The European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s political guidelines and the Mission Letters for the Commission candidates already gave a sneak peek of what’s in the pipeline for democracy, with the announcement of the creation of a European Democracy Shield.
As this important initiative is now on the drawing board, democracy organizations, civil society experts, and other stakeholders are called to provide their perspectives on the priorities they see for the initiative and what thematic and geographic scope it should take to be effective.
The European Social and Economic Committee (EESC), the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the Kofi Annan Foundation, and International IDEA are glad to invite you to a Policy Discussion focused on setting priorities and defining the thematic and geographic remit of an effective European Democracy Shield, together with a broad range of civil society organisations, representatives of Member States, EU institutions, academia and media.
Agenda
8:30: Arrival and registration
9:00: Opening speeches
Master of Ceremonies: Marilyn Neven, Head of EU Liason, International IDEA
Welcome speech by Oliver Röpke, President of the EESC
Address by Anu Juvonen, President, European Partnership for Democracy
Address by Corinne Momal-Vanian, Executive Director, Kofi Annan Foundation
9:20 Keynote speech by Irena Moozová, Deputy Director General, Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers, European Commission
9:40: The thematic scope of the European Democracy Shield – Panel discussion followed by interaction with the audience
Alexandra Geese, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/EFA
Cristian Pîrvulescu, EESC Member
Julie Majerczak, Representative to the European Institutions, Reporters Without Borders
Moderated by Ken Godfrey, Executive Director of the European Partnership for Democracy
10:50: Coffee Break
11:20: The geographic breadth of the European Democracy Shield
Alberto Fernández Gibaja, Head of Programme Digitalization and Democracy, International IDEA
Jacob Tamm, Deputy Head of Division Information Integrity and Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), Directorate for Strategic communication & Foresight, European External Action Service
Alexis Prokopiev, Director, Governance & Democratic Innovation, Make.org
Moderated by Sébastien Brack, Representative of the Kofi Annan Foundation to the European Union
12:30: Closing by Sam van der Staak, Director for Europe, International IDEA
12:45: Networking lunch
Venue
European Economic and Social Committee
Address: Rue Belliard 99-101, 1000 Brussels
Floor 6, Room JDE 62
Speakers
Marilyn Neven
Marilyn Neven is Head of EU Liaison at International IDEA. Her main role is to reinforce International IDEA’s relations with the European Union as a key partner of International IDEA. Through her work on advocacy for democracy and fundraising, she contributes to increasing the EU’s focus on democratic governance, advancing sustainable democracy and improving and consolidating electoral processes world-wide. Her programmatic work includes initiatives on the EU’s democracy agenda, the use of ICTs in democracy and elections, and political empowerment of women. She authored the policy brief “Codes of conduct on the rise: Fair and ethical campaigning online,” and co-authored the report on “Winning Elections the Right Way – Online Political Advertising Rules in Europe and Selected Countries Globally.” Neven contributes to the management of various EU-funded global programmes. She was acting Head of Programme of the EU-funded INTER PARES Parliaments in Partnership programme in 2019, until the project team was hired. She was special adviser to the Secretary-General of the Institute in 2015. Neven has a background in EU advisory roles for Belgian Ministers and previously worked at the European Parliament and Commission. She holds an LL.M. in European Legal Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges and a Law degree from KU Leuven. She has accumulated expertise on European affairs throughout her career and has lectured extensively on European affairs and democracy. She was KU Leuven VRG Alumni in de Kijker in 2016.
Oliver Röpke
Oliver Röpke was elected as the president of the EESC in April 2023. Member of EESC since 2009, Mr Röpke was the president of the EESC Workers’ Group, a member of the EESC Bureau and rapporteur of many EESC resolutions and opinions on employment and social policy, single market and innovation. Mr Röpke headed the Brussels office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and took on several senior positions including as ÖGB representative to the EU institutions, the Executive Committee of the ETUC, and an advisory member of the ÖGB federal executive board. Mr Röpke has a legal background and holds a law degree from the University of Vienna.
