Euro-Mediterranean CSO Conference

Dr. Charalambos Vrasidas is the founder and Executive Director of CARDET, an international non-profit center based in Cyprus with more than two decades of global engagement. He is a Professor of Learning Innovations and Policy at the University of Nicosia. A lifelong learner, teacher, researcher, innovator, and social entrepreneur, he led the design and implementation of hundreds of initiatives in more than 40 countries. With a passion for education, digital transformation, wellbeing, and social justice, he represents Cyprus in European and international networks, including CONCORD, EAEA, and the North South Center for Global Education at the Council of Europe. He has published several books and over 100 journal articles, edited volumes, and conference proceedings. He co-directs the European Teacher Career and Well-being Observatory (www.teacherwellbeing.eu) and thepan-European initiative PERMA-Digital, focusing on a Whole School Approach to Digital Wellbeing.

Mr Panayiotis Palates was born in Lefkosia in 1985. He graduated from Archangelos Unified Lyceum and served his military service as an Infantry Reserve Lieutenant. He studied at the Philosophical School of the University of Ioannina and graduated from the Department of Archaeology. He continued and completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Strasbourg (Université de Strasbourg) in France, at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (Sciences Humaines et Sociales). At the same time, he developed academic research in specialised fields of the humanitarian sciences, with publications and presentations at international conferences. He worked as a Research Fellow in academic research programs and academic excavations in Greece and Jordan, in Ithaca, in the Necromanteion of Ephyra and in Tel Kafrein respectively, as head of the excavation sector. Following that, he worked at the House of Representatives as Scientific Collaborator and, most recently, he served as Advisor to the President of the Republic. He was actively involved in the student movement and the local community, in Ioannina as President of Anagennisi Student Party, in Lefkosia as Provincial Organisational Secretary of the Democratic Party (DIKO) and later on as Assistant General Organisational Secretary and member of the Central Committee of DIKO. He is married to Myrto Ktena Palate and is father of Kyriacos, aged nine, and Veatriki, aged five.

Dubravka Šuica is a Croatian politician from the City of Dubrovnik. She entered politics in the 1990s as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ/EPP) and served as a Member of the Croatian Parliament and Vice-Chair of the EU Integration Committee. She served as Mayor of Dubrovnik for two terms from 2001 to 2009 as its first female mayor and was awarded the 2006 World Mayor Award. From 2002 to 2012, she was the Vice-President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. From 2008 to 2011, she was the President of the Croatian Parliament Delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. From 2013 to 2019, Dubravka Šuica served as a Member of the European Parliament and Head of the Croatian delegation of HDZ/EPP. She was Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee and in June 2019, she was elected as first Vice-Chair of the EPP Group in the European Parliament. She is currently Vice-President of the EPP and Vice Chairman of the International Democracy Union. From December 2019 until December 2024, Dubravka Šuica was Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of Democracy and Demography. Since 1 December 2024, Dubravka Šuica is the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, in the second Commission of President von der Leyen. Commissioner Šuica is also responsible for Demography. The new portfolio on the Mediterranean is accompanied by the establishment of the new Directorate-General MENA within the European Commission, for relations with the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf countries. As the Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica is responsible, amongst others, for developing the New Pact for the Mediterranean and the Trans-Mediterranean Initiative on Energy and Clean Tech.

Nadia Karayianni has extensive experience and a proven track record in the management of complex projects with strong social and business impact. She has held senior roles as Conferences Director and Project Manager at IMH, Communication and COO at the Office of the President of the House of Representatives, and Research Officer at the University of Cyprus. She served as Project Manager at the NGO Support Centre, where she was responsible for the implementation of the Civil Society Empowerment Programme, strengthening the capacity and sustainability of Cyprus’ civil society sector. Since 2007, she has been an active member of the NGO Support Centre and the NGO Working Group on Legislative Reform, contributing at an institutional level to policy dialogue and advocacy. She has also served in leadership positions as Vice-President of the Cyprus Youth Board and the Cyprus Youth Council. Nadia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Relations, an MSc in Management with a specialisation in Human Resources, and an MA in Gender Studies.

