Developing ideas in Central and East Europe.
Bringing together knowledge and experience.
Why have we been founded?
The institute combines experience of public policy specialists, think tankers, analysts and practitioners of the EU integration process in the region of CEE and the Western Balkans. As such the institute represents ideas that contribute to better social, political, and economic cohesion of the region. We want to accelerate new ideas in the region, connect people with ideas and financial capital.
Thanks to our experience, we can identify the problems of the region and contribute to their solutions. Our aim is to network experts from civil society, business, and public administration.
With whom do we cooperate?
The institute cooperates with a wide network of experts, scholars, and practitioners from various disciplines: from politics to business and public administration.
Among our experts are representatives of private enterprises in the IT sector, doctors and medicine specialists, or public servants across the CEE and Western Balkan region.
What do we cover?
We focus on socio-economic development of the CEE region, covering also the Western Balkan corresponding with challenges of the digital era, such as:
- Position of CEE and WB region in globalized world, transfer of ideas and know how within CEE and WB region and outside;
- Development of confidence building measues in the SEE region;
- Supporting development of innovation ideas, tailoring to local context, and their implementation on local, national, and regional level.
- Supporting aspects of human security tackling shared security and socio economic challenges
- Supporting effective and transparent process of approximation to EU standards within Western Balkan
Mission statement
We focus on socio-economic development of the CEE region, covering also the Western Balkan corresponding with challenges of the digital era, such as:
- Position of CEE and WB region in globalized world, transfer of ideas and know how within CEE and WB region and outside;
- Accommodation to new realities of political, economic, and social trends;
- Supporting development of innovation ideas, tailoring to local context, and their implementation on local, national, and regional level.
- Supporting aspects of human security tackling shared security and socio economic challenges
- Supporting effective and transparent process of approximation to EU standards within Western Balkan
Who we are
Michal Vit
Michal is an Assistant Professor at the Metropolitan University Prague. He is also a board member of a think tank Eurothink (Skopje, North Macedonia). He has been involved in dialogue facilitation processes in the SEE region, namely between Bulgaria and North Macedonia. He obtained his doctorate in 2017. Previously he was associated with the Institute for European Policy (IEP), Berlin and EUROPEUM, Prague. He underwent research fellowships at University of Konstanz and University of Vienna, South East European University (MK). He cooperates as consultant with international organizations, such as OSCE.
contact: michal.vit@ifmd.net
Spasimir Domaradzki
Spasimir is an Assistant Professor, Department of European Law and Institutions, University of Warsaw. Member of the editorial board of Res Publica Nova. Wilbur Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center in Mecosta, Michigan and Catholic University in America in 2008 and the Sofia University Center for Excellence in 2010. Member of the Ideas Lab team at the Chancellery of the President of Republic of Poland 2013-2014. Member of Team Europe Poland. Research fellow at IREF 2014-2015 and the Visegrad Insight since 2018.
Jan Muś
Jan Muś acts as a permanent court mediator in Poland and senior analyst at the Institute of Central Europe in Lublin with an expertise in Poland and South-Eastern Europe. His work covers primarily the field of political risk and security assessment, as well as consultancy services concerning various political and economic issues. He has experience of cooperation with public and private bodies both in Poland and abroad. He has graduated from the Law Faculty at the Lazarski University, University of Aberdeen (LLM, European and international law) and the University of Maastricht (PhD, constitutional law).
Marta Szpala
Marta Szpala specializes in the EU and NATO Integration of the Western Balkans, the social and political transformation of the WB6, civil society development in post-communist and post-conflict societies. A graduate of the Warsaw University (international relations and Slavic studies). She is a Senior Fellow at the Department for Central Europe and the Balkans in the Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW). She is a guest lecturer at the University of Warsaw, the Diplomatic Academy and the College of Europe in Natolin. She cooperates with Polish and international media media (e.g. Polish Radio, Radio TOKFM, Tygodnik Powszechny). She also implemented many project devoted to the Western Balkans and i.e. focused on the transfer of know-how. She organized Think Tank Forum in the framework of Western Balkans Summit of Berlin Process in Poznań 2019.
Ljupcho Petkovski
Ljupcho Petkovski, currently serving as the director of Innhub (Skopje) and a former director of Eurothink, is a distinguished figure in the sphere of policy research and non-governmental organization management in the SEE region. With formal education in political science and years of experience working in and leading think tanks, Petkovski has developed a keen expertise in confidence-building processes among diverse stakeholders. His tenure at Eurothink (2017-2020) exemplifies his commitment to fostering dialogue and understanding across different societal segments, aiming to bridge divides and strengthen communal bonds. Ljupcho's work, which spans academic and policy documentation with a focus on political ideologies, populism, authoritarianism, and nationalism, further underscores his deep understanding of the dynamics essential for confidence building within and across communities in the SEE region.