Our work is organised around five thematic areas
Peace through dialogue and confidence-building
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
A European Union in friendship and in solidarity with its neighbourhood
LINKS Europe is a peace-building organisation. We support the quest for peace through track 2 and track 1.5 initiatives, including through dialogue and confidence-building. Our work is currently primarily focused on areas in the EU’s neighbourhood, with a particular emphasis on the South Caucasus.
A European Union in friendship and in solidarity with its neighbourhood
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
A European Union in friendship and in solidarity with its neighbourhood
LINKS Europe firmly believes that peace and prosperity in Europe are strongly dependent on peace and prosperity in Europe’s neighbourhood. It supports an extensive EU commitment to the future of neighbouring regions, including through political and economic cooperation, support for peace initiatives, and extensive people-to-people contacts. We group the EU’s neighbourhood into six clusters: North Africa and the Sahel; Turkey, the Balkans and the Levant; Russia and Eastern Europe; The South Caucasus; The Gulf and Red Sea Regions; and Central Asia. Whilst each cluster has its own unique characteristics, there are also a number of common features resulting from geographic proximity, and common historical experiences and connections.
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
Europe’s increasing ambition to become a global geopolitical player is a result of necessity. We believe this will happen despite the reluctance of some and the shortcomings of others. It is therefore important to engage with this debate and help forge a new global Europe that can provide safety, security and prosperity for its citizens and be a force for good in the world. The EU’s ‘Conference on the Future of Europe’ provides us with an excellent focus and platform to do this in a structured way.
Connectivity as a tool for peace and prosperity
An understanding of radicalisation, and developing a response to it
A Global Europe that provides safety, security and prosperity for its people and is a force for good
In an increasingly interdependent world, isolation is not the solution. Developing proper connectivity that works well for all concerned is one of the biggest challenges of our time. Connectivity, in areas such as transport and communications, is also a potential tool for peace, improving trade and business, facilitating people-to-people contacts, and enabling countries and communities to develop shared interests. LINKS Europe is contributing towards the debate on how connectivity can contribute to peace and prosperity.
An understanding of radicalisation, and developing a response to it
An understanding of radicalisation, and developing a response to it
An understanding of radicalisation, and developing a response to it
Globalisation and connectivity have their negative sides too. Radicalisation has shown a capacity to spread quickly, often leading to violence. Vulnerable groups – be they whole communities and tribes in the Sahel, or disenchanted sons of migrants in the slums of Paris – are prone to fall victim to radicalisation. No religious or ethnic group is immune. White communities impacted by economic downturns are equally likely to succumb to extreme ideas, leading some to see violence as a solution. LINKS Europe works to understand the phenomenon, including the connection between radicalisation and violent conflicts, and on ways of fighting back against this dangerous trend.
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Images of some of our recent events
Representatives of LINKS Europe and partners in Tbilisi during the children segment of the campaign Landmine Free South Caucasus 2021. 21 May 2021.
The children segment of the campaign Landmine Free South Caucasus 2021 was launched at an event in school No 64 in the Saburtalo District of Tbilisi on 21 May 2021.
The conference "Mobilising national and international efforts to make Armenia free of landmines and unexploded ordnance" in Yerevan on 4 November 2021
LINKS Europe brings together young Yemenis to discuss the future of their country
Journalist from media outlets covered the LFSC campaign conference held in Baku on 12 October 2021
The regional seminar “Regional Co-operation as a step towards peace in the South Caucasus”, held in Kachreti in Eastern Georgia on 1 October 2021.
The regional seminar “Regional Co-operation as a step towards peace in the South Caucasus”, held in Kachreti (Georgia) on 1 October 2021.
A commonspace.eu editorial conference is held every week at our offices at 43 Lange Voourhout in The Hague to discuss the content of our flagship website and our other media products
Armenian children participating in the Gugark Summer camp in Armenia's Lori province on 30-31 July 2021 joined in the campaign Landmine Free South Caucasus 2021, eagerly answering questions for a specially prepared Kahoot quiz.
The Ambassador of Yemen to the Netherlands, HE Saher Ghanem, was our main guest at an event in The Hague Conversations on Conflict series held in May 2021 and focusing on the war in Yemen. The event was held in hybrid format and among other speakers we were joined from Jeddah by Ambassador Peter Semneby, Sweden's special envoy on Yemen.
LINKS Europe, working with partners in the South Caucasus is the convenor of the 2021 campaign LANDMINE FREE SOUTH CAUCASUS. The first part of the campaign is engaging 5000 school children from across the region, with the simple message of "Thank you to deminers" in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgia, Russian and English.
In June 2021 LINKS Europe welcomed to Brussels Mr Asset Assavbayev, Secretary-General of the Intergovernmental Commission TRACECA for a series of meetings with EU and other stakeholders on the future of the transport corridor-Europe-Caucasus-Asia. Here Mr Assavbayev is seen with EU officials at the offices. of the European External Action Service.
LINKS Europe hosted the representatives of the TRACECA member states in Brussels for a brieifing by Secretary-General Assavbayev on 29 June 2021. Ambassadors of the Central Asian countries and senior diplomats attended the event.
