAAA)

Keywords

• Policy innovation advisory
• EU policy think tank
• Tripartite policy dialogue
• Sustainability policy research
• European policy recommendations

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Corporate Funding: Funding by foundations and corporations is indirect, through the Centre Condorcet, with no single contribution exceeding 10% of the annual budget. This ensures fully independent thinking.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

High Level Group operates as a platform of independent tripartite policy laboratories, organised by Centre Condorcet asbl, that convene senior experts from public administrations, business, academia, and think tanks to develop innovative European policy proposals. Each thematic High Level Group produces recommendations on a defined domain (e.g., sustainability transition financing, energy, trade, agri-food, neighbourhood and African partnerships), culminating in periodic Blueprint reports presented to the European Council Presidency, the European Commission, and EU Member States.

Product overview

High Level Group operates as a platform of independent tripartite policy laboratories serving European policy innovation. The core offering consists of multiple thematic High Level Groups (HLGs) focused on distinct policy domains: active groups covering Financing Sustainability Transition, Managing Sustainability Transition, Accelerating Sustainability Technology, Trade & Economic Resilience, Clean Energies & Supply Security, Agri-food System Innovation, Forest & Biomaterial, Neighbourhood Interdependency, and African Partnerships. Additionally, several former HLGs have concluded their work including those on Citizenship Innovation, Governance Innovation, Innovation Policy Management, and Systems Innovation. All groups operate through structured dialogues between experts from public administrations, business, academia, and think tanks. The organization publishes Blueprint reports and recommendations that are shared with EU Commission, Council, and Member States. The offering functions as a unified advisory platform rather than a commercial product suite.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Financing Sustainability Transition: HMG focusing on enabling financial frameworks for transition to climate-neutral and circular economy
• Managing Sustainability Transition
• Accelerating Sustainability Technologies
• Trade & Economic Resilience
• Clean Energies & Supply Security
• Agri-food System Innovation
• Forest & Biomaterial
• Neighbourhood Interdependency
• African Partnerships
• Governance Innovation
• Citizenship Innovation
• Innovation Policy Management
• Systems Innovation

Products and services

• Financing Sustainability Transition HLG An active tripartite High Level Group producing recommendations on enabling financial frameworks for the transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy, chaired by Pietro Carlo Padoan, and targeting European Council Presidency, Commission, and Member State decision-shapers.
• Managing Sustainability Transition HLG An active tripartite High Level Group proposing operational improvements in EU institutions, continuing the work of the Task Force on Sustainability Management in the Council, chaired by Johannes Hahn.
• Accelerating Sustainability Technology HLG An active tripartite High Level Group addressing regulatory and financial framework conditions for the scale-up and market access of sustainability technologies, chaired by Manuel Heitor.
• Trade & Economic Resilience HLG An active tripartite High Level Group examining the balance between the economic and social benefits of trade and resilience, chaired by Peter Altmaier.
• Clean Energies & Supply Security HLG An active tripartite High Level Group focused on the energy mix for European competitiveness and sustainability, chaired by Andris Piebalgs.
• Agri-food System Innovation HLG An active tripartite High Level Group addressing the transition to the bioeconomy, competitiveness, and sustainability in food systems, chaired by Phil Hogan.
• Forest & Biomaterial HLG An active tripartite High Level Group addressing framework conditions for bioeconomy development, chaired by Esko Aho.
• Neighbourhood Interdependency HLG An active tripartite High Level Group exploring diverse innovative models of political cooperation and economic integration, short of full membership, for neighbouring countries of the EU, chaired by Sir Ivan Rogers.
• African Partnerships HLG An active tripartite High Level Group focusing on the conceptual and operational innovation of cooperation with African countries, chaired by Mukhisa Kituyi.
• Blueprint Reports Comprehensive guidance documents synthesising HLG recommendations for EU policies, including the 2024-2029 Blueprint presented to the Belgian Council Presidency, Member State governments, and European Commission with priority on completion of the single market and improvement of policy and regulatory cohesion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blueprint presented to Belgian Council Presidency, Member States' governments and European Commission with comprehensive guidance for 2024-2029 policies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Centre Condorcet asblcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre Condorcet asbl provides the operational platform for the High Level Groups. It serves as the administrative and organizational backbone, handling funding from foundations and corporations (with no single contribution exceeding 10% of annual budget). The Centre is based in Brussels at rue van Campenhout 22.
• European Policy Centre (EPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Governance Innovation HLG was launched in 2020 in cooperation with the European Policy Centre (EPC), demonstrating a strategic partnership for policy research collaboration.
• International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe HLG is a member of INGSA, an international network for government science advice that supports evidence-based policymaking.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: Chatham House is a London-based international affairs institute with a broad policy research portfolio including trade, energy and sustainability. It is a broader incumbent that operates at the same level of policy influence as HLG but with global rather than EU-only scope.
• Carnegie Europe: Carnegie Europe is the Brussels outpost of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, covering EU foreign policy, security, trade and democracy. It is a broader incumbent addressing overlapping themes (neighbourhood, trade, governance) with HLG.

Direct peers

• European Policy Centre (EPC): EPC is a Brussels-based think tank covering EU governance, economic, foreign and sustainability policy. EPC is a direct peer and also a named strategic partner of HLG (co-launched the Governance Innovation HLG in 2020), making it both collaborator and competitor for the same institutional audience.
• Bruegel: Bruegel is a Brussels-based economic policy think tank producing independent research for EU policymakers. It directly competes with HLG on macro-economic, sustainability financing and competitiveness topics, and shares the same EU institutional client base (Commission, Council, Member States).
• Friends of Europe: Friends of Europe is a Brussels-based think-and-do tank producing policy ideas and events on EU priorities including sustainability, digitalisation, and trade. It is a direct peer, addressing the same EU institutional audience with similar convening-driven outputs.
• Jacques Delors Institute (Notre Europe): Notre Europe – Institut Jacques Delors is a Paris/Brussels-based think tank producing European integration and economic policy research. It is a direct peer of HLG on single market, competitiveness and EU governance topics.
• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): CEPS is one of the largest Brussels-based EU policy think tanks covering trade, energy, finance, agri-food and digital policy. It is a direct peer of HLG, addressing overlapping thematic domains and the same EU decision-shaper audience.
• European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR): ECFR is a pan-European foreign policy think tank with a strong focus on neighbourhood policy, trade and EU external action. It directly overlaps with HLG's Neighbourhood Interdependency, Trade & Economic Resilience, and African Partnerships HLGs.
• Centre for European Reform (CER): CER is a London-based think tank focused on EU economic, foreign and security policy reform. It is a direct peer of HLG on competitiveness, single market and EU institutional reform topics.

Others

• International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA): INGSA is an international network for evidence-based policymaking of which HLG is a member. It is an ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor, focused on building capacity for science advice to governments globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about High Level Group