Elisenda Ballesté is a democracy practitioner and coalition builder working at the intersection of global governance, civic participation, and strategic communications. She coordinates the Global Democracy Coalition at International IDEA, a global network of over 170 organizations advancing democratic values and collaboration across regions.

Her work focuses on strengthening cross-sector partnerships, shaping democracy narratives, and supporting collective responses to emerging challenges, including disinformation, democratic backsliding, and the evolving role of technology in democratic processes.

She has experience working with international institutions, civil society, and high-level political actors, contributing to global policy discussions and initiatives linked to multilateral processes.

Lubica Kovacova is the Executive Director of the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN), where she has been leading the organisation’s work since 2021. Her career spans political parties, public administration, civil society, and the PR sector, giving her a broad perspective at the intersection of politics, policy, and advocacy.

She has extensive experience in political party development and campaigning, having served as International Secretary of SDKÚ-DS and later leading international affairs for Most-Híd. She also worked as Head of the Office of the Minister at the Slovak Ministry of Environment, bringing her political and strategic expertise into public administration.

Lubica holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Illinois and M.A. in International Relations from the University of Groningen.

Dr. Justin E. Lane is the CEO and Co-Founder of CulturePulse AI, a US-Slovak AI company focused on the creation and analysis of social AI and digital twin technology. For 10 years, Dr. Lane has worked to create new AI systems to study and predict aspects of social cohesion ranging from hybrid threat and counterterrorism to policy risk analysis and crisis management. He received his doctorate from the University of Oxford. Dr. Lane has held positions at universities in the US, UK, Czech Republic and Singapore and in addition to his role as CEO at CulturePulse is currently affiliated with the Slovak Academy of Science and is the Scientific Director at the DEKK Institute in Bratislava. His work has been discussed in WIRED, BBC, The New York Times, Vice News, New Scientist, The Atlantic, and Joe Rogan Experience. He has also worked in business development and innovation consulting for start-up and investment firms in Central and Eastern Europe, helping them obtain over EUR80m in funding since 2020. Dr. Lane has over 100 peer reviewed articles and conference presentations, and his book, Understanding Religion through Artificial Intelligence: Bonding and Belief, was nominated for the 2023 ISSR Book Prize. To date, his work has received international acclaim and over 950 citations (his Doctorate was completed in 2019). Together, with his research partner and CulturePulse co-founder Prof. Dr. Dr. LeRon Shults, they have raised approximately US$90m in R&D&I grant funding for key innovations and over US$20m in investment for private companies.

Jakub Szymik is a lawyer specialising in digital and EU policy, with over a decade of experience in policy development and communications for non-profits, trade associations, and consumer groups. As the founder of CEE Digital Democracy Watch, he leads the organisation’s efforts on election integrity and technology regulation.

Jakub’s expertise is recognised internationally; he was a 2024 Fellow at the Institute of Technology and Society in Rio de Janeiro and a participant in the “Recharging Advocacy for Rights” program at the Hertie School of Governance. His work focuses on crafting policies that balance technological innovation with democratic values and human rights.

Melanie Garson is an Associate Professor in International Security in the Department of Political Science at University College London where she teaches her flagship course “From Cyberwarfare to Robots: The Future of Conflict in the Digital Age” that examines the nexus of disruptive tech and building defence and resilience. She also teaches courses on international negotiation and tech diplomacy, as well as problem-solving for policymaking at HM Treasury.

She provides practical insights and thought leadership for policymakers across the full spectrum of cyber policy, tech geopolitics, and defence innovation challenges. Having spent four years at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where she set up the cyber policy and tech geopolitics function, she has advised leaders globally on cyber resilience policy, the geopolitics of the internet, space, AI, and compute, the rise of tech companies as geopolitical actors, data governance as well as the future of defence.

Nino Dolidze is a democracy, elections, and information integrity expert with two decades of experience managing a broad range of programs focused on strengthening democratic governance, election integrity, countering disinformation, and protecting human rights in complex political environments. Throughout her career, Nino has held key roles in both international and domestic organizations, and she has played a transformative role in strengthening democratic institutions and civic engagement in Georgia and across Eastern Europe. She was awarded the 2025 Madeleine K. Albright Democracy Award for her courage and leadership in defending election integrity and promoting democratic participation.

She previously served as the Executive Director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), one of Georgia’s most prominent civil society organizations dedicated to safeguarding electoral integrity. Under her leadership, ISFED conducted two large-scale national election observation missions involving over 1,500 observers and pioneered new methodologies in election observation. During her nearly decade-long tenure with the International Republican Institute (IRI), she supported electoral reform, political party development, and the advancement of women’s political participation in Georgia. She has trained hundreds of candidates and elected officials across the political spectrum and has led women’s campaign schools nationwide.

In various professional capacities, Nino has observed more than 25 national elections in Georgia and abroad, serving as a core team member as well as a long-term and short-term election observer. Her international observation experience includes missions with OSCE/ODIHR, NDI, IRI, ENEMO, and EPDE.

