Munich, Bavaria, Germany
I am a German, Greek, and Croatian citizen who is passionate about European politics and works towards building a more equal, sustainable, and human rights-oriented Europe with like-minded individuals. At the moment, I am the Political Attaché for trade policy and economics at the British Embassy in Vienna. In my position, I search for market access barriers and establish strategies to resolve them. Moreover, I create strategic foresight plans for policy impacts of future legislation. In parallel, I am running my non-profit-project EU FOR YOU, which I started in 2019 and which now educates an audience of now around 40,000 across social media platforms on what is going on in the EU, how it affects us, and how we can make it better. I pursued an educational path in German, English, and French, which I finished with one M.Sc. from the Technical University of Munich and one Postgraduate M.A. degree from the College of Europe. I have worked in the European Parliament, the British Embassy, the NGO sector, as well as the private market, always in areas related directly to the EU. Thanks to my experiences, I am an expert in EU policy, trade issues, communication, and public relations, have a broad network in both public and private sector, and have vast experience in policy-making related issues. I am always open to collaborate with others who strive to make our world more sustainable, fair, and equitable. I look forward to hearing from you and to collaborate.
1. Policy Analysis with market access focus: Conducting in-depth analysis of EU and national policies and their impact on bilateral and multilateral market access => using insights to engage with counterparts to improve market access conditions and reduce barriers. 2. Economic Research: Leading research initiatives on economic trends, market access, and regulatory environments to inform strategic decision-making, both individually and through commissioning market access colleagues working at other EU posts. 3. Diplomatic Engagement: Fostering and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, international organizations, and private sector representatives. 4. Policy Advocacy: Advocating for a synergetic approach to trade interests in conversations with foreign governments and international bodies. 5. Reporting & Intelligence: Preparing comprehensive reports and briefings on economic and trade developments to support senior leadership in policy formulation. 6. Stakeholder Liaison: Acting as a liaison between the embassy and domestic policy stakeholders, ensuring alignment of trade policy goals and priorities. 7. Strategic Advising: Providing strategic advice to senior diplomats and government officials on trade and economic issues, shaping the broader policy agenda. 8. Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Working closely with various government departments and agencies to coordinate and implement trade and economic policies. 9. Public Diplomacy: Engaging in public diplomacy efforts to promote understanding of trade policies and economic strategies, both domestically and abroad. 10. Representation: Participation in high-level meetings, conferences, and events focused on trade and economic issues, representing national interests.
1. Started educational, fundamental rights-based infotainment project on Social Media from scratch without any funding and grew it to one of the most frequented EU social media platforms for young persons, generating well over 100 million impressions since 2019 and building a community of 40,000+ 2. Creating content on EU policies across Social Media platforms with a focus on fundamental rights, environment and social justice issues, youth, and democratic participation 3. Building and expanding network (MEPs, MPs, Diplomats, Ministers, Commissioners, Institutional and agency staff), media, NGOs 4. Conducting interviews - Guests include President of European Parliament R. Metsola, President of the Commission U. von der Leyen, MEPs A. Al-Sahlani, D. Boeselager, K. Cseh, I. Joveva, and many more), Head of FRA's Comms. Unit N. Romain, President of European Youth Forum S. Markkula, Vice-President of the EESC C. Lohan, Hong Kong Activist N. Law etc. 5. Presenting EU FOR YOU in media (TV, Radio, Newspapers, Blogs, Institutional Sites) 6. Creating tutorials and policy-briefings 8. Collaborations with EU institutions and NGO: - Reporter for Sakharaov Prize at European Parliament (2023) - Jury Member of the EU Ombudsman's "Award for Good Administration" (2023) - 2x cooperation with European Parliament office in Munich: debating the State of the Union 2023 speech with the head of the Bundestag's committee for European Affairs + workshop on effective political communication (2023) - Part of "Your Europe, Your Say" Campaign for EESC (2023) - Panel discussion at NGO Stiftung Wertebündnis Bayern (2023) - Workshop for NGO Nyt Europa (2022) - Cooperation with Euranetplus and European Parliament for a discussion with MEPs (2022) - Reporter for State of the Union, incl. meeting with President von der Leyen and Vice-President of the European Parliament K. Barley (2021) 10. Fundraising rallies with >10,000 Euros raised, e.g., for refugees, natural catastrophe victims
