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From Research to Deployment: Interpreting the EU AI Act Research Exemption

From Research to Deployment: Interpreting the EU AI Act Research Exemption

Analyzing Article 2(8) of the EU AI Act, this brief examines how the research exemption balances scientific freedom with subsequent compliance obligations. It argues that while qualifying research, testing, and development activities remain exempt from direct regulation prior to deployment, infor…

Caroline Sanchez
Caroline SanchezGerman-qualified lawyer specializing in European and International Law, she h…
Published 01 October 2026 · 17:08 CET · 10 min read
External Experts · Latest

Guest Contributions

Browse the full directory →
OH
Oezlem Has
Security Policy & Defence

Hybrid Security Regimes in Practice

Alliance Building8 min read
AN
Alastair Nicol
International Relations & Diplomacy

What Post-Brexit Britain Can Learn From the Past

Alliance Building8 min read
SS
Sahar Sanaie
Peacekeeping & Conflict Prevention

Iranian Resistence between Opression and War:

Human Rights Promotion11 min read
NN
Nikolay Nenovsky
International Economic Relations

Monetary Blocs and International Currency

Bilateralism & Multilateralism14 min read
EPIS · Publications

From the desks of the EPIS Fellows

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One Currency, Many Debts: Europe’s Fiscal Fragmentation and the Limits of the Euro’s Power
Euro's opportunity and fiscal fragmentation

One Currency, Many Debts: Europe’s Fiscal Fragmentation and the Limits of the Euro’s Power

This brief argues that fiscal fragmentation is the real constraint on the euro’s international role. The euro area has one monetary authority but twenty-one fiscal issuers, and has never produced a safe asset at Treasury-market scale. Against this backdrop of dollar doubt, the European Commission…

Sabina Maria Chiva · 8 min read · 29 September 2026
Drone Warfare & Technology: A New Humanitarian Frontier
Drones and implications on human rights

Drone Warfare & Technology: A New Humanitarian Frontier

Drones are changing how warfare is fought, and this is opening up new areas of concern for humanitarian efforts.

Hisham Hariri · 8 min read · 29 September 2026
To what extent is the transatlantic digital relationship becoming asymmetric in the age of AI?
Insight

To what extent is the transatlantic digital relationship becoming asymmetric in the age of AI?

For years, Europe’s technology sovereignty debate has wrongly focused only on where data lives. In the meanwhile, the rapid development of the digital economy has also generated new governance challenges, and traditional governance models can hardly adapt to them. As there is a growing recognitio…

Antonio Cinti · 14 min read · 18 September 2026
Can the Pact on Migration and Asylum deliver a coherent asylum regime?
Migration

Can the Pact on Migration and Asylum deliver a coherent asylum regime?

The EU’s Pact on Migration and Asylum became applicable in June 2026, setting out to harmonise Europe’s asylum regime. A look at four Member States shows fractured legal implementation: secrecy in Greece, a legislative gap in Spain, federal hurdles in Germany, and outright non-compliance in Poland.

Julian Zrenner · 21 min read · 15 September 2026
The Azerbaijan-Germany Partnership and the Paradox of Energy Security
Energy security and investment finance

The Azerbaijan-Germany Partnership and the Paradox of Energy Security

The Azerbaijan–Germany Strategic Partnership of July 2026 signals political intent, but Europe’s retreat from fossil-fuel financing means the volumes it calls for cannot materialise without capital that current policy withholds.

Hasan Seyidli · 9 min read · 10 September 2026
US sanctions and Venezuela’s energy security?
Energy Policy

US sanctions and Venezuela’s energy security?

The origins of Venezuela’s lasting energy security crisis and its effects on the country’s public order and broader economy are often explained in light of the United States’ increasingly interventionist foreign policy in the region. The United States administration’s promotion of great power dip…

Paul Lundwall · 14 min read · 19 August 2026
Securing Europe’s Supply of Raw Materials
Critical Raw Materials

Securing Europe’s Supply of Raw Materials

China’s April 2025 rare-earth export controls exposed the EU’s dependency, and vulnerability. This article asks whether a single market for waste and recycling, championed by Draghi, could turn Europe’s own end-of-life products into a genuine strategic asset securing critical raw material supply.

Eva Lan Montford · 11 min read · 10 August 2026
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
Trade Policy

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)

The USMCA strengthens trade by protecting businesses, innovators, and workers while promoting economic growth and closer cooperation among its member countries.

Devin Nguyen · 2 min read · 24 July 2026
About · EPISEST. 2018 · Non-partisan

A network of students &
young graduates
shaping the future of
foreign & security policy.business strategy & corporate affairs.international law & comparative jurisprudence.

From a small friend group in 2018 to one of Europe's largest student-led think tanks — independent, multidisciplinary, and built around the conviction that careful analysis still matters.

"

As a think tank for international foreign and security policy, we are the bridge between students and practice. We engage in the political debate — fact-based and neutral — through publications, delegations, and direct contact with practitioners.

Theodor HimmelChairmanMeet the team →
710+
EPIS Fellowsacross 14 resorts and 91 groups
360+
Annual Publicationsbriefs, papers, field notes & magazine
68
Conferences in 2025attended by EPIS Delegations
Organisation · Five Branches

How EPIS is structured

Every EPIS Fellow joins the EPIS Network. From there, you can qualify into one of the EPIS Thinktanks or Consult branches and publish in Working, Format and Report Groups.
01 / NETWORK

EPIS Network

The EPIS Network includes non-publishing Fellows who benefit from events, discussions, newsletters, and connections with students, professionals, and experts.

All fellows→
02 / THINKTANK · FASP

Foreign Affairs & Security Policy

Our oldest think tank. The EPIS Working and Report Groups publish briefs and in-depth articles on global topics, together with the EPIS Magazine and other Format Groups.

By qualification→
03 / THINKTANK · BSCA

Business Strategy & Corporate Affairs

Where geopolitics meets the boardroom — sectoral analysis on supply chains, sanctions exposure, and corporate risk for member firms.

By qualification→
04 / THINKTANK · ILCJ

International Law & Comparative Jurisprudence

This think tank offers law students an optimal platform for peer-reviewed publishing, connecting them directly with professionals and experts.

By qualification→
05 / CONSULT

EPIS Consult

EPIS Consult is a student-run political consulting agency that connects future leaders with real-world challenges through strategic advice, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

Partner-facing→
I.Integrity

EPIS is independent, particularly from political, economic, or ideological influences. EPIS guarantees its Fellows freedom of expression. At the same time, EPIS is committed to the principles of human rights.

II.Independence

EPIS is efficient, goal-oriented, and reliable. EPIS Fellows carry out their tasks with a sense of responsibility toward others, acting dependably and with clear communication.

III.Respect

EPIS promotes exchange among its EPIS Fellows in a spirit that is respectful, supportive, and based on mutual understanding — especially across cultural, academic, political, and geographical differences.

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