Experts & Staff

Jana Kobzova

ECFR Alumni · Associate Fellow

Areas of expertise

EU relations with Eastern Europe and Russia; democratisation in the post-Soviet states; Belarus; Central Asia

Languages

Slovak, English, Russian, conversational French and German

Biography

Jana Kobzova was an associate fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Her research interests include the EU’s foreign policy towards the Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, as well as democratisation and transition in the post-Soviet space. 

Kobzova is based in Brussels, where she works as a policy director at Rasmussen Global. Before joining RG, she worked as a senior programme officer for an international NGO, the European Endowment for Democracy, where she oversaw the organisation’s programming in the Eastern Partnership region. Before moving to Brussels in September 2013, Kobzova was a policy fellow and coordinator with the Wider Europe programme at ECFR’s London office, where she wrote policy reports on the EU’s relations with its eastern neighbours and Russia and worked on increasing ECFR’s profile in the area and expanding the Wider Europe programme’s activities. Between 2006 and 2009 she led the Belarus democratisation programme at the Pontis Foundation in Slovakia.

Kobzova has an MA in Politics, Security and Integration from the School of East European and Slavonic Studies at University College London and an MA in Political Science from the Comenius University in Slovakia.

She has co-authored several books on Eastern Europe and the EU’s eastern neighbourhood policy and continues to write about the subject as an associate fellow at ECFR. 

Zelenskiy in Donbas

Volodymyr Zelenskiy needs to invest resources and display openess towards the Donbas region's residents. 

Ukraine’s hot political autumn

Monday’s violent protest outside the parliament and the departure from the coalition of the Radical Party have kicked off Ukraine’s hot political autumn

Putin’s new world order: Ukraine after the referendum

Three pieces by ECFR's leading Wider Europe experts on the current situation in Ukraine, Putin's appeal for a new world order, and Germany's crucial role within the EU

Ukraine’s U-Turn: The real battle for Ukraine has just started

It is time for the EU to stop talking, start listening and act where Ukraine needs the assistance the most: with ensuring its economic stability, laying down new foundations for the rule of law and democracy and strengthening those who advance reforms

Time for a strategic pause in EU – Russia relations?

The time has come for the EU to rethink its relationship with its biggest neighbour. Instead of talking about strategic relations with Moscow, the EU should consider a strategic pause.  

Publications

Articles

Zelenskiy in Donbas

Volodymyr Zelenskiy needs to invest resources and display openess towards the Donbas region's residents. 

Ukraine’s hot political autumn

Monday’s violent protest outside the parliament and the departure from the coalition of the Radical Party have kicked off Ukraine’s hot political autumn

Putin’s new world order: Ukraine after the referendum

Three pieces by ECFR's leading Wider Europe experts on the current situation in Ukraine, Putin's appeal for a new world order, and Germany's crucial role within the EU

Ukraine’s U-Turn: The real battle for Ukraine has just started

It is time for the EU to stop talking, start listening and act where Ukraine needs the assistance the most: with ensuring its economic stability, laying down new foundations for the rule of law and democracy and strengthening those who advance reforms

Time for a strategic pause in EU – Russia relations?

The time has come for the EU to rethink its relationship with its biggest neighbour. Instead of talking about strategic relations with Moscow, the EU should consider a strategic pause.  

Putting an end to the EU autopilot on Georgia

The outcome of last October's parliamentary elections has sent Georgia on a bumpy road of political transition. The EU can help by stepping up its engagement and gain a more impartial foothold in the country.  

Podcasts

In the media