We have a pleasure to inform that Centre for International Relations has been ranked among TOP5 think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe according to the University of Pennsylvania Global Go To Think Tank Index Report for 2017. 

CASE (Center for Social and Economic Research) organized conference: “Split for a two-speed Europe. The role of think-tanks” on the occasion of “Day of think-tanks” on 30th January. Panelists on this conference were: Dr. Izabela Styczyńska (vice-president of the CASE), Michał Baranowski (director of the German Marshall Fund), Dr. Małgorzata Bonikowska (President of the CIR), Bartosz Wiśniewski (Head of the PISM Research and Analyzes Office). During the meeting, it was announced results of the Global Go To Think Tank Index 2017 (annually published by University of Pennsylvania). CIR once again was in the TOP5 of Polish think-tanks in the “Central and Eastern Europe” category.

Program Council of European Forum for New Ideas met on 29th January to discuss next meeting in Sopot which will take place on 26-29 September. Center for International Relations will be once again partner of this event. The European Forum for New Ideas is international discussion meeting of business circles on the future of Europe and its economy in broader, global context. It has been organized since 2011 by the Lewiatan Confederation, City of Sopot, and Polish and international companies and institutions.

At the time of today’s crisis, which affects us both internally and externally, it is worth looking at the world from a wider perspective - said Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, adviser to companies and financial institutions and former Prime Minister during the briefing Warsaw-Davos, which was organized by the Centre for International Relations and THINKTANK to discuss topics connected with World Economic Forum, which takes place every year in Davos (Switzerland). The panelists were: Wojciech Kostrzewa (President and General Director of ITI group), Eugeniusz Smolar (Member of Council and expert at Center for International Relations) and Paweł Kowal (assistant professor at the Institute of Political Studies of the Polish Academy of Science). 

The data indicate the number of foreign students in Poland will grow, which means the increase in demand for the place in dormitories. Today we have only 30 dormitories in Poland, while there are 400 universities. “Students housing” is a niche market in our country: both for developers and investors. Its improvement will positively affect an offer that Polish universities have for foreign students. “How to manage this market” was the main topic of the conference organized by Metropolitan Investments. It took place on 25th January at Boutique Hotel in Warsaw. There were present official representatives of media, leading consulting companies, universities, developers and investment companies. One of the panelists was Małgorzata Bonikowska Ph. D. (Director of the CIR and THINKTANK).

Dismissal of the UE constitution in referendums in France and in the Netherlands, following the crisis in Eurozone and migration wave: these are three main factors which have deepened Europeans’ distance to the European Union. So we cannot go back to the rhetoric from the beginning of the century and hope that people will still support it. Populist politicians are waiting to replace euro-enthusiasm with calls for subsequent exits - said Małgorzata Bonikowska Ph. D. (President of the CIR) during the academic conference: “A new plan for Europe- what will bring the year 2018?” organized by Institute of Political Sciences and International Relations KUL, together with Foundation of Konrad Adenauer and Association of Science and Culture “Libra”.

The delegation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) visited Warsaw on 15-17 January. The main point of their visit was meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The Polish Institute of International Affairs together with AJC Central Europe organized an expert debate on the Transatlantic Partnership, Central Europe and the Middle East in changing political reality. The meeting was attended by Dr. Małgorzata Bonikowska (Director of CIR).