Anu Juvonen
Ms Anu Juvonen has worked for over 20 years in the field of democracy support, development policy and international affairs. She has lived and worked in Nepal, where she worked in the field of education; in Ethiopia, as an expert in community participation and gender; and in Sri Lanka, where she worked as a Head of Good Governance for an international NGO. She has worked as a consultant and a civil servant, and worked in CSOs, having varying roles, ranging from advocacy and campaigning to CSO coordination related to the EU presidency and the ASEM summit. She has held various board positions, ranging from being the vice-chair of an umbrella NGO with 300 members to being a board member of the EPD, and she has been a member of the Human Rights Delegation of the National Human Rights Institute of Finland since 2020. Anu has been with Demo Finland since 2014, first as a Director of Programmes and then as Executive Director (since early 2016). During 2021–2024 Ms Juvonen was seconded by the Government of Finland to the Council of Europe as a Policy Advisor, working on democracy and specifically on civil society matters.
Corinne Momal-Vanian
Ms Corinne Momal-Vanian is the Executive Director of the Kofi Annan Foundation. Previously, she worked in various senior positions and a variety of countries for the United Nations, most recently as Director of Conference Management at the United Nations Office at Geneva (2015-2020) and Director of Information (2010-2015). Ms Momal-Vanian served as Special Assistant to Kofi Annan in 2005 and 2006, traveling with him to some 20 countries as he worked to resolve crises, defuse tensions, highlight the plight of communities and individuals suffering from discrimination and abuses, build international cooperation and strengthen support for development and justice. She worked for a total of six years in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, after serving in two regional economic and social commissions of the United Nations. Passionate about justice, gender equality, inclusion, innovation and learning, Ms. Momal-Vanian chaired the Steering Group of the International Gender Champions from 2016 to 2019 and was a co-organiser of the three editions of TEDxPlaceDesNations.
Alexandra Geese
Alexandra Geese has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019 and is the digital expert for the Greens/EFA parliamentary group. She negotiated the extensive “Digital Services Act” which regulates digital platforms and social networks. Her main focus areas are democracy in the digital age, sustainable digitalisation, and gender equality. She is member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM). In addition, she is a substitute member of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO).
Cristian Pîrvulescu
Since 2005, Cristian Pîrvulescu is Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at SNSPA Bucharest. He has coordinated important research programs: Political Parties and Doctrinal Orientations in Romania in the 90s (1995-1998), Democracy and Multiculturalism (1999-2000), European program Moress – Romanian Segmental (2002-2005). Between 1999 – 2005 he was a member of the jury of the Barometer of Public Opinion, a biannual survey conducted by the Open Society Foundation. Since 1999 he has been President of the ProDemocracy Association. Since 2003 he has been moderator of the Political Dialogues organized by the Prometheus Club. Since 2004 he has been President of AIRUE (Association for the Integration of Romania into the European Union), a network of Romanian and European organizations with a strong trade union imprint. He is a founding member of the Political Science Association and the Political Science Society. Since 1996 he has been a member of the Romanian Sociology Association. Since 2007 he has been a member of the European Economic and Social Committee.
Julie Majerczak
Julie Majerczak is the Reporters Without Borders Representative to the European Institutions. She has represented the international press freedom NGO at the EU level since May 2016. Before joining RSF, Julie was a journalist for 16 years. She moved to Brussels in 2002 to report on EU affairs for the French daily newspaper Libération for which she worked for ten years. She also reported for the French daily newspaper Le Parisien, RTL radio and the online media outlet Contexte. Before that, Julie worked in politics as an MEP assistant and as a political adviser to a French environment minister. Born in Paris, she has a Master in Law and is a graduate of Sciences Po Paris.
