Our History
For almost a decade we have been incubating a new generation of transatlantic leaders and advocating for a stronger transatlantic bond and a more united Europe.
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On December 3rd, Melina Sánchez (Yale College ’15), Igor Mitschka (Yale College ’15), Olga Karnas (Yale College ’15), and Paul Linden-Retek (Yale Law School ’14) met in Saybrook College to discuss how they could boost interest in European affairs in the United States. After long hours of discussion during that winter afternoon, they came up with what would be the beginning of an ambitious project: the European Student Conference (ESC) was born out of the idea of fostering a wider and deeper discourse on Europe among students, scholars, professors, and young professionals in the United States.
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The crucial moment came when the team had to recruit their biggest asset: the students that would be participating at ESC 2015 and that would be setting up the first chapters around the U.S. The result exceeded their expectations: 350 students from all over the country (and from Europe) applied for 80 seats. This ensured that they had the very best talent brainstorming ideas for the future of the European Union. From then on, European Horizons has hosted 8 editions of the ESC and gathered more than 1000 participants at Yale from both sides of the Atlantic, including relevant speakers such as José Manuel Barroso, Dita Charanzová, Pascal Lamy, Mary Burce Warlick, David O’Sullivan, Klaus Welle, Kristalina Georgieva and Pierre Vimont.
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At ESC 2015, the support of the academic world was essential for the first issue of the Review of European and Transatlantic Affairs (RETA), our peer-reviewed academic journal, published annually with contributions from undergraduate and graduate students, scholars, policymakers, and politicians from around the world. As the name suggests, the aim of RETA is to foster innovative ideas to address the challenges and possibilities confronting European and transatlantic affairs. Today, 11 editions of RETA have been published where more than 100 policy papers have developed tangible but ambitious solutions drawing from disciplines of philosophy, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, history, culture, and law.
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As the organization was becoming of strong interest among both American and European students, in 2016 and 2017 we hosted two Spring Forums in Washington DC to debrief and discuss pertinent issues in the transatlantic sphere. The forum brought together leaders from different generations to build fresh visions for future transatlantic security and empower and equip students with the means to act as leaders in uncertain times. Speakers included Constanze Stelzenmüller, Jane Harman, Frederick Kempe and David H. Petraeus.
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Conceived in 2015, the Digital Economy Youth Summit (DEYS) was the first event that European Horizons organized on European soil. Following our first annual Forum that same year, we established the principles of European Horizons, two of which are greater European integration and deeper transatlantic relations. These principles gave birth to a new series of Digital Economy Youth Summits between 2016 and 2019 which were hosted at the College of Europe and Cambridge University. Relevant speakers such as President Viktor Yushchenko and Ambassador Francis Martin O’Donnell were invited with the aim of elaborating and furthering a set of policy options that current young leaders deem essential for advancing the transatlantic digital agenda.
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From 2015 onwards, European Horizons has demonstrated consistent growth, reaching more than 1100 members in 63 university chapters across 3 continents in 2018, including Harvard University, College of Europe, Stanford University, Sciences Po and Oxford University, among others.
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In cooperation with ASKO Europa Stiftung’s long-standing Mindset Europe series and Nomos, in 2019 we were able to publish our first book, How Can Digital Technologies Build a More Integrated Europe: Exploring Digital Progress. The anthology presents work on the impact of technological change on political, economic, and social factors in Europe and the ways in which the region can leverage technology to ensure a more prosperous future for the region. Following its great success, in 2022, we had the opportunity to publish our second book, Cornerstones for an Evolving Europe: New Policy Approaches to Economic Development, Environmental Policy, and Human Rights, again in partnership with ASKO Europa Stiftung and Nomos. The book explores COVID-19 as a starting point for new European approaches to economic policy, human rights, and the environment. The anthology collects wide-ranging essays on topics from energy and forestry to urban design and migration policy.
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To further expand our reach and impact worldwide, as well as leverage a new reality due to the pandemic, in the fall of 2020 we organized an online introductory conference on policymaking, the Fall Policy Workshop. Since then, the Fall Policy Workshop has exposed more than 300 students to the policy making sphere through a mix of keynote speeches and discussion panels by seasoned decision makers as well as technical workshops about the policy cycle: from the policy design to its impact assessment. Speakers have included Tom Howes, head of the Energy and Environment Division at the International Energy Agency.
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At EYE 2021 we were generously invited by the European Parliament to host a standout crisis simulation. As security threats to the EU are increasingly diverse, ranging from climate change to cybersecurity, we asked ourselves how the EU should respond to these threats and how they can work together with partners to counter them effectively. To find an answer, more than 40 participants responded to a cyberattack against a hospital during a deadly heatwave by taking on the role of an EU, American or NATO official. Despite conflicting interests and information, the different teams managed to develop a concrete response to the crisis, displaying a truly transatlantic spirit.
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As well as organizing introductory workshops to policy making, in 2020 we came up with the idea that, as students, we had to start making a tangible impact from a local level. The European Horizons Policy Competition was therefore idealized and executed. Its first edition in collaboration with the city of New Orleans gathered passionate young leaders from 39 universities across Europe, North America, and Asia to design a viable policy solution to the city-specific pressing environmental issues. Its second edition in 2022 in collaboration with the city of Ghent reunited more than 60 students to discuss how to foster political awareness among youngsters in light of the European elections in 2024. In both cases, the winning policy memo was taken into consideration by the relevant municipality and implemented accordingly.
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Building on its past achievements, European Horizons is now launching the “Transatlantic Leaders Fellowship Programme” – a transformative vocational journey for students to join across our global chapter network where our conferences, policy projects, and publications unite into one dynamic framework fit for youth-led policy incubation. Around 80 outstanding students from both Europe and North America will access the knowledge, skills, and channels to advocate for their ideas for a stronger transatlantic bond and a more united Europe, ultimately crafting a Public Policy Consultation advocating for real and tangible change.
