Eszter Karacsony, Associate Fellow and Program Lead, Geopolitics

Eszter Karacsony is an Associate Fellow and Program Lead in Geopolitics at Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Middle East. She joined the Team in May 2025.

Her research focuses mainly on interregional relations between the Gulf states and the European Union (EU), covering both the EU member states’ diplomatic and economic presence in the region, and the Gulf states’ engagement with EU countries.

Before joining ORF Middle East, Eszter worked as Research Analyst at the French think tank Institut Sapiens, where she facilitated expert working groups specialized in various fields of public policy. She also wrote analytical studies on the political and socio-economic challenges France was facing.

Prior to that, Eszter had held the position of Project Officer to the Director of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri), where she worked on geopolitical foresight and risk.

Eszter started her professional carrier as Programme Manager at the European Forum for Urban Security (Efus) where she was responsible for institutional relations with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Committee of the Regions. Furthermore, she managed EU co-funded projects and oversaw the Forum’s outreach and network development in Central and Eastern Europe.

Eszter holds a Master’s degree in EU-International Relations and Diplomacy Studies from the College of Europe (Bruges Campus), a Master’s degree in European Politics and Public Affairs from Sciences Po Strasbourg and a Master’s degree in Contemporary History from the University of Strasbourg.

Eszter is a Raisina Young Fellow and an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader.