Session III of the Aspen-ECFR Program on “European Technological Sovereignty: Human Values and Geopolitical Challenges”

Aspen Institute España organized, in collaboration with European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a new program on “European Technological Sovereignty: Human Values and Geopolitical Challenges” with the help of Aspen Digital, Aspen Germany and Aspen UK.

The third session was on “National Security: Industrial Policy, Sovereignty, Technological Emancipation” and took place online on Monday, March 2nd from 5 to 6:30 pm (CET).

As speaker for the second session, we counted with the participation of Angela Zhang, Professor of Law at the University of Southern California, and Anna Wojtas, co-founder of the company Women in Defense Tech.

The program consisted of 3 online sessions, one a month, in January, February, and March. The sessions were online in English with around 30 participants. The speakers shared a few opening remarks, followed by a structured discussion among participants. The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule, followed by a paper highlighting the key insights while preserving confidentiality. The paper was then be presented at a final in-person session open to the public. The idea was to share the online sessions’ findings with a larger audience to increase the program’s reach.

Angela Zhang

Angela Huyue Zhang is a Professor of Law at the University of Southern California and a leading authority on Chinese tech regulation. A highly sought-after commentator, she frequently shares expert insights on the intersection of law, technology, and global governance. She is the author of two widely acclaimed books: Chinese Antitrust Exceptionalism: How the Rise of China Challenges Global Regulation (2021) and High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy (2024). Before joining USC, Zhang taught at the University of Hong Kong and King’s College London. Earlier in her career, Zhang practiced law for six years in Asia, United States and Europe. She earned her LLB from Peking University and her LLM, JD, and JSD from the University of Chicago Law School.

Anna Wojtas 

Anna Wojtas is co-founder and co-CEO of the Women in Defense Tech network, and a defence, intelligence and Homeland Security Expert. Previously, Ms. Wojtas held senior roles at organizations such as Palantir Technologies and rola Security Solutions, where she led strategic market expansion and built enduring partnerships across the public and private sectors. She serves as an advisor to emerging defense tech startups, contributing deep expertise in government affairs, security policy, and transformational leadership to support the development of next-generation capabilities. She has a degree from the International School of Management, Germany.