This piece focuses on think tanks that engage in EU politics and policy. We argue that it isremarkable that in a time when European integration is contested in political and public debates,most EU think tanks discuss rather than oppose EU policy developments (Boucher et al. 2006).Several aspects of EU think tanks are taken into consideration. First, various ways to categorize thinktanks are discussed. Second, their general roles are reviewed. Third, examples are given of how thinktanks have used their role to impact the EU amidst a public sphere that is increasingly characterizedby dissensus.