The EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN) is responsible for the implementation of several investment programs of the EU. Among them is the legendary Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a program set up to fight the consequences of the Coronacrisis across the EU (endowed with > EUR 650 billion!) and to foster the bloc’s major economic policy goals.

To complement existing expertise, DG ECFIN is now collaborating with several Institutional Economists, whose task it is to bring in new approaches, insights, and ideas about institutional design and economic governance, to help in the implementation of these programs.

I have the privilege of being on board of this team and putting some existing initiatives, such as LearnIOE (see also here) in touch with policy makers and in areas where knowledge about institutions can prove to be very valuable.

Relatedly, the Annual Research Conference 2023 of the EU Commission will be dedicated to “European Integration, Institutions, and Development.” I am very impressed by these developments and hope the EU can also take a globally leading role beyond the regulation of the digital world, namely in institutional design.