PROFILE OF SPEAKERS
Dr Klaus HÄNSCH
FMA President
Former President of the European Parliament (1994-1997)
Dr Klaus Hänsch is a German politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 2009, and sat with the Party of European Socialists group of which he was Vice-Chairman from 1989 to 1994 and from 1997 to 2009. Klaus Hänsch was Presidium-Member of the Convention drafting a European Constitution (2002-2003) and Parliament’s representative in the Intergovernmental Conference on the Constitutional Treaty for the European Union (2003-2004). He was Member for Germany (SPD) from 1979 to 2009 and President of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997. Klaus Hänsch is currently President of the Former Members Association.
Eva Maria POPTCHEVA, MEP
Vice-Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs
Eva Maria Poptcheva studied law at the Albert Ludwig University in Freeburg, Germany, and obtained a PhD in Constitutional Law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Before starting her work at the European Parliament, she worked as a lawyer in Spain and Germany. Poptcheva is an expert in EU law and previously headed the Legislative Affairs Unit at the European Parliament. As of 15 September 2022, Eva-Maria Poptcheva is the newest Member of the European Parliament for Ciudadanos, ALDE Party member party in Spain. She is Vice-Chair of the EPs Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and substitute of the Committee on Budgets and the Delegation for relations with South Asia.
Professor Joaquín ALMUNIA
Chairman of the Board of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)
Former Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs
Former Vice-President of the Commission and Commissioner for Competition
Professor Joaquín Almunia is Visiting Professor at PSIA- Sciences-Po, where he teaches EU Competition Policy, and Chairman of the Board of the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS). He is also the Honorary President of the Barcelona School of Economics. From April 2004 to October 2014 has been a member of the European Commission, in charge of the portfolio of Economic and Monetary Affairs and, since February 2010, as Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Competition Policy. He was member of the Spanish Government, first as minister of Labour and Social Security (1982-1986) and later minister for Public Administration (1986-1991). Has been a member of the Spanish Parliament (1979-2004) and the leader of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) (1997-2000). He has degrees in Economics (1971) and Law (1972) from the University of Deusto (Bilbao, Spain). Joaquín Almunia was born in Bilbao (Spain), 17 June 1948, and is married with Professor Milagros Candela. They have two sons and three grandchildren.
Ivailo KALFIN
Executive Director of Eurofound
Ivailo Kalfin is Executive Director of Eurofound since June 2021. He has a long experience related to the EU integration. Prior to assuming his current position, he served as Minister for Labour and Social Policy (2014-2016) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2005-2009), both times being also Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria. Ivailo was elected 4 times Member of Parliament and once Member of the European Parliament (2009-2014). As a MEP he was S&D coordinator in the BUDG Committee and rapporteur for MFF 2014-2020. He was also Director of the Economy and International Relations Institute and earlier on – Economic Policy Secretary to the President of Bulgaria. Ivailo’s main expertise is in the area of employment and social policy, public budgets, including the budget of the EU and EU relations with the neighbouring countries.
Lasse BOEHM
Head of the Economic Policies Unit, Members’ Research Service, EPRS, European Parliament
Lasse Boehm is Head of the Economic Policies Unit in the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), where he is responsible for macro-economic and energy issues. He has worked on Green Deal, Energy Union and Economic and Monetary Union issues for many years, having started in the European Parliament in 2004. Prior to joining EPRS in November 2021, he was Head of the EPP Group’s Working Group on Economy and Environment. Lasse holds an MPhil degree from St Antony’s College, University of Oxford, as well as a BA in Political Science from the University of Durham.
Teresa RIERA MADURELL (moderator)
Honorary Secretary of the European Parliament Former Members Association
Teresa Riera Madurell is Honorary Secretary in the Management Committee of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA). She is a Spanish politician, University Professor and Chair of the Science Policy Advisors Board of the Barcelona Supercompunting Center (BSC-CNS). She was Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of the Balearic Islands. She was member of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands (1987-1996). Member of the Spanish Congress (1996-2004). Member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (2000-2004): Vice President of the Committee for Science and Technology and general rapporteur. She was a MEP from 2004 to 2014: Member of the parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy; rapporteur for the Framework Program for Research and Innovation “Horizon 2020”, managing to reach a final agreement by strengthening the European research and innovation system with particular support for scientists and researchers. Member of the EC RISE-Advisory Group of Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, CarlosMoedas (2014-2019). She is co-author of the FMA publication “Overcoming the Pandemic”, realised in collaboration with Women 20 and the support of the Historical Archives of the European Union.