Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes

What Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes does

The Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes (CIIE) is a non-profit association based in Strasbourg, France, that operates as the local node of the Europe Direct network, the European Commission's official EU public information system. Founded in 1995 with 15 employees, the center provides free educational services about European Union institutions, the Council of Europe, and European integration to two primary constituencies: school students from CM1 to Terminale (grades 4 through 12) and the general public, including civic associations, students, and community groups in the Alsace/Grand Est region. The organization is legally domiciled in France as an association à but non lucratif and is also known by its operating name "Europe Direct Strasbourg."

CIIE's core offerings form a portfolio of educational and informational services rather than a unified software platform. These include interactive school animations (delivered both on-site and in schools), public conferences and exhibitions, a documentation/resource center, the Eurorépertoire directory cataloging 222 international and European organizations in the Upper Rhine region, pedagogical kits available for loan, radio broadcasts on European topics, regular newsletters, and a membership program called Le Club Europe. The underlying technology is largely content-based, comprising teaching materials, reference documentation, and a maintained online directory, with no proprietary software, mobile application, or API offering.

The business model is a non-profit public service model with zero commercial revenue. All services are provided free of charge, funded by European Union program grants channeled through the Europe Direct network. Distribution is hybrid: physical (on-site visits to the Strasbourg center at 8 rue Boecklin, plus mobile outreach to schools across Alsace) and digital (multilingual website in French, English, and German, plus active social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, X, and Flickr). The center maintains a privileged position through formal partnerships with the European Parliament, Council of Europe, European Court of Human Rights, and the Lieu d'Europe facility, leveraging its geographic location in Strasbourg's European Quarter.

Name

Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes

Legal name

Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes (CIIE)

Website

https://strasbourg-europe.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CIIE is a Strasbourg-based non-profit association operating as the Europe Direct Strasbourg center, providing free educational programs and documentation about EU institutions and the Council of Europe to school students (CM1 to Terminale) and the general public in the Grand Est region, funded by EU programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Strasbourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Non-profit public service funding: As a non-profit association and part of the Europe Direct network, CIIE operates with public funding from European Union programs rather than commercial revenue generation. Services are provided free of charge to the public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CIIE provides free public information and civic education services about European Union and Council of Europe institutions from its Strasbourg headquarters. Its core offerings include interactive school animations (CM1 to Terminale), public conferences and training sessions for adult groups, a walk-in documentation and resource center, mobile exhibitions, pedagogical materials available for loan, radio broadcasts, and the Eurorépertoire directory of European organizations in the Upper Rhine region. All services are delivered free of charge as a public-interest non-profit within the official Europe Direct network.

Product overview

The Centre d'Information sur les Institutions Européennes (CIIE) is a non-profit information center operating as part of the Europe Direct network, providing public education and information services about European institutions and EU policies. Rather than a unified software platform, it offers a portfolio of educational services including school animations, public activities, a documentation center, the Eurorépertoire directory, pedagogical materials, radio broadcasts, exhibitions, the Club Europe membership program, and newsletters. The center serves as a bridge between European citizens and institutions, particularly focused on the Strasbourg European Quarter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animations scolaires Interactive educational programs for school students from CM1 (4th grade) to Terminale (final year of secondary school) to discover the European Union and European institutions in Strasbourg, delivered either at the CIIE center or directly within schools across Alsace.
• Activités grand public Interactive activities designed for adult groups including students, associations, organizations, and other collectives to deepen knowledge and exchange on European issues.
• Centre de ressources et de documentation A resource center offering documentation and brochures about European institutions, policies, and integration, accessible to the public for research and learning.
• Eurorépertoire An online directory cataloging 222 international and European organizations in the Upper Rhine region, classified by status, theme, and alphabetical order.
• Matériel pédagogique Pedagogical materials available for loan to educators and institutions for teaching about European topics.
• Émissions et chroniques radio Radio broadcasts and chronicles covering European topics and current affairs, produced and distributed by the center.
• Expositions Mobile exhibition displays available for institutions and events to educate the public about European integration and institutions.
• Le Club Europe A membership club offering exclusive access, events, and resources for members interested in European affairs and citizenship.
• Lettres d'information Regular email newsletter providing updates on European activities, news, and the center's events.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Europe Direct NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIIE operates as the Europe Direct Strasbourg center, part of the official Europe Direct information network established by the European Commission. This network provides citizens with information about the EU and serves as a bridge between European institutions and the public.
• European ParliamentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Parliament maintains its seat in Strasbourg's European Quarter where CIIE is located. CIIE provides educational services about the Parliament and coordinates visitor experiences in collaboration with the Parliament's public information services.
• Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated in the same European Quarter as CIIE in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe is the oldest European intergovernmental organization. CIIE provides information about the Council of Europe and its role in human rights and democracy across the continent.
• Lieu d'EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lieu d'Europe opened in 2014 as a citizenship education center facing the European Court of Human Rights. CIIE maintains its resource center within this facility and coordinates educational programming with the venue.
• Eurorépertoire PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCIIE maintains the Eurorépertoire, a directory cataloging 222 international and European organizations in the Upper Rhine region, including EU institutions, Council of Europe bodies, associations, consulates, and cross-border cooperation organisms.
• European Court of Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe European Court of Human Rights is located adjacent to CIIE in the European Quarter. CIIE provides educational information about the Court's role in safeguarding human rights across the 46 Council of Europe member states.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Robert Schuman Foundation: Paris-based European think tank and civic-education foundation publishing studies, organising events and running educational programmes on EU affairs. Comparable to CIIE in subject matter (European integration, citizenship) but with a research and policy-publishing orientation rather than a visitor-centre model.
• European Movement International: Pan-European umbrella organisation promoting European citizenship and civic engagement through national chapters, campaigns and educational programmes. Comparable to CIIE in mission (European civic education) but operates at continental scale rather than a single city.
• European Parliament Visitors' Centre / Parlamentarium: The European Parliament's official visitor and learning centre that delivers interactive EU education to school groups and citizens in Brussels (and via partners such as CIIE elsewhere). Comparable as a civic-education delivery channel for EU institutional knowledge.
• Council of Europe – Education Directorate: The Council of Europe's education arm runs pan-European citizenship and human-rights education programmes (e.g., Education for Democratic Citizenship) and is one of CIIE's core institutional partners. Directly comparable in pedagogical mission and target audiences.

Emerging players

• ThinkYoung: European non-profit producing research and educational programmes on EU citizenship and youth engagement. Comparable to CIIE's youth-focused animations but operates across multiple EU capitals and is research-led rather than locally embedded.

Direct peers

• Centre Européen Robert Schuman: European civic education and information foundation located in France (Scy-Chazelles, Lorraine). Provides pedagogical resources, conferences and youth programmes on European integration, closely mirroring CIIE's educational mission and French regional footprint.
• CIDEM (Citoyenneté et Démocratie): French civic-education association that produces pedagogical resources and runs educational programmes for schools on citizenship topics including Europe. Overlaps with CIIE in curriculum-aligned civic education delivered to French schools.
• Maison de l'Europe de Paris: Paris-based association offering conferences, debates and educational activities on European affairs for the general public and schools. Shares CIIE's combination of public-facing events, school outreach and European-citizenship pedagogy in a French context.
• Europe Direct Strasbourg (DBO – Documentation Bureaux d'Information): Listed as a 'doing-business-as' alias of CIIE itself; included here to signal the wider Europe Direct relay network across Europe that collectively constitutes CIIE's true peer set of similar grant-funded information centres.
• Europe Direct Paris – Île-de-France: Another official Europe Direct relay centre of the European Commission delivering free civic information and educational animations about EU institutions. Operates the same mandate, funding model and pedagogical toolkit as CIIE in a different French region, making it the closest functional peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Strasbourgeurop
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfSK5W1L97pDyEIHEKfp7CQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/EuropeDirectStrasbourg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-d-information-sur-les-institutions-europ%C3%A9ennes
• Instagraminstagram.com/europe_direct_strasbourg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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