Celia has been providing the CONCORD secretariat's policy and advocacy team strategic guidance since 2022. Prior to that she was the secretariat's Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor for Financing and Funding for Sustainable Development. Before joining CONCORD, Celia worked in Brussels for one of its members, Light For the World as EU Advocacy and Liaison Officer for four years, and at VOICE, the European humanitarian NGO platform as Senior Advocacy Officer for six years. She also has previous experience working on EU foreign and human rights policies in the Irish and Luxembourgish foreign ministries.

Mohamed is an international cooperation expert with more than 20 years of hands-on experience in designing and coordinating intercultural dialogue (ICD) programmes across the Euro-Mediterranean and MENA regions.As the Civil Society Unit (CSU) Coordinator at the Anna Lindh Foundation, he oversees the development and implementation of multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at amplifying the voices of civil society and community-based organisations operating across 43 countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region. His work focuses on empowering these actors to play an active role in shaping more participatory socio-political environments at the national level. Mohamed has extensive experience in designing and delivering impactful programmes that support civil society beneficiaries through opportunities for mobility, online peer-to-peer learning, youth empowerment, and community-based actions addressing social inequalities.

Jan Bazyl – since 2011 executive director of Grupa Zagranica; MA/MSc in Economics from Warsaw University and UCL; 20 years of experience in the non-governmental sector in team management, development of plans and strategies, monitoring and advocacy. Grupa Zagranica works towards better involvement of Polish CSOs in international development, democracy support, humanitarian aid and global education, acting as an advocate of the sector’s interests towards external partners, building competence of CSOs in development cooperation, as well as promoting internal cooperation within the sector to increase its effectiveness. Grupa Zagranica is a member of CONCORD Europe – European Confederation of NGOs working on sustainable development and international cooperation.

Rebekka Blomqvist is Head of Policy and Analysis at Global Focus, the Danish national platform for civil society organisations engaged in development cooperation, peacebuilding, humanitarian action, and the global green agenda. She joined Global Focus as a Policy Advisor in 2019 after spending a year working at CONCORD Europe in Brussels. Rebekka holds a degree in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen.

Carlotta Besozzi is the Director of Civil Society Europe, the coordination of European Platforms of national and european associations and NGOs representing different sectors within civil society such as human rights, environment, international cooperation, social inclusion, culture, education, health, civic rights, transparency, and active on promoting an enabling civic space in Europe and dialogue with the European Union Institutions. She holds a degree in Philosophy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium. She has worked most of her career in the civil society sector after a few years at the European Parliament as a Political and Research Parliamentary Assistant. Previous to managing Civil Society Europe, she has been the Director of the European Disability Forum for a decade.

Marta is an expert in developing and strengthening networks at national and regional level to promote sustainable development. In her role within the SDSN Networks Program, she provides strategic and operational support to SDSN chapters across Europe and the Mediterranean, enhancing their capacity and impact as well as fostering collaboration between them. She also leads the Universities for Goal 13 climate competition and supports several EU funded projects within SDSN. Previously, she was the Director of SDSN Spain where she led initiatives such as the Spanish Cities SDG Index and the seminars on Culture and Sustainable Development (5 editions). She is the founder of the #SustainableCulture collective and is also the author of several publications on the topic, including How to Implement the SDGs in the Cultural Sector. Before joining SDSN in 2015 she pursued her professional career in the cultural arena, where she carried out projects for some of the most renowned art institutions in Spain.

Is an diplom-Engineer that worked for the Ministry of Labour and Social Solidarity in Portugal (where she has an unpaid leave) and now is registered as an independent consultant in Munich – Germany. She is a qualified programs and projects evaluator with more than 20 years of experience as well as a local development expert working on a perspective of integrated socio-economic development. In this field has special relevance the labour market and the social policies. She gained her vast experience in this field through her extensive work on international projects, on IPA technical assistance projects to countries in pre accession phase (Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Turkey) as well as during her employment at the Portuguese public employment service and at the city of Munich Department for Labour Market and economy.  During her employment at the Portuguese PES she was Director of Studies and Organisation at the headquarters and part of the group that designed and elaborated the ESF Operational Programs (in the first and the second Programming periods 1989 to 1993 and 1994 to 1999). In the city of Munich she was for seven years the project coordinator of two projects that were the main pillars of the Labour market policy especially addressing the integration of disadvantaged groups in the labour market. Another important dimension was Gender for which she has elaborated a concept and a plan for implementation of this dimension in all the 15 sub-projects. For 3 years she has worked 2 as policy advisor of the Minister of Family and Social Solidarity in Malta and 1 year as consultant for International Relations and CSR of the President of Malta. Currently she is the Executive Vice-President of the Sustainable Development Solutions network in Portugal (SDSN Portugal). Sustainability across all the 17 SDG are in the core of SDSN Portugal work. The UN SDSN network was created in 2012, integrates knowledge producers (more than 2000 universities and Research centers around the world) and aims to bridge the gap between the knowledge and the practice to foster the acceleration of the SDG implementation.

