About

Meet the new EYL40 Class of 2024!

This year’s EYL40 Class of 2024 includes an Olympic swimmer, a glaciologist, politicians from all levels of government and members of national parliaments, a winemaker, green tech entrepreneurs and social activists, prize-winning journalists, Unicorn and start-up founders and CEOs, a pioneering playwright of Roma feminist theatre and many more!

 

 


Bold leadership, ground-breaking ideas, unparalleled passion …

We’ve learned time and again that the challenges of the 21st century and of our ever complex world cannot be addressed using the rulebooks of the past. The world is screaming for a new type of leadership and a Renewed Social Contract in which the private sector, local and multilateral institutions, and citizens can collaborate and drive change.

Today’s leaders may look back in time for inspiration, but they must lead with innovation.

The European Young Leaders represent an alternative infrastructure of leadership – a new generation of leaders able to inspire action and generate change. Together, their passion, diversity of backgrounds and opinions, and innovative thinking create the right formula for generating fresh ideas to build a more forward-thinking Europe.

Our European leaders are scientists, artists, journalists, entrepreneurs and astronomers. They are citizens and their thinking is not bound by local and multilateral institutions, traditional political frameworks or bureaucracy. They provide alternative perspectives to EU decision-makers and challenge the status quo.

They help take Europe out of Brussels. In their own countries, cities and communities, the European Young Leaders also play an essential role in reconnecting people with and rebuilding trust in politics by engaging a wider community around key EU policy issues that need a whole-of-economy, whole-of-society approach to progress more quickly. They are facilitating citizens’ participation in the creation of a more equal, innovative and inclusive Europe and helping build a European identity.

The programme in the next years will take a new localism lens, bringing together these thinkers and leaders to act on some of the key issues affecting Europe’s future: supporting the green and digital transformation, strengthening our democracy, improving relations with our neighbours, increasing power sharing and building a more diverse Europe.

Succeeding in these policies and getting more citizens engaged in European elections will be our litmus test.


Tune in to the EYL40s on Friends of Europe’s podcasts

Policy Voices | Are we alone in the universe?

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Policy Voices | Are we alone in the universe?

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Policy Voices | Like Goebbels: Polish propaganda and the demise of democracy

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Policy Voices | Like Goebbels: Polish propaganda and the demise of democracy

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Policy Voices | The Netherlands chose the far-right. What happens next?

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Policy Voices | The Netherlands chose the far-right. What happens next?

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Policy Voices Podcast | Keeping the human in the loop: How to make a success story of AI in health

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Policy Voices Podcast | Keeping the human in the loop: How to make a success story of AI in health

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Meet the EYL40

Alina Serban
Alina Șerban

Roma Actress, theatre and film director and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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Alina Șerban is an award-winning Romanian Roma actress, playwright and director, whose work promotes social justice by tackling sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination. Named Best Actress by the German Actors Guild for her leading role in “Gipsy Queen”, the film is one of three in which Șerban starred that highlighted the experiences of Roma women. A pioneer of Roma feminist political theatre, her play “The Great Shame”, which addresses the taboo topic of Roma slavery, became the first play by a Roman woman director to be included in a Romanian state theatre’s permanent repertoire. Șerban also made her debut as a film director with “Letter of Forgiveness”, the first film about Roma slavery written from a Roma perspective.

Heïdi Sevestre
Heïdi Sevestre

Glaciologist, Deputy Secretary of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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Heïdi Sevestre is a French glaciologist, specialising in glacier dynamics, tropical glaciers and ice shelves in Antarctica. She aims to make scientific knowledge more accessible and motivate concrete, effective climate action. Sevestre is the Deputy Secretary of AMAP, an Arctic Council working group that coordinates research on climate, pollutants, contaminants, and human and ecosystem health in the Arctic. Her research on glacier surges, which was featured in Science magazine, strengthened our understanding of climate change’s impact on glaciers. Sevestre regularly leads scientific expeditions to polar and high mountain regions and was notably awarded the inaugural Shackleton Medal for the Protection of Polar Regions.