In addition to her practitioner work, Nino lectures in political science, covering topics such as political campaigning, electoral integrity, and political party development. She is also the author of several articles and analytical reports.

Nino holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations. She is an alumna of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University (Class of 2016) and the Global Leadership Program at the McCain Institute (2022 cohort).

Peter manages content moderation and fact-checking projects at Seznam.cz, the leading tech company and media house in Czechia. He leads the editorial team of the Lide.cz social platform and works closely with editorial teams across Seznam’s ecosystem, including Seznam Newsfeed, Medium.cz, Stream.cz, and other services, to ensure consistent editorial standards and responsible community management.

He also trains media literacy among kids, teachers and elderly people.

Previously, he had worked for more than 15 years in PR & communication. He has an extensive track record in campaigning for both corporate and non-profit clients.

Peter had co-founded Konšpirátori.sk, a unique project that helps to protect brands from displaying their ads on disinformation sites.

He holds a master’s degree in political science from Central European University and a bachelor’s degree in European studies from the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University.

Yulia Dziuba is a public policy professional and Parliamentary Adviser in Ukraine, with over seven years of experience working at the intersection of democratic governance, EU integration, and public sector reform. She serves as President of the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN), leading a community of young leaders across Europe to strengthen democratic resilience and cross-border cooperation. Yulia is also a member of the Youth Advisory Board under the Chairperson of the Parliament of Ukraine and in 2025, served as an Adviser to the Deputy Minister of Economy on digital transformation and deregulation.

She holds a Master of Public Policy from the London School of Economics (2024). Yuliia is a Resilient Futures Fellow with Visegrad Insight (2026) and a recipient of the Youth Diplomacy Award in Ukraine, recognised among the top five initiatives for advancing international cooperation and youth engagement.

As of September 2022, I am pursuing my PhD studies at the University of Tirana, Faculty of Law, with a research focus on Open Governance in Albania and its impact in the EU integration. In 2016, I finished the Master of Science integrated studies in Law (Valedictorian Student) at the University of New York Tirana. For the period of September 2023 – March 2024, I was a Resident Fellow at the Freedom House, Europe and Eurasia Program, focusing on the Moldova Justice Reform and Right to Information and restricted environment countries. In January 2024, I completed an Executive Education Leadership for the 21st Century at Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University, USA.

In addition to my academic and scientific activities, which you can find enclosed in my CV, I have been engaged in different professional activities. My previous experience lies in important institutions and organizations such as Deloitte Albania and Kosovo, Coalition for Free and Fair Elections and for Sustainable Democracy, GIZ Office Albania, Freedom House and the University of New York Tirana. As of September 2017, I hold the position of faculty at the Department of Law, UNYT. My engagement at UNYT has been in different processes related to the reorganization and accreditation of the academic programs and part of the policy drafting. As of 2020-2023, I was part of the European and Balkan Research Institute, UNYT. My tasks are to assist the Editorial Office of the International Journal of Balkan Studies and to be part of the organizing team of national and international academic and research events.

During my tenure at UNYT, I have been engaged in the coordination and implementation of different projects, including the financial reporting phase. Such projects include EU Centre of Excellence (Jean Monet Project 2019-2022), Integrity in Academia (Project financed by ICC and Embassy of the Netherlands) and coordinator of the project funded by the Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) entitled: “Desegregation of pupils in Albania and Kosovo: A Human Rights Challenge.”

I have been involved with various Albanian and international institutions as an external expert, including Freedom House, Transparency International, Albanian Helsinki Committee, and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) Albania. My expertise encompasses the fields of the rule of law and anti-corruption, open governance and transparency, justice reform, and migration law and the EU integration process, with a focus on the Chapter 23 and 24.

I have presented at several international conferences, published numerous articles, and organized various academic projects. His most recent articles cover a range of topics with a focus on AI usage and public administration, transparency and accountability in the AI usage and human rights, migration rights in the Western Balkans, Italy-Albania migration protocol, justice reform in Albania and Moldova, etc. He has been an invited speaker at various universities and organizations, including Columbia University, Georgetown University, the University of Firenze, and BFPE for a Responsible Society, on topics related to the rule of law and migration in the Western Balkans.

Anja Kolimbatović is a Croatian lawyer with experience in EU affairs. She spent six years in the European Parliament, where she worked on policies related to culture, media, education, external relations and EU enlargement. She currently serves as Secretary General of the European Democracy Youth Network (EDYN) and leads its Croatia chapter.

Patricia-Alexandra Nae is a political advisor and researcher specializing in democratic resilience and political communication in Central and Eastern Europe. She currently serves as Advisor to the Romanian Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, where she supports policy coordination and international engagement.

She has held advisory roles within the Romanian Senate and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and has worked on electoral campaigns as a strategic communications consultant. She is Vice President of the European Democracy Youth Network and a Youth Lead at the Community of Democracies. She is also a PhD candidate researching democratic backsliding and nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe.