Natasa is a Project Manager at Friends of the Earth Cyprus since 2014, where she leads environmental projects, actions and initiatives. With academic backgrounds in Biology, Marine Environmental Management, and Environmental Politics, her career has been largely dedicated to advancing environmental causes through civil society organizations at both the national and European levels. Her experience includes roles with NGO Support Center, Friends of the Earth Europe, Coral Cay Conservation in London,the Office of the Environmental Commissioner in Cyprus, focusing on sustainable development and environmental action. Additionally, she is volunteering as the Assistant General Secretary of the Ecological Movement Cyprus. Her areas of expertise include environmental education, public awareness campaigns, community organizing, and advocacy for environmental justice.

Theodoros Zachariadis is a Professor and Interim Director of the Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre and of the Science and Technology Driven Policy and Innovation Research Centre. He holds a Diploma and a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. In the recent past he has served as a member and a Vice Chair of the Scientific Committee of the European Environment Agency, a Visiting Professor at Aarhus University, Denmark, and an associate editor of the international Journal “Energy Economics”. Since 2020 he has been continuously listed in the top 2% of most widely cited academics globally in the field of Energy. He is the recipient of the 2009 Research Prize of the Republic of Cyprus and the 2019 Environmental Prize awarded by the President of the Republic of Cyprus.

Anna Dorangricchia currently serves as Programme Manager in the Human Development Division of the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean. In this role, she coordinates the UfM Regional Policy Dialogue on Women Empowerment and has overseen the UfM Gender Monitoring Systems since 2020. She leads regional initiatives focused on women’s economic empowerment, female entrepreneurship in green and tech sectors, gender lens investment, and digital and financial inclusion. Her work contributes to advancing inclusive and sustainable growth through enhanced regional cooperation and multi stakeholder dialogue.

Marios is an educator committed to expanding access to quality education as a means to reduce poverty, enhance opportunities, and foster peaceful democracies. His dedication to global education is evident in his work with NGOs promoting peace and social equity. Currently, he contributes towards advancing global education in Cyprus through his work at the Ministry of Education and the Unit of Education for the Environment and Sustainable Development. He also serves as a member on the board of directors of the NGO Support Center and leads educational programs for Sistema Cyprus, a social music initiative supporting children who have less opportunities.

Francesca is an experienced professional who works on global education, sustainability, democracy, and international cooperation. For over 20 years, she has led teams, managed international projects, and advised civil society organisations and public institutions. Between 2020 and 2025, she led the DEAR Support Team, helping the European Commission run the DEAR Programme that promotes global awareness, education, and active citizenship throughout Europe. She studied and worked in the Balkans, Great Britain, and Italy, and has a background in international relations and South-East European studies. Her work focuses on how people and communities can learn, connect, and take action for a fairer and more sustainable world. Francesca now works as a freelance consultant, supporting NGOs, public bodies, and research centres with project design, management, evaluation, and strategy.

Irene Theodoulou is a Senior Project Manager with extensive experience managing EU-funded projects, stakeholder coordination, and training delivery. She has a strong background in social work and refugee support, supported by an MA in Refugee Care and a BA in Social Work. Her career combines project management expertise with applied research and community-focused initiatives. She is highly skilled in communication, organization, and working with diverse populations.

Dr. Marinos Papaioakeim serves as Strategic Partnerships and Development Lead at CARDET. He holds a PhD in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Cyprus, a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Cyprus, and a Master’s degree in Diplomacy from Lancaster University (UK). Dr. Papaioakeim has extensive experience in the design and implementation of national and international projects, with particular expertise in civic engagement, participatory democracy, and civil society development. Over the past five years, he has been actively involved in projects as a project manager, trainer, and researcher.

