Dr. Patryk Pawlak is a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe. His fields of expertise are global governance of cyberspace, the impact of technology on foreign and security policy, and the EU’s cyber and digital diplomacy. His current research focuses on how cyber and digital policies are shaping the multilateral system and the EU’s role in this process. He also works on questions of accountability and coercive diplomacy in cyberspace. In 2024, Pawlak has joined the UN Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and the UNIDIR Board of Trustees.
Pawlak is a recognized expert on cyber capacity building policy; he is the lead author of the “Operational Guidance for the EU’s international cooperation on cyber capacity building” and a former co-chair of the advisory board of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise. He works regularly with governments, international organizations, and various EU initiatives on cyber diplomacy, and is involved in multilateral and bilateral cyber-related processes.
Prior to joining Carnegie Europe, Pawlak worked for the EU Institute for Security Studies where he headed the Brussels office and coordinated all cyber and digital activities. Until December 2022, Pawlak was the project director of EU Cyber Direct, an EU-funded initiative to support the bloc’s engagement on cyber diplomacy and digital policies worldwide. In this capacity, he ideated and coordinated the European Cyber Diplomacy Dialogue with the School of Transnational Governance in Florence, bringing together senior government officials and scholars. He was also co-editor of the “Directions Blog” on cyber, digital, and tech issues.
Pawlak is also a visiting fellow at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute in Florence. His past affiliations include the European Parliamentary Research Service, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, and the Centre for European Policy Studies.
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Conflicting visions of the digital future are creating organizational fragmentation and ideological competition. By investing in its narrative power and building effective coalitions, the EU can strengthen multilateralism and shape global governance in the digital domain.
While states acknowledge the need to better protect critical infrastructure against cyber attacks, national and international efforts have brought limited results. The solution could be a global treaty that strengthens cooperation on this matter.
The Russian cyber attack on Christmas Eve severely affected Ukraine’s telecommunications networks, which are the main source of information in Ukrainians’ daily lives. To counter the threat, authorities are investing in strengthening cyber resilience.