Panel Debate
The debate will focus on the current state and future of the EU-US transatlantic relationship. Topics include political developments and the shaping of the relationship, the newly elected political leadership, key economic and trade challenges, global challenges, and the prospect of future developments in the event of a change in the political situation.
Debate Theme:
Beyond the Horizon: Transforming Transatlantic Relations Through Elections
Bc. Adam Palivec
is a respected figure in EYP. In 2019 he was the Head Organiser of the conference in Tábor. After that, he was elected three times to the board of the EYP CZ, twice to the role of Vice-President for Projects and once to the role President. More recently he was elected as one of the three Members of the Auditing Committee, which continues his active participation in the organisation.
His career has been so far dedicated to internships, including his current Management Trainee for the CEE (Central and Eastern Europe) Cluster in the implementation of strategic projects and initiatives at Mercedes-Benz Financial Services Czech Republic s.r.o.
Martina Heranová, Ph.D.
is a security analyst and consultant in the field of international politics. She is affiliated with the private college CEVRO University, based in Prague, where she lectures. Previously, she worked for the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-2013), holding various diplomatic positions including Deputy Head of the Czech Embassy in Lithuania, and for the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (2000–2002). She specializes in international security issues (especially geopolitics and global security challenges, hybrid warfare and influence operations) with an emphasis on Central Europe. She holds a doctorate in International Relations from the Charles University in Prague.
Ing. Bc. Ondřej Kovařík
is a Czech MEP, member of the Renew Europe. He is a member of the ECON committee, and in that capacity is the Chairman of the Working Group for Access to Finance for SMEs. He also sits on two further committees TRAN and LIBE. His portfolio extends from SME financing to transport and tourism, border management, research and the practical use of new technologies, for example those based on artificial intelligence, and broader access and use of digital finance for businesses and consumers.
His career to date has been dedicated to public service, primarily in various roles within the Czech civil service, but also in European public administration specifically, at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of the Government, the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Ottawa, the Czech Ministry of Defence and the European Parliament.
More about Kovařík:
Mgr. Michaela Šebelová
she has been a Member of Parliament of the Czech Republic since October 9, 2021. Prior to this role, she has been actively engaged in municipal politics in Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem since 2010. Initially, she served on the municipal council, later being elected as deputy mayor, then mayor, and presently representing this picturesque village in the Frýdek-Místek region.
Her primary profession is as a physiotherapist, which she has pursued to a limited extent thus far, specializing in spinal pain treatment. Both professions – politics and physiotherapy – share commonalities; they both involve working for people, yet require their cooperation and active involvement to achieve results.
Assoc. Prof. Libor Žídek, Ph.D.
earned his Ph.D. in Economics at Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic in 2002. He is an associate professor at the Department of Economics at MU. His primary research field is economic history and foremost transformation of economies in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the communist regimes.
He lectured on these topics in a number of countries, including the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, the UK, Poland, Finland, Ukraine, Jamaica and Hungary. The scientific activity (in the form of grants awarded – GAČR 20-23131S, GAČR 15-09404S, GAMU) also covers foremost topics functioning of the centrally planned economies and from the transformation process. He is the author and co-author of several monographs foremost (foremost Žídek, L., Centrally Planned Economies: Theory and Practice in Socialist Czechoslovakia, Routlege, 2019, Žídek, L.: Transformation in Central Europe, CEU Press, Budapest-New York, 2017; Žídek, L.: Transformace české ekonomiky, 1989-2004. C. H. Beck, 2006) and articles dealing with the transformation process in Central Europe. He teaches courses Macroeconomics I, World Economic History I, II, Economics of Transformation.