Information on the Speakers
Welcoming Remarks and High-Level Input Speeches
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Katarína Mathernová Katarína Mathernová is Deputy Director General of Directorate General for Neighbourhood & Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission (DG NEAR), since September 2015. She oversees relations with the countries of Eastern Neighbourhood and the implementation of the Economic Investment Plans across DG NEAR’s geographies. She chairs the Western Balkans Investment Framework and the Neighbourhood Investment Platform and is in charge of the new de-risking guarantee tool, the EFSD+. She also leads on NEAR collaboration with International Financial Institutions. From March 2020 until through February 2023, she also led the Support Group for Ukraine (SGUA), a cross Commission task force dedicated to Ukraine. As the February 2022 Russian invasion got under way, SGUA acted as the clearing house of all EC support to Ukraine and was also in charge of the reform support on Ukraine’s EU enlargement path. Previously, Katarína Mathernová held senior management and advisory posts at the European Commission (Director and Deputy Director General in DG Regional and Urban Policy), at the World Bank, and in the reform government in Slovakia (1998-2002) where she was Chief Institutional and Policy Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Comenius University in Bratislava, a Masters of Law degree from the University of Michigan. She is a member of the New York Bar. She speaks six languages. She started her career in private practice of law in the US, with distinguished New York and Washington DC Law Firms. Her distinctions include the award Slovak Woman of the Year in 2000 and the Pro Bono Human Rights award from the International Human Rights Law Group (1993). In 2022, she was awarded decorations of honour from the Presidents of Ukraine and Moldova in recognition of her exceptional commitment and support to the two countries. |
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Luc Pierre Devigne In his current position since 16 July 2016 – also acting as Managing Director for Russia, Eastern partnership, Central Asia, Regional cooperation and OSCE July 2020 – May 2021 Joined the Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission in 1996. Since then held different positions in: trade defence (1996-1999); aerospace issues (1999-2002); Executive Assistant to Director-General for Trade (2002-2005); Head of Unit Intellectual Property and Government Procurement, in charge of EU international negotiating teams in these two fields (2005-2010); Head of Unit Russia, CIS, Ukraine, Western Balkans, EFTA, EEA, Turkey and Central Asia (2010-2015); Head of Unit Market Access, Industry, Energy and Raw Materials (January 2016-May 2016). Prior to joining the Commission, was a banker in Corporate finance, M&A and conducted international negotiations in the US, Brazil, China and Japan. Holds an LL.M. and a specialisation in Economic law as well as a degree in financial analysis. |
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Christina Johannesson Sept. 2022 Ambassador of Sweden for the Eastern Partnership 2017-2022 Ambassador of Sweden to Belarus 2014-2017 Counsellor (Antici/Coreper II), Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU, Brussels 2013-2014 Counsellor (Working Party on Eastern Europe and Central Asia – COEST), Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU, Brussels 2010-2013 Consul, Deputy Head of Mission, Consulate General of Sweden in St. Petersburg 2008-2009 Counsellor, press and media, education and research, social policy and Sweden promotion, Embassy of Sweden in Moscow 2003-2008 First Secretary, official interpreter and translator; responsible for press and media, education and research, social policy and Sweden promotion, Embassy of Sweden in Moscow 2000-2003 Second Secretary, official interpreter and translator, Embassy of Sweden in Moscow. Degrees from Uppsala University in Russian language and literature, East European studies and Business Economic and Moscow State University in Russian language and literature. |
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Rethinking the EU Enlargement and Eastern Partnership Policy
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Dr Ihor Zhovkva Ihor Zhovkva graduated from the Institute of International Relations of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University in 2001 with the degree in International Relations. He held a PhD in Political Science in 2005 and became an Associate Professor in 2014 and Professor in 2019. In 2002, he started his service as an assistant to the Member of Parliament of Ukraine, Chairman of the Committee on European Integration. During 2002-2008, Ihor Zhovkva held various positions in the Foreign Policy Department of the Administration of two Presidents of Ukraine. In 2008, he became Chief of Staff of Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. During 2010-2014, he chaired the Department of International Cooperation and Investment Marketing at the State Agency for Foreign Investment of