Former Czechoslovak dissident, one of the signatories of Charta '77. After the Revolution of 1989 has occupied a number of prominent posts including that of the Member of the first Federal Parliament, Cabinet Minister, Rector of Comenius University and Chief of Staff of the President of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel as his Chancellor for Slovakia. Founder of the Department of Political Science of Comenius University (1990). Founder and the Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights Education at Comenius University in Bratislava, founder and Chairman of the Milan Simecka Foundation, member of the Academic Council of the Comenius University and member of committees and councils at home and abroad (incl. Czech Republic, Poland, Italy). President of the Slovak Helsinki Committee and Honorary Member of the Czech Helsinki Committee. After the 1998 parliamentary elections, Advisor of the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic for human rights and minority issues.
Experts
Miroslav Kusý
Marceli Kwaśniewski
Journalist for over 15 years (TV, newspapers, radio). Since 5 years working on the EU issues at Radio Kraków and Unia & Polska monthly. Postgraduate studies at the Centre for European Studies of the Jagiellonian University. Member of the board of the Fred Gijbels Fundation. Main interests: social communication, regional development, open society, culture, EU mechanisms of power.
Jiří Kyrian
Jiří Kyrian is Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Political-Economic Unit, Czech Embassy in Warsaw, Poland since 2018. He graduated from University of Economics in Prague and Diplomatic Academy, MFA. He worked in many institutions, such as: Permanent Delegation of the Czech Republic to NATO, Security Policy Department, MFA; Permanent Mission to the UN, OSCE, Czech Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia; Minister’s Cabinet, MFA. He knows English, German, Serbian, French (passive), Russian (passive).
Barbara Labuda
Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the president of the Republic of Poland (in charge of social and cultural affairs). Active in politics since 1968, cooperated with KOR (Comitee for the Defence of Workers), active in the "Solidarity" Union. Co-founder of the ROAD (Civic Movement - Democratic Action), Democratic Union, Union for Freedom. Since June 1989, deputy to the Sejm, head of the Parliamentary Group of Women. President of the "No Dogma Association for Law and Freedom" and member of the Programme Council of the Foundation for Promotion of the European Law.
András Lanczi
Political scientist focusing upon political philosophy. Since 2002 he has been the Director of the Institute of Political Science, Corvinus University of Budapest. He is a lecturer in the history of 20th century political philosophy, political economy and democratic theory. He has been publishing for twenty years producing five books, editing three encyclopaedias, and active in Hungarian public life. He was a Fulbright Professor at the Louisiana State University, 1997-8, was awarded the annual 'Bibó-prize' in 2003. A discussion leader of the Liberty Fund. Also, he has been an advisor to the incumbent Hungarian President, László Sólyom.
Kai-Olaf Lang
Research fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs of the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin, Germany. Head of research unit on European Integration; previously research fellow of the Federal Institute for Eastern and International Studies (Bundesinstitut für internationale und ostwissenschaftliche Studien, BIOst), Cologne, Germany. His fields of specialization include Countries of Central and Eastern Europe: transformation, political developments, foreign and security policy, bilateral relations with Germany; EU enlargement and implications; security issues in CEE. In recent years he has carried out research concerning foreign and security policies of those countries, problems regarding accession of CEE countries to EU and domestic problems of the countries; European Neighborhood Policy. He holds a diploma in public administration and a doctorate in political sciences. Member of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde; Member of German-Polish Kopernikus-Group; Member of Editorial Board of Przegląd Zachodni (Poznan), Advisory Board of Aspen Review Central Europe (Prague). He holds a Bene Merito award by Polish Foreign Minister Sikorski.
Elżbieta Lęcznarowicz
Deputy Mayor of the City of Krakow. Graduated from the Geography and Biology Department of Pedagogical Academy in Krakow. Completed post-graduate studies on: Organization of Self-Government Education Management, Environment Protection and Formation. She has worked as, among others: methodologist for executives' affairs, inspector of schools at the Education Office, Personnel Department Manager at the Education Office, Director of various education establishments, and from 1994 through 2003 - Director of Zespół Szkół Ekonomicznych nr 1 (Economic Schools Complex No 1) in Krakow. From 2003 through 2006, she was the Chief Education Officer for the Małopolska Region.
Alena Ledeneva
Reader in Russian Politics and Society at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London, UK. She studied Economics at the Novosibirsk State University (1986) and Social and Political Theory at the University of Cambridge (Newnham College, M.Phil.1992; Ph.D.1996). She has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at New Hall, Cambridge in 1996-1999; a Senior Fellow at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University (2005); and a Simon Professor at the University of Manchester (2006).
Janusz Legoń
(1965) - theater critic, columnist, editor. A graduate of theater studies at the Jagiellonian University. In 1988–89, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Speaking Students of the Jagiellonian University "Przegłos", and in 1989–2013 literary director at the Polish Theater in Bielsko Biała. From 2015 at the Zbigniew Raszewski Theater Institute in Warsaw, editor of the Encyclopedia of the Polish Theater.
From 1990 he was associated with the International Theater Festival Na Granicy (Without Borders), from 2010 as its director, from 2018 - artistic director. Since 2010, regional spokesman (chairman) of Polish-Czech-Slovak Solidarity, Regional Branch in Cieszyn.
Albrecht Lempp
Director of Polish-German Cooperation Foundation, Warsaw. Doctor of humanities, slavist, cultural manager, translator of Polish literature into German. Council member of the cultural foundation “Haus Europa” and Villa Decius Association. Board member of the Authors and Publishers Association, Polska Książka. Worked at Deutsches Polen-Institut in Darmstadt, Germany and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as Vice-Director. Initatior of the Literary Group (Zespół Literacki) "Polska 2000".
