Speakers for EPPC 2026

Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Poland

Miguel Berger is the current the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Poland. Prior to this position, he was the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Kingdom from May 2022 to August 2025. He also served as the State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office from 2020-2022. Before that Berger held other positions at the Federal Foreign Office including the Director-General for Economic Affairs and Sustainable Development, Regional Director for the Near and Middle East and the Maghreb, and Commissioner for Global Issues, Energy and Climate Diplomacy. He also has experience within the UN, having served as the German Deputy Permanent Representative and Chairman of the 5th Committee of the 67th General Assembly.  

Head of Europe and International Politics Programme, Heinrich Böll Foundation in Warsaw

He is a graduate of English-language Political Science studies at the University of Wrocław (Poland) and EU-Russia Studies at the University of Tartu (Estonia). He gained professional experience at institutions including the Jan Nowak-Jeziorański College of Eastern Europe, the Centre for Eastern Studies, and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation, as well as working as a contributing editor and co-host of the Talk Eastern Europe podcast for New Eastern Europe magazine. He is an author of publications and interviews on international relations and digital security in Central and Eastern Europe. 

Director, Democracy and Resilience Centre, Globsec 

Wojciech serves as Director of GLOBSEC's Centre for Democracy and Resilience, where he leads research and policy initiatives focused on strengthening democratic institutions and processes against hybrid threats and FIMI across Central and Eastern Europe. In addition, Wojciech is currently conducting a PhD research on information warfare at King's College London. 

Public Policy Manager, Google and YouTube

Jagoda Zakrzewska - Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Google  Public Policy Manager at Google, where she covers the topics related to freedom of speech and content moderation and the impact of new technologies on the economy and society. Previously, she worked at the Ministry of Development and the US Embassy in Warsaw, among others. Over the years of her career, she has specialized in developing and managing educational programmes related to new technologies, security, international relations and culture. She holds a degree in Sociology and graduated from the University of Warsaw and the Collegium of World Economy at the Warsaw School of Economics. She is an alumna of the Aspen Institute’s Young Leaders program. 

Managing Board Member, Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI)

Renne Traicova is a seasoned policy and governance expert with 25 years of experience working across the United States, Europe, and Asia. She has dedicated her career to supporting governments and international institutions in strengthening the rule of law, advancing anti-corruption reforms, and promoting media freedom and information integrity. Her work focuses on helping leaders navigate complex policy challenges and drive meaningful institutional change. 

Henrik Enderlein Fellow, the Hertie School

Maria Golubeva is a Fellow at the Hertie School, Berlin, researching EU policy response to hybrid threats. She has served as Minister of Interior of Latvia in 2021-2022 and as member of Parliament in 2018-22. Her career spans academia, think tanks and consultancy. She is the founder of crisis simulation company Meleys. 

Founder, CEE Digital Democracy Watch

Jakub Szymik is a lawyer specialising in digital and EU policy. As the founder of CEE Digital Democracy Watch, he leads the organisation’s efforts on election integrity and technology regulation. Jakub’s expertise is recognised internationally; he was a 2024 Fellow at the Institute of Technology and Society in Rio de Janeiro and a participant in the “Recharging Advocacy for Rights” program at the Hertie School of Governance. His work focuses on crafting policies that balance technological innovation with democratic values and human rights.

The Deputy Chief of Staff Support, Multinational Corps Northeast

Brigadier General Tomasz Kowalik serves in the Polish Armed Forces since 1993. Throughout his military career he has served in multiple assignments at tactical, operational and strategic levels. He served in the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade, the NATO Multinational Corps North-East, the Operational Command, the General Staff, the Ministry of National Defence as well as the NATO HQ in Brussels.  

He is a graduate of the Artillary Officer College in Toruń, the United States Military Academy in West Point, and holds a Masters in Pedagogy and Psychology as well as a Ph.D. in Educational History from the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin. General Kowalik also completed Postgraduate Studies in National Security Policy at the University of Warsaw and the National Defence University in Warsaw as well as a Senior Executive Course from the Polish National School of Public Administration (KSAP).  

He published a few books and several dozens of articles on various military and professional development matters. He occasionally teaches classes to various military and civilian audiences in Poland and abroad. 

Senior Analyst, Energy and Resilience Programme, Casimir Pulaski Foundation

Karolina Pawlik holds an MA in International Relations from Queen Mary University of London. She has gained professional experience in public administration and diplomacy, both in Poland and abroad. In recent years, she has worked as a Political Adviser at the Royal Norwegian Embassy, where she produced political reports and policy analyses on current affairs, with a particular emphasis on the energy sector, climate policy, and the energy transition in Poland.  She is fluent in English, Norwegian, and Swedish, and has a basic command of Arabic. As a member of the European International Studies Association (EISA), she is interested in foreign policy, energy security, and Nordic cooperation as well as EU-Levant relations. 

Head of Cabinet, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland

Agnieszka Homańska is the Head of the political cabinet of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Radosław Sikorski. She is also a political scientist and linguist, and researcher at the University of Warsaw. Member of the program council of the Zryw Foundation. Before joining the ministry, she worked at Visegrad Insight, the Res Publica Foundation, where she led the “Europe on Edge” program. 

President, Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft

Manuel Sarrazin is the President of Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft. He is also a former MP of German Bundestag (08-21) and Former Special representative of the Federal German Government for Western Balkans.  

Senior Analyst, Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Łukasz Janulewicz is a Senior Analyst at ISD UK, where he researches influence operations and systemic risks to electoral processes. He previously worked on geopolitical risk and influence in Central and Eastern Europe at the PolishInstitute for International Affairs (PISM) in Warsaw and at Central European University in Budapest. Łukasz graduated in Political Science from LMU Munich and holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Kent. 

Analyst, PISM 

Aleksandra Wójtowicz is an analyst at PISM who is working on disinformation, digital regulation, and digital policy with a special focus on the EU and US.