Pavel Havlicek is a Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO) and a member of the EDYN Czech country chapter. In his research, he focuses on Eastern Europe, particularly Ukraine and Russia as well as the Eastern Partnership. He also deals with questions of security, disinformation, and strategic communication as well as democratisation and civil society support in CEE and the post-Soviet space.

Previously, he was a Board member of the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum and worked at the European Parliament, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Endowment for Democracy, and the ‘People in Need’ NGO. Pavel has also cooperated and advised the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic on the digital agenda and digital regulation of social media platforms. Additionally, he’s a member of the centre-right Czech political party TOP 09 and of its youth wing’s Central Bohemia chapter.

He’s a former Rethink.CEE Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a James S. Denton Transatlantic Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and a Marcin Król Fellow at Visegrad Insight. Currently, he’s a Central European Fellow for Security Policy at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung-Czech Republic and the Russia research coordinator and advocacy coordinator of the MapInfluenCE project.

Pavel is a graduate of the two-year-long Erasmus Mundus International Master’s in Russian, Central and East European Studies at the University of Glasgow and in EU Studies at the Jagiellonian University.

Elisenda Ballesté is a democracy practitioner and coalition builder working at the intersection of global governance, civic participation, and strategic communications. She coordinates the Global Democracy Coalition at International IDEA, a global network of over 170 organizations advancing democratic values and collaboration across regions.

Her work focuses on strengthening cross-sector partnerships, shaping democracy narratives, and supporting collective responses to emerging challenges, including disinformation, democratic backsliding, and the evolving role of technology in democratic processes.

She has experience working with international institutions, civil society, and high-level political actors, contributing to global policy discussions and initiatives linked to multilateral processes.

Kristóf Szombati has worked in both politics and academia. After years of activism on environmental issues and for Roma communities, he co-founded Hungary’s green party, Politics Can Be Different (LMP), in 2007. He left politics in 2011 to pursue a doctorate in anthropology and sociology at Central European University, which he completed in 2016. Since then, he has held positions at Columbia University, the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Halle, and Humboldt University. His work focuses on right-wing populism, the political economy of authoritarianism, and everyday participation in illiberal state-making. He is currently an editor at the Review of Democracy and co-host of the podcast This Authoritarian Life.

Thai Jungpanich is Director of Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships at Political Watch, where she works at the intersection of democracy, technology, and public participation. She specializes in building strategic alliances and convening diverse actors to strengthen democratic governance and accountability. Thai is a member of the Steering Group of the Global Democracy Coalition, where she contributes to advancing multi-sectoral strategies for democratic renewal in Europe and beyond. In this role, she works to connect civil society, institutions, and other sectors to address emerging challenges to democracy.

Political Watch is an independent, Spain-based think-and-do tank with a global outlook, working to strengthen and renew democratic systems. It builds strong and diverse alliances, carries out public advocacy, develops civic technologies, and produces innovative research to foster accountable institutions, informed public debate, and meaningful citizen participation. Political Watch brings together strategic actors across sectors and ideologies, working beyond traditional silos to foster dialogue and collaboration around shared democratic challenges.

Urban Strandberg, Dr. and Associate Professor of Political Science, is the Director and Co-founder of the International Youth Think Tank (IYTT). During 2026 Urban is The Charles F. Kettering Global Fellow. In parallel to running the IYTT, Urban holds a position as Senior Lecturer at the Department of Law, School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg. His research field is public policy and constitutional policy with a special focus on local government and democracy. Urban is teaching within the multidisciplinary BA and MA program of European Studies.

Zuzana Papazoski is a democratic governance and legislative strengthening expert with over two decades of experience managing complex, donor-funded programs across Central and South Eastern Europe. Currently serving as the Resident Senior Director for Central Europe at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), she leads initiatives aimed at bolstering democratic resilience, civic engagement, and inclusive governance in the region.

Zuzana has played a pivotal role in expanding NDI’s presence in the region, fostering partnerships with cities and local governments, civil society, and political stakeholders. As Chief of Party for a USAID-funded Central Europe Civic Engagement regional program, she oversaw program implementation, strategic research, grant disbursement, and training programs involving hundreds of political and civic actors in Hungary and Poland.

Her career includes leadership in legislative reform efforts in the Western Balkans, where she advised parliaments and political leaders on effective parliamentary operations, legislative oversight of the executive, research services operations, and public engagement. A frequent speaker and moderator at international forums, she has lectured on democracy, youth engagement, and citizen outreach at the ECPR–OSCE/ODIHR Summer and Winter Schools, the Globsec Forum, the WSF, Forum2000, and the Impact Summit, and has consulted for Freedom House, the UNDP, and the OSCE/ODIHR.

Zuzana holds a Master’s degree in Law from Comenius University, with a specialization in constitutional and public law and human rights. She is fluent in Slovak, Czech, Polish, and English and has working knowledge of Macedonian and Serbian.