The European Centre’s 2026 Annual Report reflects a year of transition, consolidation and continued growth amid challenging geopolitical, social and environmental conditions. A key milestone was the management transition in March 2026, when Anette Scoppetta became Executive Director and Sonila Danaj followed in her footsteps as Deputy Director. Together with the Research Team leads, the new management has strengthened collaboration across the Centre and further developed joint approaches to project acquisition and implementation.
Between October 2025 and August 2026, the Centre completed or continued work on 23 projects and pursued around 20 new project opportunities. Activities reinforced its core expertise in comparative social policy research, including poverty and inequality, ageing, long-term care, labour mobility, social inclusion, disability policy and EUROMOD.
The Centre also expanded its Bridge Building role across the UNECE region, particularly in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership countries. The Centre launched a new thematic seminar series in June 2026, focusing first on child poverty, while preparing for future work on demographic change and ageing.
This Annual Report showcases how research, partnership and policy dialogue continue to reinforce the Centre’s role as a hub for evidence-based social policy.
