PROFILE OF SPEAKERS
Klaus HÄNSCH
Dr. Klaus Hänsch (born 1938 in Sprottau) is a German politician. He was a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 2009, and a member of 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.
Riho TERRAS
GEN Riho Terras was born on April 17, 1967 in Kohtla-Järve, Estonia.Between 1993 and 1994 GEN Terras served as the commander of the Põhja Single Infantry Company. After graduating from the Bundeswehr University (Germany) he served as the commander of the Guard Battalion from 1998 to 2000.GEN Terras was appointed the Chief of Staff of the Defence League Headquarters in 2000. From 2001 to 2004 he served as the Estonian Defence Attaché in Germany and Poland.Between 2005 and 2008 GEN Terras served as the Chief of the Analysis and Planning Department and as Chief of the Planning Section, Analysis and Planning Department in the Estonian Defence Forces Headquarters. In 2007, GEN Terras served in the NATO Training Mission – Iraq as Deputy Chief of Staff.GEN Riho Terras was confirmed on December 2008 as Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defence. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the Estonian Defence forces from January 2011 to March 2011 and then continued his service as the Chief of Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces.GEN Riho Terras was appointed the Chief of Defence from December 5th 2011- December 5th 2018.He was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 2019 and he took up his mandate in February 2020. He was re-elected June 2024.GEN Terras’s civilian education includes history studies in the University of Tartu, and a master’s degree in Political Science and Sociology from the University of Bundeswehr.
C. N. Abel ROMERO JUNQUERA
Abel Romero is a Navy Captain (reserve). Currently he works as senior analyst at the Spanish Institute of Strategic Studies. During his life at the Spanish Navy, he has been taking diferent positions; mainly as fighter pilot for Spanish Armada, as well as surface officer in various ships. He has been commander of two ships, patrol boat “La Graña”, and corvette “Infanta Cristina”. Regarding operations abroad, he has participated in Sierra Juliette (national Operation) in support of Iraq (2003) on board the Spanish Ship “Galicia”. In 2015 in EU Operation EUNAVFOR SOPHIA of the EU, as Chief of Staff, on board the italian aircraft carrier “Cavour”. With regard to “security and defence”, he has been working on issues related to EU for almost 10 years, at national level in the General Directorate for Defense Policy (MoD), as well as later on in Brussels at the Spanish Permanent Representation to EU as Deputy Counselor to PSC Ambassador (2009-2013), including one year commissioned to EEAS (SEP 2010 to AUG11) for the development of the EU Maritime Security Strategy. In 2014-15 almost another year at the EU Operations Center (EEAS) working on EU approach to maritime secuirty in the Horn of Africa. He spent his last tour in Brussels as Counselor to SP Military Representative to NATO HQ (2018-2021) In the Institute he works mainly on “maritime and naval” issues at global level, and on “security and defense” issues in the European Union and NATO framework.
Jürgen MEINDL
Ambassador Jürgen Meindl is an experienced Austrian diplomat with a distinguished career spanning over three decades. Since September 2023, he has served as Austria’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Head of the Austrian Mission to NATO. Prior to this, from 2017 to 2023, he held the position of Director General for Arts and Culture at the Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, Civil Service, and Sport, where he played a key role in promoting Austrian cultural diplomacy. Ambassador Meindl’s previous assignments include serving as Austria’s Ambassador to Switzerland (2011–2015) and Belgium (2015–2017), as well as senior roles within Austria’s Federal Chancellery and Ministry of Defence. He has also held advisory positions on national security policy and represented Austria at the European Commission.
François ARBAULT
François Arbault is Director for Defence industry at the European Commission. He previously exercised various responsibilities within the Commission, the most recent being the policy coordination of the “European Green Deal” in the Secretariat-General, and his participation in the negotiation of the Withdrawal Agreement of the United kingdom from the EU at the “Article 50” Task Force. François had previously been the Head of the “Public procurement strategy” and the “Industrial Property” units in the Commission, after he was successively a member of the cabinets of Commissioners Jacques Barrot and Michel Barnier (2008-2013). François joined the Commission in 1995 after he graduated in law and political science, and studied European affairs at the College of Europe. After having worked notably at the Competition Directorate-General, he was seconded from 2003 to 2005 as a legal clerk (“référendaire”) to the Court of Justice of the European Union, where he was a member of the cabinet of the Portuguese judge at the General Court. François was also a member of the Legal Service of the Commission (2005-2008).
Edit HERCZOG
Edit Herczog is a distinguished professional with extensive experience in public policy and education. Since January 2024, she has served as the Chair of the Administrative Board at ACER, having previously held the position of Vice-Chair from 2022 to 2024. She is also the Director-General of Vision & Values SRL, her own consultancy focusing on strategic foresight in public research and education. In addition to her roles in various organizations, she advises GÉANT on European digitalization policies and chairs the Widening Network at Science|Business, promoting collaboration among Central-Eastern and Southern European stakeholders. Herczog’s background includes two terms as a Member of the European Parliament and significant involvement in advisory roles with the European Commission and other influential networks. Her academic contributions include teaching positions in International Business Management and EU Public Affairs. She holds degrees in Food Engineering and Portuguese Language and Literature, reflecting her diverse expertise.