Despina Spanou, Head of Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission Margaritis Schinas
Despina Spanou is the Head of the Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission overseeing the European Union’s policies on security, migration and asylum, health, skills, education, culture and sports.
She coordinates the Vice-President’s EU Security Union work, ranging from counter-terrorism, organised crime and cybersecurity to hybrid threats.
Previously, she was Director for Digital Society, Trust and Cybersecurity at the Directorate-General for Communications Network, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) of the European Commission. In this capacity, Ms Spanou was responsible for the European Union’s cybersecurity policy and law, served as a member of the management board of ENISA, and of the Steering Board of the Computer Emergency Response Team for the EU Institutions (CERT-EU). She is a founding member of the Women4Cyber initiative and advocate for the need for more cybersecurity experts in Europe.
In her 20 years in the European Commission, Ms Spanou has held a number of senior management positions in the areas of Health and Consumer Policy and served as Deputy Head of Cabinet for Commissioners Kyprianou and Vassiliou. Before joining the European Commission, she practised EU competition and trade law with a US law firm.
Despina Spanou is a member of the Athens Bar Association and holds a Ph.D. in European law from the University of Cambridge.
Thursday 12
11.15 - 11.35
National disasters as an issue of national security: How can the state bounce back and regain trust & control
Sofitel Brussels Europe
As major floods, wildfires and other natural disasters are becoming all the more common, costing lives and affecting livelihoods from Hawaii to Evros, states seem powerless to stem the tides of the climate crisis. Is it time for a global discussion on how to transform disaster response across the globe in order to regain the trust of the citizens? Is the climate emergency an issue of national security?