Monica BALDI
Monica Baldi, architect and urban planner, is Grand Officer of Merit of the Italian Republic. She is Vice President of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA) and of ARS PACE. Ambassador of AWomen20. Deputy and Secretary of the Commission for Foreign and Community Affairs at the Chamber of Deputies from 2001 to 2006. MEP and Deputy President of the Committee for Culture, Youth, Education, Media and Sport from 1994 to 1999.
Baldi was Vice President of the Red Cross of Pistoia and President of the associations: Pinocchio di Carlo Lorenzini, Pinocchioworld, Laurus and Professional Cycling Groups League. She is speaker and promoter of conferences on: international politics, cooperation and development, culture, urban planning, environment. She has always been committed to the defence of Human Rights and in particular for the Rights of Women. She is the co-author of the FMA publications produced in collaboration with the Historical Archives of the European Union: “Overcoming the Pandemic”, “Presnt Future of Europe” and “Participation in Europe”.
Enrique BARÓN CRESPO
Enrique Barón Crespo is Former President of the European Parliament (1989-92), President the Socialist and Democrats in the EP (1999-2004) and Member of the European Parliament (1986-2008). He also was the FMA’s President from 2014- 2018. In his function as MEP, he was the Former Chairman to the Foreign Affairs Committee and to the International Trade Committee of the EP.
He is the Former Minister of the Spanish Government which adhered to the EC (1982-85) and a Former Member of the Spanish National Parliament (1977-87). He is a Chair Jean Monnet “ad honorem”, visiting Professor in Universities all over the World and a lawyer and Economist. P.H.D. in Law and Economics (Universidad Complutense, ICADE-Madrid) & Diplômé Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (ESSEC). He is President of the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation Spain, ARS PACE and Chancellor of the United Nations Peace University. He is Vice President of the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation.
Marco DEL PANTA
Marco Del Panta was appointed Secretary General of the EUI in June 2020 and took up his position in January 2021. He assists and advises the President in all institutional external affairs and diplomatic matters, including relations with EUI member states, EU institutions, and third countries. He also coordinates relations with the national and local authorities. The Secretary General coordinates the EUI administration and deals with all tasks delegated to him in this regard.
Before joining the EUI as Secretary General, Marco Del Panta was elected to the City Council and appointed as special advisor to the Mayor of Florence. A career diplomat, he served most recently as Italy’s Ambassador to Switzerland. Previously, he was Director for Migration Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served at the General Directorate for the European Union of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and in Brussels at the Italian Permanent Representation to the EU. Previously, he held diplomatic positions in Austria and Egypt. Del Panta taught a course on “European Governance and decision making” at the University of Florence in the academic years 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and is member of the Council of the Fondation Jean Monnet pour l’Europe in Lausanne. He is author of several publications on foreign policy and on the policies of the EU, especially in the field of Research and Development.
Leo DUGUAY
Mr. Duguay was previously Senior Vice President at an international public affairs firm, providing government relations counsel across various sectors. A former Conservative Member of Parliament for St. Boniface, Manitoba, he served on several House of Commons Standing Committees, including Deputy Whip and Manitoba Caucus Chair and represented Canada at the United Nations 40th Assembly. After his parliamentary career, Leo was Chief of Staff to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and later formed his own consulting firm, Duralex Management Inc. Before his election, Mr. Duguay was a teacher, high school principal, and active community member, receiving numerous awards, including Member of the Order of the Buffalo Hunt and Chevalier Ordre de la Pleiade. He is a member of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame. Mr. Duguay is a Past President of the Canadian Teachers Federation and the Government Relations Institute of Canada and served five years as President of the Association of Former Parliamentarians. The Hill Times recognized him as one of the top one hundred lobbyists.
Trine FLOCKHART
Trine Flockhart is a full-time professor at the EUI, holding a Chair in Security Studies at the Florence School of Transnational Governance. Professor Flockhart is currently on leave from the University of Southern Denmark, where she was a Professor of International Relations, Chair of Social Science in the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies (D-IAS) and Co-Director of the Center for War Studies.
Trine’s current research focuses on global order and processes of change and transformation, the crisis in the liberal international order, NATO and transatlantic relations, ontological security, constructivism, English School theory, and resilience. She has more than 100 publications with her main academic articles having appeared in journals such as Review of International Studies, Contemporary Security Policy, Journal of Common Market Studies, European Journal of International Relations, International Relations.
Prior to joining the Florence School of Transnational Governance, Flockhart held positions as a Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern Denmark, Professor of International Relations and Director of Research in the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent; Senior Researcher and Head of Defense and Security at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS); Senior Resident Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy (German Marshall Fund) in Washington DC. Since finishing her PhD about NATO and nuclear weapons in 1991 at the University of East Anglia, Trine has taught courses on International Relations, European Security, Transatlantic Studies, and Global Order at universities in Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Arancha GONZÁLEZ LAYA
María Aránzazu (Arancha) González Laya is a lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation in the Spanish government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from 2020 to 2021.
From 2013 to 2019, Professor González was assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the International Trade Center (ITC). From 2005 to 2013, she was Chief of Staff to World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy, where she took an active part in launching the WTO’s Aid for Trade initiative and served as the Director-General representative to the G20.