Jovana Spremo
Jovana Spremo

Advocacy Director of Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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A human rights lawyer from Serbia, Jovana Spremo is a fierce advocate of the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights, whose work focuses on supporting the EU negotiation process. As the Advocacy Director of YUCOM, she leads the development and implementation of advocacy strategies aimed at promoting its research and policy recommendations on the rule of law and human rights. Spremo coordinates the Working Group for Chapter 23 of the National Convention on European Union, which deals with Serbia’s policies related to judiciary and fundamental rights, and monitors access to justice pertaining to the Belgrade – Pristina dialogue.

Anders Storgaard
Anders Storgaard

Member of the Frederiksberg City Council and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

Show more information on Anders Storgaard

Anders Storgaard is a Member of the Frederiksberg City Council. A social conservative, he aims to make his municipality Denmark’s greenest through sustainable wood construction, CO2 tax and green urban development and infrastructure policies. Storgaard is also a consultant for renewable energy at Green Power Denmark and a radio host on the talk radio channel, 24syv. He contributed to the push for Denmark to drop an eighth bidding round for North Sea oil and increase CO2 taxes, while serving as the national chairperson of Conservative Youth, a Danish political organisation.   

Tobias Stueber
Tobias Stüber

CEO of Flibco and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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A pioneering businessman from Luxembourg, Tobias Stüber is the CEO of Flibco, a digital company specialised in the niche of airport to city transportation. He is an expert in change management and digital transformation, who champions progressive working models to boost productivity and employee motivation. Stüber was the first CEO in the country to successfully implement a four-day, 32-hour work week that maintains a full-time salary. Under his leadership, Flibco has expanded with new connections to 12 airports, with plans to become Europe’s leading digital sales platform for airport shuttles. In addition to his role as CEO, Stüber has successfully worked as a strategical and digital consultant for election campaigns in German national and regional levels.

Johannes-Tralla
Johannes Tralla

Journalist at Estonian Public Broadcasting and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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A household name and ‘the face of the EU’ for many Estonians, Johannes Tralla is a journalist at Estonian Public Broadcasting. As the host of the “Esimene studio”, “Välisilm” and “Aktuaalne kaamera” news programmes, Tralla plays a key role in explaining what is happening in Brussels at the EU level to audiences at home. Travelling by motorbike and later motorhome, Tralla has taken viewers on journeys across EU member states for three seasons of “Johannese lähetamine”, a travel show that offers insights into what citizens expect and hope to gain from the EU. He is currently working on the new show “Mis värvi on majandus” that delves into the green transition and digital economy. Previously, he worked as Estonian Public Broadcasting’s EU correspondent in Brussels.

Ousman Umar
Ousman Umar

Founder & President of NASCO Feeding Minds and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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Ousman Umar is an activist, who settled in Spain five years after leaving his village in Ghana at the age of 12 and embarking on a life-threatening journey across the Sahara Desert by foot and the Mediterranean Sea by dinghy. Steadfast in the belief that education is the key to societal change, Umar founded NASCO Feeding Minds to reshape the paradigm of humanitarian aid by empowering individuals through the provision of technological equipment and ICT education in his home country. Since 2012, over 66,000 students in 58 schools have passed through the programme, and 17 ICT learning centres are now active in Ghana.

Chris Ume
Chris Umé

Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Metaphysic and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

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One of the world’s prime technology experts in generative AI and visual effects, Chris Umé has taken the industry to a whole new level as Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of Metaphysic, the leading generative AI company for photorealistic content at internet scale. Blending a mastery of VFX techniques with evolving AI models, Umé’s creativity was the driving force behind the ground-breaking live television moment that shocked audiences when Elvis Presley was brought back to life on America’s Got Talent, and is now taking Tom Hanks and Robin Wright through time in Miramax’s Here. Prior to the launch of Metaphysic in 2021, he gained experience at DeepVooDoo and Medialaan. He was also the lead creator on South Park’s Sassy Justice series and several world-famous commercial production campaigns.

