European Movement Germany
Professional services
UnclaimedA non-partisan German network that brings together organisations engaged in European Union policy and promotes European integration.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
European Movement Germany, commonly known by its German initials EBD, is a non-partisan network of organisations involved in European Union affairs in Germany. Founded in Wiesbaden on 13 June 1949 as the German Council of the European Movement, it was established as the German national section of the wider European Movement International. Its founding president was former Reichstag President Paul Löbe. The network was created in the early post-war period, when German and European political figures sought institutional cooperation, democratic renewal and closer European integration after the Second World War. Unlike organisations such as Europa-Union Deutschland or the Paneuropean Union, EM Germany is not primarily a private-membership association for individuals. Its members are organisations, including business and professional associations, trade unions, political parties, educational and academic institutions, foundations and other civil-society bodies. The network has grown to roughly 250 member organisations and also maintains regional structures. Each member organisation is represented in the Annual General Meeting, while the board reflects the network’s varied constituencies. EM Germany’s principal role is to facilitate dialogue between German civil society, EU institutions and public authorities. It works particularly closely with the German Federal Foreign Office, the European Commission Representation in Germany, ministries, federal states, regions, the European Parliament and other European stakeholders. Its activities include consultations on German European policy, information and dialogue events, analysis of EU developments, public-relations work, and coordination among organisations that seek to improve public understanding and acceptance of European integration. Its institutional relationship with the Federal Foreign Office is supported through public funding and a framework agreement concluded in 2015; the organisation remains an independent association rather than a government department. The network’s recurring formats include EBD Briefings and De-Briefings, which provide members and interested stakeholders with analysis and discussion of European Council decisions, Commission procedures and major EU policy developments. It also contributes to debates on the EU’s democratic legitimacy, institutional capacity, enlargement, economic and monetary union, the Constitutional Treaty, the Lisbon Treaty and the coordination of European communication in Germany. Since the 1950s it has supported European education, including the scholarship-selection process for German applicants to the College of Europe in Bruges and Natolin. It also organises the European Competition, an educational competition in which students submit written, artistic or creative work relating to the European Union. EM Germany’s headquarters are in Berlin. The organisation opened a Berlin office in the late 1990s and moved to premises in Alt-Moabit in Berlin-Mitte in 2022. Linn Selle has served as president since 2018, while Bernd Hüttemann has been secretary-general since 2003. EM Germany is a member of European Movement International and is represented in that organisation’s governance structures. It is best understood as a policy-network and intermediary organisation rather than a consumer-facing brand: its value lies in convening, information exchange, policy discussion and institutional coordination.
History
European Movement Germany emerged from the post-war movement for European cooperation. Influenced by the campaign for a united Europe and the 1948 Hague Congress, Eugen Kogon and Duncan Sandys helped prepare the creation of a German national council. On 13 June 1949, approximately 252 representatives from political parties and wider West German society established the German Council of the European Movement in Wiesbaden. Paul Löbe became its first president, while Kogon led the executive committee. The organisation was publicly supported from its earliest period and developed a non-partisan role in German European affairs. A parliamentary section was formed on 9 November 1949 after the first Bundestag met. Carlo Schmid chaired the section, which soon included a large majority of members of parliament. During the 1950s the council issued views on economic, social, legal and cultural questions, encouraged public discussion and participated in the development of European institutions. It also acquired educational responsibilities, including the selection of German candidates for College of Europe scholarships and the organisation of European Schoolday, first held in 1953 and later renamed the European Competition in 1978. Leadership and structure changed over time. Concerns about the transparency of Kogon’s leadership contributed to his replacement by Ernst Friedlaender in 1954. Subsequent presidents included Hans Furler, Ernst Majonica, Horst Seefeld, Walter Scheel and several former Bundestag presidents and senior European politicians. In the 1960s the organisation and Europa-Union strengthened their communications work through a joint press office. During the 1970s, preparations