René Hofer

Intern

René Hofer is completing his Master’s in European Affairs at Sciences Po Paris, specialising in EU internal policies and external action, with a focus on enlargement, security & defence, trade, and industrial policy. His master’s builds on his Bachelor’s degree in International Politics, Law & Economics from the University of Milan, where he graduated with the highest honours and won the Claudia Augusta Prize for his thesis, The Role of the International Community in Shaping South Tyrol’s Autonomy. He also spent a semester at Kōbe University in Japan, studying EU-Japan relations. As part of the German-speaking minority from South Tyrol, Italy, he is fluent in German, Italian, English, and French, with intermediate knowledge of Spanish.

Before joining the Martens Centre, René was a trainee at the European Affairs Department in Rome, working in the Internal Market & Competition Unit, and gained hands-on experience in EU policymaking as a trainee in the team of his regional Italian MEP (EPP). He is also engaged in the European Forum Alpbach (EFA), where, after receiving a scholarship in 2024, he joined the board of Club Alpbach Südtirol Alto Adige, a volunteer association supporting young South Tyroleans in attending the Forum. Additionally, he is part of Palumba EU, a European youth organisation that developed a nonpartisan voting advice app to mobilise first-time voters across Europe. He contributed to the Content & Statement team for the 2025 German Election, helping develop an app that ranked among the top five most downloaded during the campaign.