In February 2020 LINKS Europe hosted in Tbilisi organisations from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia for discussions on the issue of landmines in the South Caucasus. The meeting was also addressed by Mr Juan Carlos Ramon, Director of the implementation secretariat of the Ottawa Convention.
The Hague Conversations on Conflict are a series of discussions, lectures, workshops and networking events launched by LINKS Europe in association with the Hague Humanity Hub, in June 2019. Their aim is to provide a forum where the changing nature of war and conflict can be analysed and assessed, together with the responses of international society.
Dr Walter Kemp, The Head of the Strategic Policy Support Unit at the Secretariat of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) spoke on innovative approaches combining track 1 and 2 diplomacy.
Dr Walter Kemp answered questions from the audience after his keynote public lecture, which was the second part of the conversation
The second conversation was held on 28 September. Simon Lunn, former Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly discussed the role of parliaments and parliamentarians in international relations
Sven Koopmans MP (VVD) – Head of the Netherlands Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly spoke in the second conversation about his experience as a parliamentarian in dealing with international affairs.
Part of the audience at the event on 28 September
Jill Wilkinson, Director of the Hague Humanity Hub introducing the speakers at the second in the series The Hague Conversations on Conflict
The third in The Hague Conversations on Conflict series, held on the 31st of October 2019, addressed the topic of human rights and conflict prevention and resolution. We were delighted to welcome to our panel Dr Nienke van der Have, a senior legal expert and author of the book, ‘The Prevention of Gross Human Rights Violations Under International Human Rights Law’; Ambassador Piet de Klerk, Chairman of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee and former Dutch Human Rights Ambassador; and Fulco van Deventer, Deputy Director and Co-founder of the Human Security Collective (HSC) and Associate Fellow at the International Center for Counter Terrorism (ICCT).
The first part of the conversation held on 27 June 2019 was a round table discussion with experts, practitioners and officials on the role of Track 2 initiatives in the support of conflict prevention and resolution.
Simon Lunn answering questions from the audience.
The 4th event in the series The hague Conversations on Conflict addressed the theme "Radicalisation, Extremism and Conflicts" and was organised in collaboration with the website and hub European Eye on Radicalisation. The panel consisted of Amanda Paul a Senior Analyst at the European Policy Centre in Brussels, and co-rdiotr of the book ‘Guns, Glory, Criminality, Imprisonment, and Jihadi Extremism in Europe’; Kamel Al-Khatti a Saudi writer and researcher, specialising in studies of leftist and nationalist movements and parties in the Arabian Peninsula, and an Associate Fellow at the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies; and Jonne Catshoek, Founder and Director of Elva Community Engagement, a civil-society organisation, currently very involved and active in West Africa. Dennis Sammut, Director of LINKS Europe chaired the discussion.
LINKS Europe and the website and intellectual hub "European Eye on Radicalisation" organised a Round Table Discussion on the theme "Radicalisation and Conflicts" at the Hague Humanity Hub on 28 November 2019. Experts from a number of European and Middle East countries attended the event. The keynote speaker was Renske van der Veer, Director, International Centre on Counter-terrorism, The Hague
Family photo of the participants of the Round Table on Extremism and Conflicts held on 28 November 2019.
The theme of the 5th in the series The Hague Conversations on Conflict held on 30 January 2020 was "Iran and the International Community: Is it always good to talk"? The guest speaker was Susan Collin Marks, Peace Ambassador for the group "Search for Common Ground" who have a long history of track 2 engagement with Iran.
Alex Taillander, Community Lead at the Hague Humanity Hub, co-organisers of the series The Hague Conversations on Conflict, welcoming participants for the event.
Round table discussion on the theme "Regional and sub-regional in the EU neighbourhood: the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey partnership" organised by LINKS.
Participants at the event on 30 January joined in the conversation with their own experiences of peace-building.
Participants actively participate in the conversations, often with punchy questions to the panelists
A representative of LINKS Europe and honours College students of Leiden University supporting LINKS Europe during an event. The Hague 23 November 2021
Ambassador Jaap Frederiks addresses the audience virtually, The Hague, 23 November 2021.
The workshop “How confidence-building measures can contribute to lasting peace in the South Caucasus”, organised by LINKS Europe.
The regional conference "Towards a Landmine Free South Caucasus", organised by LINKS Europe, in Tbilisi on 5 November 2021.
Didier Herbert, Head of Representation of the European Commission in the Netherlands. The Hague, 23 November 2021.
Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov, Head of the Ukrainian Mission to the EU, The Hague, 23 November 2021.
Our team
Dennis Sammut
Maximiliaan van Lange
Maximiliaan van Lange
Director of LINKS Europe and Managing Editor of commonspace.eu
Maximiliaan van Lange
Maximiliaan van Lange
Maximiliaan van Lange
Senior Research Associate and Project Officer at LINKS Europe
Patrick Norén
Maximiliaan van Lange
Patrick Norén
Research Associate at LINKS Europe and Deputy Editor of commonspace.eu