Alexandra K Wisniewska
Aleksandra K. Wiśniewska

Member of the Sejm and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

Show more information on Aleksandra K. Wiśniewska

Aleksandra K. Wiśniewska is a Polish politician, political scientist and humanitarian, serving as a member of the Civic Coalition political alliance in the national parliament. Prior to politics, she specialised in humanitarian response to war-driven crises. Following Russia’s re-invasion, Wiśniewska led evacuation of Ukrainian orphanages to Poland and served as the Head of Mission for INTERSOS in Ukraine. Wiśniewska has notably also served as the Head of Mission for Polish Humanitarian Action in Yemen in response to cholera and COVID-19 outbreaks. Earlier, she worked for RNVDO in Iraq, at UNDP in Turkey and Jordan in response to the Syria crisis,and volunteered and conducted field research on human rights in refugee camps across Europe.

Monika Zajkova
Monika Zajkova

Leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of North Macedonia and 2024 European Young Leader (EYL40)

Show more information on Monika Zajkova

The first-ever woman to lead the LDP, Monika Zajkova is the youngest party president and the second youngest national parliamentarian in North Macedonia. Zajkova is rebuilding trust in politics by overcoming gender stereotypes in patriarchal societies. She sits on the parliamentary committees regarding European affairs, foreign policy and equal opportunities for women and men. As a Delegate to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Zajkova is the Special Representative on Youth Engagement. Previously, she has served as the cabinet chief to the minister of local self-government and as the president of the LDP’s youth wing.

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Selection process

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS/NOMINATIONS FOR THE EYL CLASS OF 2025 IS NOW OPEN

The European Young Leaders (EYL40) programme is a unique, inventive and multi-stakeholder programme that aims to promote a European identity by engaging the continent’s most promising talents in initiatives that will shape Europe’s future.

The European Young Leaders represent a new generation of European leaders from all over the continent and various backgrounds, including politics, business, civil society, academia, arts, science and the media.

The programme acts as a forum for those who have already established themselves at the forefront of their professions to meet, discuss and collaborate with their counterparts from other fields of expertise. Previous candidates include government ministers, CEOs, Michelin-starred chefs, international film directors and high-profile journalists.

Since the launch of the programme, we have gradually taken steps to ensure the diversity and exceptional quality of its selection process. We have made sure that its comprehensive and competitive nature ensures the identification and selection of remarkable individuals.

We aim to select 40+ European Young Leaders of diverse backgrounds to enable a broad exchange of ideas, creating the basis for a new generation of engaged European leaders.

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Candidates must be between 30 and 40 years of age (born on or after 1 January 1985).
  • Candidates must be a national of an EU member state, the UK, Ukraine, Moldova or one of the 6 Balkan states currently on the path towards EU integration (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia).
  • Candidates should have established themselves at the highest levels of their chosen profession or be on track to do so.
  • Candidates must be committed to serve society at large through noteworthy contributions and have demonstrated a record of significant achievements and outstanding professional experience.
  • Candidates are also evaluated based on their ability to contribute to the enrichment of the programme as a whole.
  • Candidates are required to be fluent in English as it is the working language of the programme.
  • Candidates must commit to participating in at least one of the two EYL seminars during the programme year, usually scheduled for March and September.

Please click HERE for the Selection Guidelines 2025 that will give you an idea of the process and will provide you with a link to the nomination/application form.

Should you have any questions or need any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us at eyl40@friendsofeurope.org.

We look forward to receiving your applications and nominations.

* References to Kosovo here are used without prejudice to positions on status and are in line with UN Security Council resolution 1244/99 and the International Court of Justice Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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