Central Europe Explained

If you are not familiar with CEE yet, this podcast focuses on several topics of general interest in Central Europe and the Danube Region: geopolitics, human rights, economy, culture, democracy, etc. Thanks to cross-disciplinary experts as guests, we explored those various fields.   

We aim to enhance cross-border cooperation, dialogue and knowledge exchange in the region and beyond. Our work is based on the principles of liberal democracy and shared values, goals and visions with our neighbours. 

Stay tuned to Central Europe Explained and remember to subscribe to the podcast on your favourite streaming platform!

Emma Hontebeyrie

Born and raised in France, Emma graduated with a degree in Critical and Cultural studies. Since summer 2020, she has been living in Vienna where she works as a Journalist. Emma is producing the IDM Podcast series as well as hosting some of its episodes.

Sebastian Schäffer

Sebastian Schäffer is Managing Director at the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) as well as Secretary General of the Danube Rectors’ Conference (DRC) in Vienna. He is the founder of SeminarsSimulationsConsulting (SSC) Europe and Associate Fellow at the Centre for Global Europe at GLOBSEC, a Bratislava-based Think Tank. Sebastian holds an Honor’s Master’s degree in East European studies (major: legal studies, minor: history) from the University of Regensburg and an M.A. degree from LMU, where he studied Political Science, European Law, and Slavonic Studies.

Daniela Apaydın (Neubacher)

Daniela Apaydın (former Neubacher) studied Journalism and Communications in Graz and St. Petersburg as well as Central European Studies at the Andrássy University Budapest. Since 2018 she has been working as a Research Associate at the IDM, being responsible for publications including the thematic issue “Info Europa”. In her research she focuses on the history of civil society and social movements.

Malwina Talik

Research Associate and Social Media Manager at the IDM. Malwina holds a European Master degree in Global Studies (EMGS) (University of Leipzig/University of Vienna/Fudan University Shanghai), she has previously worked at the Viennese office of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Polish Embassy in Vienna. She is also a volunteer translator at Amnesty International Poland.

Daniel Martínek

Daniel Martínek studied Modern History at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen and at the University of Bologna. After various research stays and internships, he has been working as Research Associate at IDM since 2018. Both his academic and professional area of interest includes the countries of Central Europe with particular focus on Austria and Visegrad countries.

Jack Gill

Jack Gill is a Research Associate at the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) and an Affiliated Researcher at the Austrian Center for Intelligence, Propaganda and Security Studies. His focus is on foreign policy and security in Central and Eastern Europe. He has an International Master in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies from the Universities of Glasgow and Tartu, and Ilia State University in Tbilisi. His thesis analysed foreign policymaking in the South Caucasus since 1991.

Melanie Jaindl

Melanie Jaindl is Research Associate and Editor at the IDM. She holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Public Relations and is currently obtaining her master's degree (MA) in Southeast European Studies. Before joining the IDM, Melanie has worked as a student assistant at the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, and as a journalist for several outlets. Her research interests focus on migration, gender, social (in-)justice and news media.