Milka Marie-Madeleine Malfait

Dr. Milka Marie-Madeleine Malfait (born 19 June 1990) is a Belgian attorney-at-law and political scientist, specialised in law enforcement cooperation, security governance, EU-Russia & West-East relations, justice, crisis communication & strategic foresight.https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Milka-Malfait
She is the first Belgian who defended and obtained a PhD in the Russian Federation, in the Russian language, on her own forces without any joint doctoral program or facilitating partner university. The PhD was defended at MGIMO in political science (specialisation 23.00.04) and addressed the political aspects of law enforcement cooperation between the European Union and the Russian Federation - during a political unstable time. 
She graduated doctoral studies (aspirantura) on 22 July 2020, defended the PhD - one year later due to the worldwide restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic - on 19 May 2021 and obtained the degree of doctor in political science on 24 August 2021. 
She is also the first Belgian who went to North Korea to write a master thesis in law & economics on the investment possibilities in free trade zones. The field mission was intented to compare and analyse North Korean laws with Belgian, European and in general Western legislation. During this mission, she was able to find one of the only existing North Korean investment codexes in the Korean language, of which only a few exist in the world. 
== Education ==
2017-2020 - PhD in Political Science - MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of InternationalRelations (University) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation)
* School of Governance and Politics
* Dissertation: Political aspects of law enforcement cooperation between the European Union and Russian Federation.
2012-2014 - Master in Law at UHasselt - KU Leuven - Maastricht University (tripartite Belgian-Dutch cooperation)
* Faculty of Law 
* Thesis: Comparative analysis of the investment possibilities in North Korea and Belgium. Assessment of the access conditions for foreign companies in North Korean industry zones (Law & Economics)
During her last year of law studies, she worked at the Belgian Embassy to the United States in Washington DC.
2009-2012 - Bachelor in Law at UHasselt - KU Leuven - Maastricht University (tripartite Belgian-Dutch cooperation)
* Faculty of Law
* Thesis: the financial crisis in the European Union
2003-2009 - Secondary school - Latin-Greek-Mathematics - Kindsheid Jesu, Hasselt, Belgium.
Multilingual skills in Dutch, French, English and Russian.
== Professional experience ==
* 2018-2019: Teaching assistant & researcher in political science (security studies, EU-Russia relations, law) - MGIMO
* 2017: In-house lawyer (secondment) - AB InBev Leuven
* 2014-2017: Qualified attorney-at-law (2017) - The Brussels Bar 
* 2015-2017: Secretary of the Association of Young Lawyers at the Brussels Bar - Jabkes
* 2015-2017: International Secretary at the national level involved with the coordination of activities for the youth movement of the Belgian political party Open Vld. Organization of conferences at the European institutions in Brussels, political seminars and debates on international relations, country visits within EU - Jong Vld 
* 2014: Volunteer in the organising team of the Easter Egg Roll - The White House
* 2014: Public diplomacy & economic policy trainee consultant - Embassy of Belgium to the United States of America, Washington DC
* 2013: Field mission to North Korea - Initiative of the Dutch government 
* 2012-2017: Candidate in municipal elections (2012), participant in party congresses (2012-2017), engagement in the International working group of the party (2015-2017) - Open Vld Belgium 
* 2010-2012: Co-organizer of political youth movement at UHasselt University - LVSV
== Awards and prizes ==
* 2018: Prize for the best report and critical debating in the section 'World Politics' on counterterrorism cooperation - International Scientific Conference for Young Scientists, Lomonosov MSU
* 2015: Best performing attorney - Moot Court at the Brussels Bar Exams, Court of Appeal
 
Category:Belgian lawyers
Category:Belgian political scientists