1. Co-leading DIO’s team of seven employees and managing DIO’s project portfolio of twelve projects (EU and Austria funded) with a total budget of around two million EUR; creation and management of project plans, incl. budgeting; managing 10 data spaces and their stakeholders 2. Building and managing data-driven Use Cases combining ecological, economic, and social aspects, e.g., with the UN’s World Bank 3. Expanding and managing the existing expert network of DIO, including Austrian ministries and those of member states (e.g. Cyprus, Germany, Slovakia, Czechia), EU bodies such as DG CNECT, UN bodies such as the World Bank, and NGOs working on data safety and inclusion related matters, as well as internationally operating entities such as IDSA, Gaia-X, and iShare 4. Conducting meetings with Ministers, Secretaries of State, Heads of Units within EU bodies and agencies, as well as with the management level of private market stakeholders and NGOs; presenting the work of DIO and discuss collaboration potential; languages used: English, German, French, Greek, Croatian 5. Successfully applying for project funding (e.g. EDGE Skills, KI.M, SMART Fox, USEFLEDS) through Horizon Europe and Austria’s FFG and ensuring that proposals and operationally active projects adhere to overarching EU goals 6. Analysing the developments and implementation of the Data Governance Act, the Data Act, and the AI act, as well as legislation included under the European Green Deal, with a special focus on evaluating the impact of data privacy and algoritmic safety, protection of minorities, gender equality, and alleviation of poverty - and creating according briefings for DIO's 184+ stakeholders network 7. Collaboration with technical, and private market experts to create data-based policy reports to inform about data spaces and AI related issues 8. Presenting in front of audiences up to 200 people, organising and holding co-creation workshops with private market and public authorities
1. Evaluation and data-based recommendations for communication, outreach, and networking 2. Consultation for funding from various sources (EU, national, private, philanthropy) 3. Assistance in setting up the technological and visual framework for events 4. Advising on staff training and communication related leadership
1. Established a framework for communication, outreach, and networking as team leader of four persons and created and managed social media channels, newsletters, corporate language standard as well as CI from scratch; Content focus was put on EU topics such as security, migration, social and climate justice, gender equality, and transport and created both alone in the form of policy analyses and presentation, as well as together with the team 2. Created a pool of informational sources to draw from for content creation, with a focus on human rights, freedom, equality topics, to support the think tank's overarching goal of bolstering European democratic societies through motivating civil society to engage with European politics 3. Created lists with relevant stakeholders in national and EU politics, NGOs, private market stakeholders, and civil society organisations 4. Assisted the leaderboard with policy briefs for meetings with public authorities and decision-makers to embed the think tank's work within policy plans and establish cooperations in German, English, and French 5. Built the communication framework for hybrid events such as the Young Security Conference, with guests from the NGO and academia world, as well as public authorities and civil society. 6. Conducted communication related project management, including planning, supervision, budgeting and implementation 7. Assisting in the search for funding from various sources (EU, national, private, philanthropy)
1. Co-created and co-led internal information campaigns about relevant EU developments in the field of energy legislation, including effects on social coherence,e.g.,energy poverty 2. Establised and executed cooperation strategies for communication efforts with TSCNET stakeholders (TSOs in other EU member states) for outreach activities aiming at the general public and authorities across the European continent and within and beyond EU borders 3. Created presentations as well as briefings for internal and external purposes for the management and leadership, based on the analyis of EU energy regulation, relevant data points, and latest statements by the EU institutions 4. Planned, supervised, and curated the articles of the personally designed monthly employee newsletter "PhaseShifter", incl. conducting expert interviews with staff members, giving insights into the workings of the EU law-making process, and energy updates 5. Providing visual, empirical, and social-media related guidance 6. Building up the company intranet from sratch design-wise, created and automated pages