About Us
The European Resilience Initiative Center’s mission is to strengthen democracy in Europe, while promoting bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the European countries. The Center seeks a stronger role of Central and Eastern Europe in a wider European region with a view to improving its economic prosperity and political strength. We are dedicated to facilitating engagement of European countries in fruitful cooperation and to translating national narratives into cross-border cooperation projects.

Founder and Co-Director
Sergej Sumlenny is an Eastern Europe expert. In 2015-2021, he worked as a Director at the Heinrich Böll Foundation Bureau in Kyiv, and worked in a business consultancy prior to moving to Ukraine. He has a PhD in political science and an LL.M in European Law from the Free University of Berlin. Mr. Sumlenny founded the European Resilience Initiative Centre in 2022 amid the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Co-Director and Head of Security Analysis
Sascha E. Ostanina is a political and security risk analyst and a Policy Fellow at the Jacques Delors Centre. In 2016-2023, Sascha worked with the international consultancy S&P Global and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ms. Ostanina holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Berlin-based Hertie School.
