President: Matic Kosirnik (2025–today)
Matic Kosirnik has been leading the Youth Section of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia (YATA Slovenia) since January 2025.
Matic holds a Bachelor’s degree in Defence Studies from the University of Ljubljana. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Defence Studies and Security Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana. He also studied at the War Studies University in Warsaw, where he focused on security and strategic studies.
His research and professional interests include national and international security, security and defence policy, and defence planning, with particular emphasis on Euro-Atlantic institutions in this regard.
Since February 2025, he has been working with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, contributing to work in the field of security policy and bilateral relations with Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
Matic leads the team and Executive Board of the Youth Section, where he is responsible for its strategic direction, substantive coordination, and project implementation. His work is focused on ensuring the Section’s professional, effective, coordinated, and non-partisan operation, while fostering active member engagement, international cooperation, professional visibility, and transparent development.
He places particular emphasis on strengthening international partnerships within the global network of Atlantic Councils through the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA) and is committed to actively involving young people in Euro-Atlantic security debates and processes.
He is also the Project Lead of Balkan SAYS – Security Architecture Youth Seminar, the flagship youth security conference of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Slovenia, which brings together young professionals from Slovenia and abroad and facilitates discussions on key security challenges in the Western Balkans and the wider Euro-Atlantic area.
Matic regularly participates in international forums, prepares analytical contributions on current security issues, and actively promotes dialogue between young professionals and experts in the fields of security and defence.