Meet the 2019 European Women's Academy participants

The European Women's Academy (EWA) of Political Leadership and Campaigning is our annual elite training programme for liberal female politicians, organised in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Liberal Forum. The EWA is aimed at inspiring and enriching them with the knowledge and tools to be successful in their upcoming elections and in their future political careers. Since its launch in 2016, 58 women have graduated from the EWA, many of whom now hold political office. The EWA has become a powerful community of female leaders who are changing the face of politics, one election at a time.

Now, it’s time for a new group of women to undertake the training for the 2019 class.

A new round of liberal female politicians will gather in Germany and in Belgium over the course of 2019, for this year’s edition of the European Women's Academy. The group consists of 17 participants from across Europe with elections on various levels in the near future. The programme includes trainings and mentoring by leading experts in the field, as well as independent work and personal development. Participants will also meet inspiring change-makers and leading politicians over the course of the programme.

The female politicians selected for the 2019 European Women's Academy are:

• Selma Arapovic, NEOS, Austria
• Petra Bašová, ANO2011, Czech Republic
• Susanne Caarls, D66, the Netherlands
• Katja Damij, LMŠ, Slovenia
• Malin Forsbrand, Centerpartiet, Sweden
• Philippa Gerling, FDP, Germany
• Laura Hidalgo, MR, Belgium
• Dana Kleinert, Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia
• Eeva Kärkkäinen, Keskusta, Suomi
• Erin McGreehan, Fianna Fail, Ireland
• Orinta Omelytė, Liberal Movement, Lithuania
• Joyce Onstad, Liberal Democrats, the United Kingdom
• Anikó Paróczai, Momentum, Hungary
• Queeny-Aimee Rajkowski, VVD, the Netherlands
• Iveta Ratinika, Attistibai, Latvia
• Anette Scharling Mortensen, Venstre, Denmark
• Stina Wahlsten, SFP, Finland