Prior to her work at the WTO, Professor González held several positions at the European Commission, where she negotiated trade agreements and assisted developing countries in their trade development efforts. Between 2002 and 2004, she was the European Union Spokesperson on Trade and Advisor to the European Union Trade Commissioner.
Professor González has a vast knowledge of international trade and economics, as well as experience in trade and development issues in the public and private sectors and in the management of multilateral organisations. She has lectured widely on trade and development, including at the College of Europe (Bruges), IELPO (Barcelona), the World Trade Institute (WTI) and the Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade.
González is an advocate of women’s empowerment and a founder of the SheTrades initiative.
Danuta HÜBNER
Danuta Hübner is a renowned economist and politician with a distinguished career in academia, international diplomacy, and European governance. She became Professor of Economics at the Warsaw School of Economics in 1992 after earning her Ph.D. and post-doctorate.
She played a key role in Poland’s European integration, serving as Chief Negotiator for OECD accession (1996-1997), Minister for European Affairs (2003-2004), and EU Commissioner for Regional Policy (2004-2009). She also held high-ranking positions at the UN Economic Commission for Europe (1998-2001).
From 2009 to 2024, Hübner was a Member of the European Parliament (EPP Group), actively shaping EU economic and regional policies.
Her career reflects a lifelong commitment to economic development, European integration, and international cooperation.
Peggy NASH
Ms. Nash is a fellow and instructor at Toronto Metropolitan University where she teaches politics. She is the author of Women Winning Office, An Activist’s Guide to Getting Elected. She is a non-profit board member and hosts the podcast: Activists Make History.
Ms. Nash is a former NDP Member of Parliament from Toronto and was the Shadow Minister of Finance. She ran unsuccessfully for the leadership of her party in 2012. Prior to politics she was a senior negotiator with Canada’s largest private sector union (Unifor), and was the first labour woman to head up auto negotiations. She pioneered ground-breaking labour policies and leadership training in equity issues for which she was named to the Order of Canada and awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Brock University. Nash has volunteered as an election observer in many countries including Ukraine, Lebanon, Ghana and South Africa and she has led training in political engagement in Canada, Haiti, South Africa and Niger. Ms. Nash continues to accept media interviews and to engage politically with her community.
Karen REDMAN
The Hon. Karen Redman PC (née Longo) is a Canadian politician who currently serves as the chair of the Region of Waterloo. Previously, she was a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1997 to 2008, representing the riding of Kitchener Centre for the Liberal Party. She served as Chief Government Whip in the 2004 to 2005 Parliament and was the Chief Official Opposition Whip in the 2006 to 2008 parliament.
Karen has been dedicated to public service for more than 20 years. She has represented the community at several levels of government including federal, municipal and the board of education. Prior to being elected as Chair, she served on Regional Council as a representative for the City of Kitchener
Karen has a Master’s degree in Political Science, as well as an Honour’s Bachelor’s degree in English. Among her professional endeavours, Karen served as Chief Executive Officer at Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region from 2010 to 2018.
In other community activities, Karen has served as Chair of the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region, President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener 2014-2015 and a Board Member of Martin Lutheran University College (formerly Waterloo Lutheran Seminary). Karen is also an elder at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian church in Kitchener. Karen is the recipient of the Queens Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. Karen Redman is a life-long resident of Waterloo Region. She currently resides in Kitchener and she and her husband Warren have four grown children.
Fabrizio TASSINARI
Fabrizio Tassinari is the Executive Director and Berggruen Fellow at the EUI’s School of Transnational Governance, where he develops the overall strategic direction, the design and the policy programme of the School.
Prior to joining the School, Tassinari served as Senior Researcher and Head of Foreign Policy Studies at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS) in Copenhagen. A recipient of a German government’s Alexander von Humboldt award, he has also been an Adjunct Professor at the Department of Social Science at Humboldt University in Berlin since 2012.
Tassinari, a political scientist, has a background in research and policy advice on questions of democracy, governance and international security, in and around Europe. He published extensively on peer-reviewed journals and volumes and is the author of the book Why Europe Fears its Neighbors (Praeger) reprinted in an updated edition for the mass market and translated into Turkish (Inkilap). His new book The Pursuit of Governance: Nordic Dispatches on a New Middle Way was published in 2022 by CUP/Agenda and in Italian by Rubbettino. His writings and opinions regularly feature in mainstream international media, such as the Economist, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, CNN, Le Figaro and Die Welt.
Among his advisory positions, he served as a Fellow at Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies and at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, as well as a senior Transatlantic Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States in Berlin. He is a Council member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and a board member of the Italian Institute of International Affairs (IAI).
Sir Graham WATSON
Sir Graham Watson is the son of a Royal Naval Officer and a teacher. He studied at Heriot-Watt University and began his political career with the Scottish Young Liberals. He held various roles in youth liberal organizations and served as Head of the Private Office for UK Liberal Leader David Steel from 1983 to 1987.
Elected to the European Parliament in 1994, he chaired the Committee on Citizens Rights and Freedoms, Justice and Home Affairs, and led the ELDR (later ALDE) Group from 2002 to 2009, making it the largest third party in the European Parliament. His book, *Building a Liberal Europe*, was published in 2010, and he was knighted in 2011. Active in the European Economic and Social Committee, Sir Graham has contributed significantly to liberal movements and the accession of Eastern European countries to the EU. He speaks English, French, German, and Italian and lives in Edinburgh and Brussels with his wife, Dr. Rita Giannini.