Natasa Xenophontos Koudouna is Project Manager of IOM Cyprus. She has over 23 years of experience in migration, regional development programming, as well as employment and social affairs. She currently specializes in protection, with a particular focus on unaccompanied migrant children, living conditions, and access to integration, including education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. She holds a BA (Hons) in European Studies from the University of Manchester (UK) and an MA in European Politics and Public Administration from the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium). She currently serves as Project Manager at IOM Cyprus. Her key areas of expertise include international migration, human rights and migrants’ rights, protection, return and reintegration, vulnerable migrants, alternatives to detention, health coverage, ethical recruitment, business and employment rights, as well as project development, monitoring, and evaluation. Throughout her career, she has held several important positions, including Project Manager at the European Commission in Brussels, roles in the Office of the European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs and in the Directorate-General for Regional Policy covering Malta and Slovenia, Consultant to local government, Liaison for the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU Council of Ministers, and Head of Office at IOM Cyprus. She is the author or co-author of publications related to funding during the pre-accession period of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union. She speaks English and French fluently, Greek as her mother tongue, and has university-entry proficiency level in German.

Başak holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and brings over 15 years of academic experience in teaching and research at universities in the United States, Turkey, Belgium, and France. Her research expertise lies in comparative refugee integration policies, intergroup relations, and public opinion, with a particular focus on attitudes toward immigrant acculturation and the environmental drivers of migration. She has conducted extensive fieldwork across multiple countries within the framework of national and international research grants. Her methodological approach combines both quantitative and qualitative tools, including surveys, experiments, focus groups, in-depth interviews, and content analysis. Her work has been published in academic journals, edited volumes, and international policy reports.

Mariavittoria is a senior international education and training expert. Over the last 30 years she has supported system reforms in Northern Africa and the Middle East, Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries. Among her main activities: drafting studies, providing policy advice, and implementing technical assistance projects. Mariavittoria is the ETF Migration Focal point and is specialised in skills’ dimensions of migration. As part of her tasks, she helps European union services in the design and implementation of migration projects in ETF Partner countries and leads ETF cooperation with European and international partners.

Gemma Aubarell Solduga is Director of the Culture, Gender and Civil Society Area at the European Institute of the Mediterranean IEMed (Barcelona). She has extensive experience in Euro-Mediterranean relations, with a strong focus on civil society engagement, migration policies, gender equality, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural dialogue. Between 2009 and 2016, she served as Director of the Programme and Network Unit at the Anna Lindh Foundation in Alexandria. She is currently Associate Professor of International Relations at Blanquerna – Ramon Llull University and Associate Researcher on Migrations issues at the GRITIM-UPF. Throughout her career, she has been actively involved in advancing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation through civil society initiatives. Recently she contributed to the organisation of the Euromed Civil Society Conference on 2025 “From Vision to Action: Reinforcing Civil Society Engagement for an inclusive Mediterranean” and is currently overseeing the edition of the related policy paper.   She participated in research teams and directed European projects with a special focus on the issues of migration, education, and youth. She has published articles and edited books on these subjects and has directed periodical publications in the Mediterranean area. Her research and publications are situated at the intersection of migration studies, multi-level governance, and civil society studies within the Euro-Mediterranean context. Her most recent work examines the extent to which migration initiatives promoted by local and transnational networks contribute to shaping cooperation frameworks across the Mediterranean, as well as the evolving role of cultural diplomacy and intercultural dialogue in this regional space.

Loucas Fourlas is a Cypriot Member of the European Parliament with a longstanding background in journalism and political communication. He studied Economics and Political Sciences at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1989–1994) and further specialised in investigative journalism and international crisis coverage through advanced courses at Columbia University and George Washington University in 2006. Between 1995 and 2016, he built a prominent media career as a journalist, political editor, editor-in-chief, television presenter and news anchor. His public engagement began during his student years, when he served as President of the Cyprus National Student Union (EFEK) in Thessaloniki (1992–1993) and Vice-President of the Cypriot Student Movement. He later moved into political communications, acting as Press Spokesman for Ioannis Kasoulides during the 2008 presidential campaign and as Press Spokesman of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus from 2017 to 2019. Since 2019, he has served as a Member of the European Parliament, where he contributes to European policymaking. Alongside his political work, he is active in social initiatives, having inspired the ‘Little Heroes’ initiative and serving as Ambassador for the ‘ELPIDA (HOPE) – Association of Friends of Children with Cancer’.