Ken Godfrey
Ken Godfrey is the Executive Director of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and has led the organisation since 2015. Prior to joining EPD, Mr. Godfrey worked as an Electoral Advisor for the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. He has also worked for the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, at the European Parliament and as an external consultant for the European Commission. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics in Comparative Democratisation. Mr. Godfrey has also lived and worked in Argentina, Canada, China, Japan, Senegal and the United Kingdom.Ken Godfrey is the Executive Director of the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and has led the organisation since 2015. Prior to joining EPD, Mr. Godfrey worked as an Electoral Advisor for the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. He has also worked for the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan, at the European Parliament and as an external consultant for the European Commission. He holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics in Comparative Democratisation. Mr. Godfrey has also lived and worked in Argentina, Canada, China, Japan, Senegal and the United Kingdom.
Alberto Fernandez Gibaja
Alberto Fernandez Gibaja’s work focuses on issues related with technology and democracy, with a special focus in Asia Pacific and Europe. His expertise and research covers the key aspects of how technology and democracy relate, both from the regulatory perspective as well as from impact of technology on the state of democracy. He has carried out research, advocacy and technical advice projects globally with these elements included. Previously, he worked as a Governance Officer for the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste. He has also worked at the Club of Madrid, the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, the Jordanian Regional Center for Conflict Prevention and the University of Alcalá He is a regular contributor and commentator in diverse media outlets, primarily on topics related to technology, democracy and online political campaigns’ policies and regulations.
Jacob Tamm
Jacob is an EEAS official and EU diplomat who joined the Information Integrity and Countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference Division in September 2023. Prior to that, Jacob served in different services at the EEAS HQ, including as Deputy Head of the US and Canada and the Regional Affairs Divisions. He has done several postings abroad, including in the EU Delegation in Nigeria, where he led the democratic governance/counter-terrorism team, and also served as a political advisor in the EU Delegation in Bolivia. Before joining the EU institutions, Jacob was posted in Swedish Embassies in Bolivia and Guatemala, where he was engaged on Sweden’s bilateral cooperation on issues related to peace security and democratic governance, and was also working for the UNDP/UNV in Brazil and various civil society organisations. Jacob is a graduate from London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Sussex.
Alexis Prokopiev
Alexis Prokopiev is the Director of the Department “Governance and Democratic Innovation” at Make.org (an independent European civic tech organisation) since 2019 and the Vice-President of the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE). He leads the organisation’s department in Paris and Brussels. Alexis Prokopiev also taught Economics at Sciences Po Paris and worked for the French National Assembly, as well as for several NGOs.
Sébastien F. W. Brack
Sébastien F. W. Brack is a Senior Advisor – Representative to the European Union for the Kofi Annan Foundation. He leads the project “Reaffirming West Africa’s commitment to democracy and elections with integrity”. Sébastien provides policy advice and operational assistance to the Foundation on other projects and activities linked to democracy and elections and liaises with the European Commission in support of the Foundation’s activities. Prior to his advisory role, Sébastien was Head of Elections and Democracy at the Foundation. Before joining Kofi Annan’s team, Sébastien was an election campaign manager for a year, but most of his professional experience was earned in the field, as a delegate of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in various countries in crisis or at war in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Sébastien F. W. Brack is a graduate of Oxford University and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. He is a French and Swiss citizen but grew up around the world.
Sam van der Staak
Sam van der Staak is the Director of International IDEA’s Regional Europe Programme. His work focuses on responding to democratic developments in Europe, with a special emphasis on the topics of political parties, money in politics, and ICT in democracy.Van der Staak leads International IDEA’s representation to the European Union in Brussels. He has been involved in International IDEA publications on cybersecurity in elections, citizen movements, money in politics, and political party dialogue. He makes regular media contributions to national and international media.
Join us:
6 December, 9 AM
European Economic and Social Committee
Registrations for this event are closed.
If you have any questions about the event, get in touch with [email protected].
Cover photo by Tierney on Adobe Stock
