Speakers

Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook is a political scientist and senior non-profit manager with expertise in program and strategy development and implementation, staff direction, philanthropic fundraising, budget management, communications and branding. She has been trained as an broadcast journalist. As a German-American comparative political scientist, her research work focuses on transatlantic relations, international security architecture, the transformational impact of the digital and data revolutions on foreign policy and the evolving role of new actors, particularly cities, in international relations. She has written widely on foreign policy, negotiation and diplomacy in academic journals and mainstream media and her writing and commentary has featured on NPR, BBC, Deutschlandfunk, New York Times, Washington Post, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, El Pais, ARD & ZDF and PHOENIX German Television, including live overnight analysis of the U.S. elections in 2012, 2016 and 2020. Picture by Sebastian Pfuetze

Damian Boeselager is a German politician, co-founder of Volt Europa and Member of the European Parliament. Born in Frankfurt in 1988, he studied Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bayreuth before beginning his career in strategy consulting, where he worked on projects in the public and social sectors. He later completed a Master’s degree in Public Policy in New York. In 2017, Boeselager co-founded Volt Europa, a pan-European political movement and party. In 2019, he became Volt’s first representative elected to the European Parliament and was re-elected in 2024. His parliamentary work focuses particularly on economic and financial policy, European institutional reform, digitalisation and strengthening European cooperation. He currently serves as First Vice-Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs.

Dr. Angela Langenkamp is a geographer, ceramic artist, and international development expert with 35 years of professional experience in development cooperation. She has worked as a team leader, project and programme manager, policy advisor to Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and as a GIZ gender officer. For more than four decades, she has advocated for equal rights and opportunities regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Since June 2025, she serves as Chair of UN Women Germany.

Anton “Toni” Hofreiter is a german politician who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag since the 2005 elections.

Since the 2021 elections, Hofreiter has been serving as chairman of the Committee on European Affairs. In addition to his committee assignments, he has been a member of the German delegation to the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly since 2022.

Dr. Kirsten Scholl is Director for EU Affairs in the Brussels office of the Energy and Climate and Innovation Council (EPICO). EPICO is a think tank and network for sustainable, market-based and innovation-oriented climate and energy policy with offices in Berlin and Brussels.
Kirsten brings more than 25 years of experience in European policy-making and law, having held senior leadership positions within the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs. Most recently, she served as Director General and Head of the Directorate for European Policy, advising the Ministry’s political leadership on all aspects of European affairs. In this role, Kirsten was responsible for EU policy coordination within the federal government, EU law, state aid, EU economic policy, foreign trade law, sanctions and export controls. She chaired interministerial coordination processes, represented Germany in European bodies and bilateral governmental committees, and accompanied high-level political exchanges.

Dr. Ulrike Franke is a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), where she focuses on European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of emerging technologies such as drones and AI. Through her research and public engagement, she helps shape the debate on the future of European security in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.

At the Young European Symposium 2026, she will share her insights on the challenges and opportunities facing Europe, from technological transformation to the future of defence and international cooperation.

Markus Fischer is an energy and public policy professional. With experience from EY, Ørsted, Tesla and the UN, Markus is uniquely positioned to understand the intersection of regulation and business. He holds master’s degrees in International Relations from Peking University and in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris, as well as a bachelor’s degree from WU Vienna. Beyond his professional work, Markus has been active in European civic and political networks, including as former President of Club Alpbach Belgium-Brussels and through his engagement with NEOS 10.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markusfisha/

Nico Lange is the founder and director of the Institute for Risk Analysis and International Security (IRIS) and a Senior Fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, D.C. From 2019 to 2022, he served as Chief of Staff at the German Federal Ministry of Defence and from 2022 to 2026 as a Senior Fellow at the Munich Security Conference. His work focuses on European security and defence, Russia’s war against Ukraine, military strategy, and emerging technologies in defence.

Olaf Scholz served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 2021 to 2025. Previously, he held several senior political offices, including Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance, as well as First Mayor of Hamburg. During his chancellorship, he introduced the Zeitenwende, a landmark shift in Germany’s foreign, security, and defence policy following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Throughout his time in office, he advocated for a strong, united, and resilient Europe, emphasising closer European cooperation on security, economic competitiveness, and shared responsibility in addressing global challenges.

Raymond Höptner has been a directly elected Member of the State Parliament of Rhineland-Palatinate since 2026. As one of the youngest members of parliament, he won the direct mandate in the constituency of Ludwigshafen I. In parliament, he serves as spokesperson for youth and children’s policy of the CDU parliamentary group. He studied Political Science at the University of Mannheim, holds a Master of Public Policy from the Hertie School and subsequently completed his voluntary military service in the German Air Force. He volunteers as a football referee and is active on various levels in his hometown of Ludwigshafen.

Tanja Meissner has been Director of Berlinale Pro since May 2024. A German-French film industry executive with more than 25 years of experience, she has worked across international publicity, sales, distribution, production, and film financing. Her career includes senior roles at Celluloid Dreams and Memento Films, where she helped build and lead the company’s international activities. Meissner also regularly contributes as a lecturer, mentor, and market expert to film institutions and industry programmes across Europe and internationally.