Kadri is the Director of Mental Health Europe, bringing over 15 years of experience in human rights, social inclusion, and migration policy. Before joining MHE, she led the Social Inclusion and Migration Unit at the Red Cross EU Office and served for over a decade at PICUM, where she was Deputy Director and a key voice in advancing the rights of migrants. Kadri’s career spans advisory and management roles in government and civil society, with a strong focus on EU policy and systemic change. She holds master’s degrees in Law and in Human Rights and Democratisation, and is deeply committed to promoting equity, dignity, and mental well-being across Europe.

Dr Joseph Duffy is the CEO of Jigsaw – The National Centre for Youth Mental Health in Ireland. He holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and has worked in the area of mental health for almost 30 years. Joseph is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Psychology, UCD. He currently holds two Ministerial appointments – to the Board of the Mental Health Commission since 2022 and to the Young Ireland Advisory Council since 2024. From 2020 to 2026 he sat on the National Implementation Monitoring Committee (NIMC) for Sharing the Vision – A Mental Health Policy for Everybody, the Irish Government’s policy framework for the continued development and enhancement of mental health services in Ireland from 2020 to 2030. He was formerly a board member of Mental Health Reform (2020-2024) and a member of the Executive of the International Association for Youth Mental Health (IAYMH) (2021-2024). He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Irish Probation Journal. Joseph is an elected Fellow of the Psychological Society of Ireland.

Alexandros Tifas is a Mental Health Nursing Officer and Certified Drug Addiction Counselor (IC&RC/AODA) at the Nursing Services Administration of the Ministry of Health in Cyprus. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the Technological University of Cyprus and a Master’s degree in Management and Social Planning in the Drug Addiction Field from the National School of Public Health, Greece. With over 25 years of clinical experience across residential and outpatient settings, he is currently seconded to the Ministry of Health, where he plays a pivotal role in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of national mental health policies and services. His recent work has been instrumental in advancing mental health resilience projects in collaboration with international organizations like UNICEF and the European Commission.

Dr Eria Makridou is the Director of Programme Development at CARDET. She holds a PhD and an MA in Educational Technology from the University of Cyprus and has extensive experience in designing and coordinating large-scale European projects. At CARDET, she leads the Programme Development Unit and funding portfolio, overseeing the development and submission of EU-funded proposals and initiatives across major European funding programmes such as Erasmus+, CERV, Horizon Europe, and EU tenders. Her work focuses on digital and social innovation, the integration of emerging technologies in learning, skills development, and the creation of strategic partnerships and collaborative European initiatives. Eria has also held teaching and research roles at the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus University of Technology and has contributed to several European research and innovation projects.

With over 20 years of experience in international cultural cooperation, Nenad Bogdanovic is currently the CEO of the Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations (OEPCR). In addition to coordinating the Anna Lindh Foundation Cypriot Network, in which he has participated since its establishment, the OEPCR coordinates the Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, serves as the National Contact Points for the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme, and the EU New European Bauhaus initiative. He also acts as the Focal Point for Cyprus’ national member of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC). Previously, he served as Executive Director of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Cultural Movement “Epilogi”, the Euro-Arab Youth Music Center, and Dance House Limassol. He has also participated in the European Commission’s working groups of national experts on Creative and Cultural Industries, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Status of Artists and Cultural Workers. Nenad has served on the Board of Directors of the European Music Council and Jeunesses Musicales International. In addition, he has collaborated with the Council of Europe as an expert on Intercultural Integration through the Intercultural Cities Programme.

Yiannis Trimithiotis is a senior EU programme management professional with 14+ years of experience across Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, H2020, CERV, and EEA/Norway Grants. He currently serves as Programme Director for the EEA Civil Society Fund 2021–2028 in Cyprus, operated by the NGO Support Center – GrantXpert Consulting consortium. He is also Co-Founder and Director of ProjectSquared Ltd. His civil society roots go back to the Cyprus Youth Council (2012–2015), where he led youth projects and structured dialogue initiatives at national and European level. He remains an active civil society practitioner — as a member of NGO boards, EU programme selection committees, and local civic initiatives.

Dr Aravella Zachariou is the Head of the Unit of Education for Environment and Sustainable Development (ESD), in Cyprus Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth. She worked as Ass. Professor for ESD in Kapodistrian University of Athens and Aegean University in Greece as well as in Frederick University, Cyprus. She is participating in international organizations and networks for Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (MIO, ENSI, GUPES, GLOBE) and since 2017 is the Chair of the UNECE ESD Steering Committee. She is also chairing the Mediterranean Committee for “the Action Plan for ESD in the Mediterranean Region”. She led also the task force “Education and climate change”, which is part of the Cyprus Initiative for Climate Change in Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East”. She is participating in various working expert groups in EU (working group for learning of Environmental Sustainability, working group Green and digital in school education), UNESCO ESD NET 2030. Her research involves the integration of education for environment and sustainable development in formal and non-formal education as well as in teacher professional development and more specifically on ESD and green competences. Her research work published in international scientific journals for EE/ESD and also, presented in international and worldwide conferences. She is author and co-author of various books, handbooks and educational tools on EE/ESD. She is participating in various EU projects (Erasmus, Life e.tc.) for ESD/ESS, WSA, ESD and Green Competences as a senior expert, researcher and coordinator. She is consulting editor in Journal of Environmental Education, and she is reviewer in series of Scientific Journals on ESD/EE. She is member in various National Committees related with the Environment and Sustainable Development. Recently has been appointed to chair the committee for revising the ESD curricula in Cyprus and she is leading the committee for revising the Cyprus National Action Plan for ESD and Green Transition 2030.  

Demetris Skourides serves as the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation and Technology of the Republic of Cyprus, leading the nation’s strategic agenda in research, innovation, and technology. He plays a central role in shaping national policy and contributing to international dialogue on artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and innovation governance. He chairs the National AI Taskforce and the Board of the Research and Innovation Foundation, and participates in international bodies including JRC, ESAF, Ignite Cyprus, and Future4PRIMA. He holds academic and executive credentials from Arizona State University, Henley Management College, Columbia, Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, and has held senior leadership positions at Oracle and Amazon Web Services.

Michael Karnitschnig is an Austrian national with a strong academic and professional background in European political and legal studies. He completed a Certificate in Senior Executives in National and International Security at Harvard Kennedy School in 2019, holds a Master of Arts in European Political Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges (1997), and a Master of Laws from the University of Graz and the Free University of Amsterdam through the Erasmus programme. Since January 2026, he serves as Acting Director-General for DG MENA, after being Deputy Director-General since July 2025 and Director for the Gulf earlier that year. Between 2019 and 2025, he was Director for External Relations at the Secretariat-General. Prior to that, he held several senior cabinet roles within the European Commission, including Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Hahn (2014–2019), Member of Cabinet of President Barroso (2011–2014), and Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs. His earlier experience includes advisory and policy roles in DG RELEX, work on the European Neighbourhood Policy, and positions related to the Western Balkans and agricultural law. Before joining the European institutions, he worked for the Austrian government, including as Second Secretary at the Austrian Mission to the OSCE, Desk Officer for European Security Policy at the Austrian Foreign Ministry, and as a lawyer at the Austrian Defence Ministry.

Dr. Zenonas Tziarras is a Lecturer in the Department of Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cyprus. He holds a PhD in Politics and international Studies from the University of Warwick, UK. He attained a BA in Mediterranean Studies from the University of the Aegean, Greece, and an MA in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the University of Birmingham, UK. Zenonas has collaborated with various universities and research institutes in Cyprus and abroad, while he has worked as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Social and Political Sciences of the University of Cyprus. His research was published in various books and journals. Zenonas is the co-founder of the platform Geopolitical Cyprus and a member of the Advisory Board of the centre for sociopolitical studies Politeia.

