The former Latvian Minister of the Interior will research EU policy response to hybrid threats during her fellowship.
The Hertie School is pleased to announce that Marija Golubeva, former Latvian Minister of the Interior, will join the Hertie School as the fourth Henrik Enderlein Fellow. A seasoned policy researcher and practitioner, Golubeva will bring her expertise on hybrid threats to the European Union to the Hertie School in the 2025–2026 Academic Year.
Marija Golubeva succeeds John Morijn, the 2024–2025 Fellow whose year-long appointment is drawing to a close. Golubeva will formally receive the fellowship at the public lecture and discussion “Open, but not Defenceless: Protecting Europe from Hybrid Threats” on 16 September 2025 at the Hertie School.
A distinguished career bridging research and policy
“We are delighted to welcome Marija Golubeva as our new Henrik Enderlein Fellow,” says Hertie School President Cornelia Woll. “With her experience in both academic research and policymaking in the service of European democracy, Golubeva embodies exactly the intellectual rigour and policy relevance that this fellowship aims to foster. We look forward to gathering her insights on the protection of European liberal democracy.”
Golubeva has built her career at the intersection of policymaking, academia and think tank research. After earning a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge, Golubeva worked for the consultancy company ICF in Brussels and as an independent consultant for European institutions in the Western Balkans and Central Asia. She later taught Politics at Riga Stradins University and worked at the thinktank PROVIDUS, where she led public policy research on a range of topics, including democratic participation and migration.
From 2018 to 2022, Golubeva was a Member of the Latvian Parliament. In 2021-2022, she served as Minister of the Interior, where she was responsible for home affairs and migration policy. She is the founder of the crisis simulation startup Meleys and a Distinguished Fellow at the Center of European Policy Analysis (CEPA).
Carrying forward Henrik Enderlein’s legacy
Marija Golubeva’s work at the Hertie School will focus on EU policy responses to external hybrid threats. “In the past few years, Europe has experienced an unprecedented level of hybrid attacks by third countries – primarily Russia – including the sabotage of railways and underwater cables and cybersecurity breaches that have paralysed banks, utility companies and government institutions,” comments Golubeva. “The EU has not been idle in terms of preventing or reducing this harm, but its solutions tend to focus too heavily on political coordination. I will investigate how the EU can develop more agile and data-driven responses to hybrid threats.”
Golubeva will work closely with the Hertie School’s Centre for International Security in exploring this topic. In addition to her research, she will also teach in courses offered by the university’s Executive Education programme, including the Summer School on Advanced European Governance and Integration for public servants from the Western Balkans in the fall semester.
“I feel very privileged to be able to work closely with both the teaching staff and the Centre for International Security at the Hertie School,” says Golubeva. “I am looking forward to this cooperation and hope to launch new and creative activities that will bridge the academic world and practitioners.”
Thanks to former Fellow John Morijn
This year’s event will also honour John Morijn, whose tenure as Henrik Enderlein Fellow from 2024 to 2025 was marked by his work on democracy in European Union law and rule of law tensions across member states. “John Morijn’s academic leadership, policy insight and enthusiasm for teaching have been a welcome presence at the Hertie School,” said President Woll. “We are grateful for his active engagement and very much looking forward to reading the output of the research carried out at our university.”
About the Henrik Enderlein Fellowship
The Henrik Enderlein Fellowship commemorates the Hertie School’s late President and founder of the Jacques Delors Centre Henrik Enderlein. It is awarded annually to outstanding personalities dedicated to a strong European Union and enables regular research stays at the Hertie School for scholars, policymakers and academics. The fellowship contributes to building networks that bring together stakeholders from science, policy and politics in tackling urgent issues on the European and national agenda. The Henrik Enderlein Fellowship is funded by Stiftung Mercator.
About the Hertie School
For 20 years, the Hertie School has been teaching, researching and communicating on issues of policymaking and good governance in the heart of Berlin. The public policy school offers master’s degrees, doctoral programmes and customised training for public sector leaders. Under the guiding principle “Understand today. Shape tomorrow.”, around 150 academics conduct research at the Hertie School. The university’s hallmark is its practice-oriented teaching and international orientation. Six Centres of Competence strengthen its expertise in European affairs, international security, fundamental rights, sustainability, digital governance, and data science. The Hertie School was founded in 2004 by the non-profit Hertie Foundation and has been largely supported by it ever since. It is state-recognised and accredited by the German Council of Science and Humanities.
About Stiftung Mercator
Stiftung Mercator is a private, independent and non-profit foundation that acts on the basis of scientific expertise and practical project experience. Since 1996, it has been advocating for a society based on solidarity and participation. To this end, it supports and develops projects that improve participation and cohesion in an increasingly diverse community. Stiftung Mercator stands up for a cosmopolitan, democratic Europe, a digital transformation of state and society based on fundamental rights, and socially just climate change mitigation. Stiftung Mercator pursues activities in Germany, Europe and worldwide. It feels particularly connected to the Ruhr area, home of its founder’s family and the foundation’s headquarters.
The Hertie School is not responsible for any content linked or referred to from these pages.