Ukraine. In 2014, Dr Zhovkva moved to the Administration of the President of Ukraine to become Director of the Foreign Policy and European Integration Directorate General. Since September 2019, Dr Zhovkva serves as Deputy Head of Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Cristina Gherasimov Cristina Gherasimov has been in her current position as the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Moldova since October 2021. In addition to this, from October 2021 until January 2023, she assumed the role as Head of the Office of the President. Prior to this, from December 2018 until 2020, Cristina Gherasmiov was a research fellow in the Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia at the German Council of Foreign Relations, where her areas of research concerned the Eastern Partnership, European integration, democratic backsliding and democratization, corruption in defense and security, and civil society in the post-Soviet space. She has previously worked as a consultant and project manager for Transparency International UK, and as a research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House. Cristina Gherasimov holds a PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University, and masters’ degrees from the University of Wroclaw and the Institut Europeen des Hautes Etudes Internationales. |
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Teimuraz Janjalia March 1998 – Probationer, International Economic Relations Department, MFA of Georgia March 2000 – Attaché, International Economic Relations Department MFA of Georgia August 2002 – First secretary, International Economic Relations Department MFA of Georgia July, 2004 - January, 2007 – Chief of the Regional Economic Cooperation Division, International Economic Relations Department MFA of Georgia January, 2007 - February, 2008 – Charge d’affairs of Georgia a.i. to the Republic of Latvia February, 2008 - March, 2011 – Counselor of the Georgian Embassy to the Republic of Latvia, Deputy Head June, 2011 - June, 2012 – Deputy Director of the European Integration Department, MFA of Georgia July, 2012 - March, 2013 – Director of the International Economic, Cultural and Humanitarian Relations Department, MFA of Georgia March, 2013 - June, 2018 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Republic of Latvia November, 2018 - June, 2021 – Director of International Economic Relations Department, MFA of Georgia June 9, 2021 – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia |
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Strengthening the Security Dimension in the Eastern Partnership: the EU as a Peace Actor
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Toivo Klaar Toivo Klaar is since 2017 the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia. He has also served as Head of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia / EUMM (2013-2014). Born in 1968, he is a senior diplomat with extensive experience both in the European External Action Service (EEAS) and in the Estonian diplomatic service. Prior to joining the European civil service in 2005 as Head of the European Commission Representation in Estonia he held various senior national diplomatic positions, including Foreign Policy Advisor to President Lennart Meri (1999-2001), Director General for Political Affairs and Director General for EU Affairs in the Foreign Ministry and Advisor to the Minister of Defence (2003-2005). Before assuming his present position Mr Klaar was Head of Division for Central Asia in the EEAS. He has a Masters degree from Harvard University and is married with two children. |
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Alina Frolova Expert in the field of defence cooperation and international relations, strategic communicator and specialist in countering hybrid warfare. Coordinator of the Crimea Platform Expert Network Security Track. Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine 2019-2020. |
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Stanislav Secrieru Stanislav Secrieru joined the EUISS as a Senior Analyst in September 2018, where he covers Russia and the EU’s eastern neighbourhood. His research interests focus on EU-Russia relations, Russia’s foreign and security policy in the post-Soviet region, protracted conflicts and the EU’s relations with the Eastern Partnership (EaP) states. Before joining the EUISS, Stanislav was a Senior Research Fellow at the Polish Institute of International Affairs (2014-2016) and a Policy Analyst at the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels (2016-2017). He also previously had been a Research Fellow at the NATO Defence College in Rome (2006), the Institute for European Politics in Berlin (2009-2010) and the New Europe College in Bucharest (2011-2012). He worked on research projects addressing political and security developments in EU’s eastern neighbourhood for the European Council on Foreign Relations (2007-2009) and Freedom House (2012-2013). Stanislav holds a PhD from the National School of Political Science and Public Administration in Bucharest. |
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