Since 01 November 2014, PhD. Jolana Mungengová works for the European Commission in Brussels, where she is currently a Member of Cabinet of the EU Trade Commissioner. Jolana's multiple attributions range from trade and security to transparency and engagement with the civil society. Prior to her current job, she worked in the European Parliament, advising on international trade, economic and monetary affairs, regional development, etc. This gave her the opportunity to contribute to the adoption of EU post-Lisbon free trade agreements and the creation of the so-called "Banking Union". In January 2007, Jolana obtained her PhD. in Political Science at Boston University in the U.S. She specialized in Public Policy, Comparative Politics, and Eastern Europe. Her PhD. thesis entitled "The Impact of European Union's ERDF Grants on Loans to SME's in the Czech Republic" was published in June 2008. Prior to her graduation in the U.S., Jolana obtained in 2000 a D.E.A. in Political Science from the Universities of Lausanne and Geneva in Switzerland, and in 1998, her dual Master Degree in Political Science and French Linguistics at the Charles University in Prag, in the Czech Republic.