Dr. Harry Tzimitras, Director, Peace Research Institute-PRIO Cyprus Centre. In this capacity, he coordinates research and dialogue activities on the search for a political settlement to the Cyprus issue. He is also Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. He is Professor of International Law and International Relations, specializing in conflict resolution, energy security & geopolitics, the law of the sea, foreign policy, and the Eastern Mediterranean and has published extensively on these subjects. Previously, he held full-time teaching & research positions at Istanbul Bilgi University, Koç University (Istanbul), the University of Cambridge and the Institute of International Relations, Athens, and visiting professorships at a number of universities internationally. He is a member and Senior Expert of various Advisory Boards and Councils, including the London Energy Club, the Council for Mediterranean Diplomacy, the Charles University of Prague Centre for Violence, Trauma and Justice, and the Alexis Tsipras Institute for Peace, Justice, and Sustainable Growth. A graduate of Anatolia College, he holds a BSc (Econ.) with Honours in International Relations from the London School of Economics, a PhD summa cum laude in International Law from the Panteion University of Athens and two post-docs from the University of Cambridge and the Institute of International Relations as an SSF scholar, Athens.

Michalis Kontos is an Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Governance of the University of Nicosia. He is the Associate Head of the Department and program coordinator of MA International Relations and Eastern Mediterranean Studies. His research interests focus on international relations and strategic studies, with special focus on great power politics in the Eastern Mediterranean. He has also researched and published on European integration, politics of the Cyprus question, and international law. He has served as a member of the Geostrategic Council of the Republic of Cyprus. He is Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Review (BSEMR). He has participated in many international conferences and has taught under Erasmus+ mobility schemes in the Universities of The Hague (Netherlands), Piraeus (Greece), and Salerno (Italy). He is the author of monographs, chapters in edited volumes and articles published in international peer-reviewed journals, such as International Politics (Springer), Digests of Middle East Studies (Wiley) and South East European and Balkan Studies (Taylor&Francis). His latest book, titled “US Security Interests in the “New Eastern Mediterranean: Balancing Russia in a post- Unipolar World” was published by Routledge in 2025.

CARDET is the leading independent research and education center in Cyprus and one of the foremost in the Euro-Mediterranean region. Since 2004, it has been committed to empowering society through education, innovation, and lifelong learning. Guided by the belief that education drives change, CARDET collaborates with globally recognized organizations such as Microsoft, the European Commission, UNICEF, and the Yale School of Public Health. These partnerships have supported projects in over 40 countries, reaching more than three million people. CARDET’s work covers education and lifelong learning, digital learning, social inclusion, wellbeing and mental health, sustainable development, and innovative entrepreneurship. With over 400 projects delivered to date, CARDET continues to expand its local and international impact, grounded in integrity, transparency, and social responsibility. https://cardet.org/

The University of Nicosia (UNIC) is a premier research-oriented institution in Cyprus and the largest in Southern Europe teaching primarily in English, with over 12,500 students from 100+ countries. Situated in the capital, it offers over 100 on-campus and distance learning programs, featuring top-ranked schools in Medicine, Law, and Blockchain technology. UNIC is recognized for its internationalized, innovative, and digital-first approach to higher education. https://www.unic.ac.cy/

IMH is a leading Corporate Events, Media, Business Intelligence and Networking organisation with a vast annual agenda of over 200 conferences, business forums, exhibitions, investment summits, client events and business awards ceremonies. Organised by IMH in Cyprus and abroad, these are considered to be Cyprus’ largest business and professional networking platforms. Our Business Media Department publishes Cyprus’ two most popular monthly business magazines– IN Business and GOLD –and two digital media platforms, IN Business News and CBN (Cyprus Business News) with their Daily Newsletters providing executives with news and updates on the local business and economic landscape, in Greek and English respectively. Our Consumer Media Department operates REPORTER, one of the country's most popular news portals, as well as SUPER FM, Cyprus’ Number 1 Greek music radio station. IMH also participates in Cyprus Government, EU and other international organisations’ projects and programmes. www.imhbusiness.com

The English-language business magazine GOLD was launched in 2011. Today, it has established itself as a publication that promotes Cyprus as an international business centre, and at the same time, presents all sectors of business activity in Cyprus. It has a unique readership, which consists of high – net worth individuals , executives of international businesses, English-speaking and also Cypriot businesspeople.

INBusinessNews.com is ­the most comprehensive business portal in the Cypriot market. Targeting all sectors of entrepreneurship, beyond business ­developments, the portal focuses on exclusive reports, interviews, topics and analyses. On a daily basis, over 60,000 professionals and businesspeople ­use it for comprehensive and reliable information. The IN Business Daily Newsletter is the daily newsletter from INBusinessNews.com that is sent to 60,000 opinion leaders from the business world.