Stefan Schepers has more than 25 years of experience in European Affairs. He has acted on the public side, as director general of EIPA and as advisor of the EU Commission and individual governments, and on the private side, as a consultant to and mediator for leading multinational companies and trade associations. He has shared his knowledge in lectures at universities and business schools in Europe, Africa and the USA.

He has seen many methods to influence European public policy development, and concludes that diplomatic, creative compromise building is the most effective. The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), established by the European Council in 1981 to develop policy research and advice for the EU institutions and to facilitate cooperation between the national governance systems, gave him deep insights in the complex drivers of Member States’ policy objectives and the functioning of the EU institutions. Building up EIPA, he learned to work with them all.

Later he put this specialist knowledge to use in the private sector, to develop an alternative for the lobbying imported from outside that does not correspond with Europe’s needs and political traditions. He concentrates on developing convergence between public policy and business strategy to create win-win outcome for both the private and the general interest. As a co-founder and partner of EPPA, he works for companies in different sectors, achieving measurable results.

He placed put his knowledge and experience at the service of the African Renaissance, as a partner in AEAC, a group of leading, Africa-based consultants advising business and governments about the issues of mutual interest for both continents. He is
currently chairman of the Africa Forum of the influential Brussels based think tank EPC.

Stefan Schepers, a Belgian national, holds Master degrees in Law (University of Leuven, Belgium) and in European Studies (University of Strasbourg, France), and a PH.D. in Political Science (University of Edinburgh, Great Britain). In 2008, he was elected as a Member of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences, Class Law, Economy & Social Sciences. He operates in English, French, Dutch and German and has a working knowledge of Spanish.