for the first direct European Parliament elections in 1979 led to expanded public information and voter-oriented communication. The 1980s brought financial pressure and a difficult political climate sometimes described as Eurosclerosis, driven in part by disputes over agricultural spending and the European budget. The council’s information service had to be discontinued, although election-related structures were retained. The Single European Act and the later Maastricht and Amsterdam Treaties helped create a more favourable environment for renewed activity and closer cooperation with the Federal Government on European policy information. In the 1990s the organisation adopted the name European Movement Germany, aligning it with other national sections of European Movement International. Its Berlin office, opened in the late 1990s, became its headquarters. The network expanded its work on economic and monetary union, EU enlargement, the Constitutional Treaty, democratic legitimacy and European communication. A joint study group with Europa-Union contributed to discussion surrounding the Convention on the Future of Europe. The Articles of Association were substantially revised in 2006. The reforms gave every member organisation a vote at the Annual General Meeting and introduced annual subscriptions, while responsibility for admitting new members was later assigned to the board. Membership reached 202 organisations in 2010 and continued to diversify. The network developed recurring EBD Briefings and De-Briefings, member information sessions and biannual surveys linked to European Council presidencies. A 2015 framework agreement with the Federal Foreign Office formalised cooperation in European communication and policy planning. The organisation moved its Berlin office to Alt-Moabit in Berlin-Mitte in 2022. It remains an active, institutionally supported network connecting German organisations with EU-level policy actors.
- 2022
Berlin headquarters moved to Alt-Moabit
[1]The organisation’s Berlin office moved to the Alt-Moabit area of Berlin-Mitte.
- 2015
Foreign Office framework agreement
[1]A framework agreement formalised cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office.
- 2010
Membership reached a recorded high
[1]The network reported 202 member organisations and adopted a good-governance work focus.
- 2006
Articles of Association revised
[1]Governance reforms gave member organisations voting rights at the Annual General Meeting and introduced annual subscriptions.
- 1990
Berlin office established
[1]A Berlin office opened in the late 1990s and later became the organisation’s headquarters.
- 1979
Direct European Parliament election campaign
[1]The network expanded public-relations and information activity around the first direct European Parliament elections.
- 1978
European Schoolday renamed European Competition
[1]The student education initiative adopted its current name.
- 1953
European Schoolday launched
[1]The organisation began a European education competition for students.
- 1949
German Council of the European Movement founded
[1]The German national section of the European Movement International was founded in Wiesbaden on 13 June, with Paul Löbe as president.
- 1949
Parliamentary section established
[1]A German parliamentary section was created after the first Bundestag convened.
Products and positioning
A non-partisan, organisation-based intermediary between German stakeholders, public authorities and European Union institutions, focused on informed debate and practical coordination of European policy and communication.
Product categories. Policy dialogue and consultation · EU briefings and de-briefings · European public-relations and communication coordination · European education programmes · Scholarship application coordination for the College of Europe · Policy statements and analysis
Marketing campaigns
- 1979European Parliament election information work
Germany
EM Germany used its established communications structures to inform the public about the first direct European Parliament elections and the European political groupings involved.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to the organisation’s continuing role in European public communication.
- 1953European Competition
Germany
A long-running educational initiative invites students to engage creatively with European integration and the work of the European Union.
Outcome. The programme remains one of EM Germany’s best-known educational activities.
Brand decisions
2015
Formal cooperation with the Federal Foreign OfficeStrategyBackground
EM Germany worked closely with the Foreign Office on European communication and policy coordination.
Action taken
The organisation concluded a framework agreement with the ministry.
Aftermath
The agreement reinforced EM Germany’s institutional role while leaving it as an independent association.
2006
Governance and membership reformStrategyBackground
The network sought to provide a clearer and more participatory structure for an increasingly diverse membership.
Action taken
The Articles of Association were revised so each member organisation had a vote at the Annual General Meeting and paid an annual subscription.
Aftermath
The reforms supported the expansion and formalisation of the member network.
Sources2 sources
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