joined the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) in February 2008. She is carrying out research and project activities on Western Balkans, Latin America, Democracy and Development, Human Rights in Foreign Policy. In 2002-2007 she worked in the People in Peril Association, a Slovak NGO providing relief aid and development assistance, defending human rights and freedoms worldwide, where she established and supervised the Democratization and Human Rights Program. She was managing development projects in Kosovo, BiH, Serbia, Ukraine and Cuba. In the period of 2000-2002 the worked in the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in Prague as the editor of the “Integrace” journal focued on EU issues and the integration process. She received MA degree in the International Teritorrial Studies at the Charles University in Prague.
Experts - international relations
Eliška Sláviková
Witold Sobków
Titular Ambassador, Acting Political Director. Graduated in English language and literature (1984), Italian language and literature (1987) from Warsaw University. 1998-2000 Islamic Studies, London University; Security in SE Asia - King's College; Middle Eastern Programme - RUSI; basic Arabic - SOAS. 1991 - 1993 Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Deputy Head of the European Department and Advisor to the Minister. Scholarships: Stanford University - Hoover Institution on War and Peace. 1996 - 2000 - representing Poland on the International Advisory Board of Wilton Park. 1998 - representing The Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE on the Contact Group (the former Yugoslavia) during its London meetings. 1993 - 2000 Embassy of the Republic of Poland, London: Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Head of Mission..2000 - 2001 Deputy Head, West European Department. 2001 - 2001 Director for Non-European Countries and the UN System. Consultant in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Israel, Iran. 2001 –. 2002 Senior Advisor to the Minister (on European affairs); consultant on the board of “Polish Diplomatic Digest”; member of the “Monitoring Committee” overseeing a government project of Poland`s promotion abroad. 2002 –2006 Ambassador to Ireland. 2006 Under-Secretary of State for European Affairs. 2007 - Ambassador, Dep. of Strategy and Planning of Poland's Foreign Policy.
Barbara Sośnicka
After her Master of Arts degree at the Institute of Oriental Languages at the University of Warsaw, Mrs Sośnicka studied International Relations at The Polish Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw, then completed her studies at the Academy of International Law in The Hague, International Institute of Public Administration in Paris and University of Mons. Since 1987 she has worked at the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Polish Embassies in Managua, Caracas, Brussels and Lima. Now she is Deputy Director of Europe at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Maria Staszkiewicz
Director of Association for International Affairs in Prague. She has degrees in Linguistics (Katowice), International Relations (Krakow) and European Studies (Bonn). After study periods abroad (Munich and Prague), she moved to Brussels to take up a post in the Secretariat General of the Council of the EU. Her last assignment was within the Crisis Management and Planning Directorate. She is interested in the EU external relations and political communication. Participated in the 5th edition of the Visegrad Summer School, currently project partner.
Paweł Świderski
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Brazil in Krakow. Graduated in Oriental Philology from the Jagiellonian University, and in European Studies from the Pułtusk School of Humanities. PhD in Management. His work experience include supervising implementation of development plans, diplomatic representation of Poland, creation of bilateral economic cooperation at the level of countries and regions, economic analyses, negotiating international agreements in the field of economic cooperation and supervising execution of international commercial and industrial cooperation agreements. Lecturer at the Jagiellonian University in the field of strategy of development and human resources; Chairman of the Foundation for the Jagiellonian University; consultant in local government.
Paweł Świeboda
Founder and head of demosEuropa – the Centre for European Strategy. He graduated in 1994 from the London School of Economics (International Relations). In 1996 he became an adviser on European policy to the President of Poland and later headed the European Integration Office in the President’s Chancellery. Between 2001 and 2006 he served as the Director of the European Union Department in the Foreign Ministry. Swieboda is a member of several expert commissions including the Lisbon Council and the Commission on Europe after 50 set up by Chatham House. He writes a regular column on foreign policy in the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
Péter Szeratics
Minister Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Poland.
Borys Tarasyuk
Ukrainian diplomat and politician, twice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in five governments under two Presidents (1998-2000, 2005-2007), Vice-President of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly. Founder and Director (since 2001) of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation and Chairman of the Board of the magazine "Euroatlantic". Leader of the political party “People's Movement of Ukraine” (2003-2012), Deputy Head of All-Ukraine Union “Bat'kivschyna” party (since 2013). Member of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine (since 2002 till now), Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs (since 2014). Chair of Inter-factional Group “Ukraine in NATO”. Head of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration (2002-2005, 2006 and 2007-2012). Since 1975 he served at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Mission at the UN (1981-1986), member of Delegation to UN Security Council (1984-1985), Ambassador of Ukraine to the Benelux countries (1995-1998), Head of the Mission of Ukraine to NATO (1997-1998). Has the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (since 1992).
Jan Tomášek
Deputy Head of Mission of the Czech Republic to Poland since August 2006. At the MFA since 1991. Two previous postings - Slovakia (1993-98) and Russia (1999-2004). Speaks English, French, Russian and Polish.
Karolina Tyniec - Margańska
MA in Journalism, Social Communication and International Relations at the Warsaw University. 2002- 2003 Journalist for Channel 3 of Polish Radio. 2003-2004 the Deutsche Welle correspondent in Poland. Since 2004 has worked as the Public Relations specialist in DaimlerChrysler Automotive Poland.
