Date of the event:

Wednesday, September 5, 2018 to Friday, September 7, 2018

In 2018 Lithuania took over the Presidency of the Association and hosts the 27th Annual Conference. With the active participation of 150 electoral experts this year we intend to discuss the topic of ‘Guaranteeing Voter Privacy, Security and Integrity’. In the frame of the theoretical aspects we will focus on questions of the access to the public information; the freedom of expression; the free electoral campaign. During the conference we would like to focus on the protection of voter information and all digital data used in elections; on the securing technology of the voting process from a cyber-security perspective; and on the communication of trust towards voters, independence of elections, the importance to prevent fraud and other topics related to integrity.

Recording from the 27th Annual Conference:

Day 2:

Official opening of conference and the exhibition;
Plenary session I. - Why Voter Privacy, Security, and Integrity Matters – general background;
Plenary Session II. - Seen and Unseen threats to elections;
Roundtable discussion – Securing Voting process?;
Roundtable discussion – Voter privacy.

Day 3:

Workshop: Why Integrity matters?

Organizers

Central Election Commission of Lithuania

The Central Electoral Commission is a permanent supreme State institution for organising and conducting elections and referendums, provided for by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania. Moreover, the Central Electoral Commission is the competent national authority that certifies statements of support and on-line system of collection of European Citizens’ Initiatives.

The Central Electoral Commission is composed of: 1) the Chairman; 2) two members, with university law degree, nominated by the Minister of Justice and appointed by the Parliament by secret ballot; 3) two members, with university law degree, nominated by the Lithuanian Bar Association and appointed by the Parliament by secret ballot; 4) two members, with university degree, nominated by the President of the Republic and appointed by the Parliament by secret ballot; 5) members nominated by the parties which have received mandates of the members of Parliament in the multi-member constituency, where such persons have university degree and experience of working in electoral committees. Prior to the formation of the Central Electoral Commission, each party (coalition) which has received mandates of members of Parliament in the multi-member constituency has the right to nominate one representative to the Commission.

In all the cases, persons appointed to the Commission among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice, the President of the Republic and the Lithuanian Bar Association must not be less than the members of Commission nominated by the political parties (coalitions). If the number of such persons is smaller, the number of the members of the Commission is increased of an equal number of members choosen, by the competent institution, among the candidates nominated by the Minister of Justice and the Lithuanian Bar Association.

Upon the recommendation of its Speaker, Parliament appoints the Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission.

The Parliament sets up the Central Electoral Commission no later than 200 days and no earlier than 140 days after regular or early elections to the Parliament.

Laura Matjošaitytė - Chairperson, nominated by the Speaker of the Parliament
Vincentas Vobolevičius - Vice-chairman, nominated by the President of the Republic
Svetlana Misevičienė - Vice-chairperson-secretary, Nominated by the Minister of Justice

ACEEEO Secretariat

The Association of European Election Officials, formerly the Association of Central and Eastern Election Officials, was established in 1991. It is a non-governmental organization, an alliance that is independent from political parties. The Association’s main objective is to provide assistance for holding free and fair elections. In order to achieve this mission, the Association supports the operation of permanent election commissions and offices and actively contributes to the establishment of legal standards regarding the requirements for democratic elections. The ACEEEO organizes different meeting points for election professionals – conferences and seminars – and provides professional assistance and guidance for those who require it. By 2017 the ACEEEO counts 25 member-countries and several member-NGOs and keeps good partnership relations with the different international organizations in the field of elections.

Zsolt Szolnoki - Secretary General
Stepan Ahiy - Program Manager
János Mécs - Project Manager
Lili Kitzing - Intern
Marcell Nemeshegyi - Intern

CONCEPT PAPER

In recent times, the European voters’ trust in local, general, presidential and parliamentary elections has waxed and waned significantly and has been tested like never before in all countries of the European continent. Due to global political shifts and changes unfamiliar and not yet witnessed forces both from external origins and from within European borders, are in pursuit of a daring attempt to disrupt the countries’ functioning electoral processes and to profoundly undermine the legitimacy of elections, operating with brand new technologies and mechanisms.

Having identified these deep-rooted changes and profound challenges for the European circle of democratic elections, the highly-esteemed electoral management bodies of the continent must act with diligence and extreme foresight to possess the ability to successfully understand the obstacles stumbled upon by European nations, and to react to the major hardships victoriously.

The 27th annual conference and general assembly meeting of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) is going to focus on emphasizing the immense importance of dealing with these topics in a practical fashion, wishing to broaden the already-considerable knowledge of the Electoral Management Bodies of ACEEEO by striving to assist them in their mission to successfully guarantee the long-lasting trust of voters for European elections.

Corresponding to the relevant needs of today’s Europe, and to successfully shape the meeting’s major focuses and topics, this year’s annual conference and general assembly is going to be centered on three crucial keywords – privacy, security and integrity.

Privacy

As campaigners of the fulfillment of European democracies, we strive to achieve ultimate political privacy with the safeguard of anonymity and the personal privacy of all participants of the meeting, creating a safe environment for the freedom of thought in the form of a secret ballot. Furthermore, the protection of personal information of the highly-esteemed voters is of utmost importance, thus the annual conference and general assembly conjointly focuses on data protection, both digital data and reproduced documents operated with during the elections. Beyond general data protection regulation (GDPR), a high emphasis is put on database and website protection, as well as on the control of safe data transmissions and on creating a credible report of the output of the election night as well.

Security

One of the annual conference’s principal topics is going to be the security of elections, approached primarily from the viewpoint of cyber security, as the satisfactory protection of the voting infrastructure, the election office networks and the voter registration database is the indispensable prerequisite of maintaining the general security of elections. Furthermore, beyond confirming the vital protection of the infrastructure and methodology, possible risks and threats, both foreshadowed and unforeseen, are going to be under discussed and evaluated during the sessions of the meeting with special regard to the practical protection requirements such as calling upon the assistance of qualified personnel and executing the emergency plan according to the rule of procedure.

Integrity

The meeting, alongside the issues mentioned above, extensively deals with the integrity of European elections. The meeting’s aim is going to be to facilitate and to promote the conduction of elections in compliance with global and international standards, endorsed in a series of treaties and guidelines, accepted by the members of the international and the European community. The goal of the annual conference’s long-lasting impact is to remarkably reduce the number of electoral malpractices and the level of corruption and vote manipulation. Moreover, discussing and spreading functioning international norms and standards, such as universal and equal suffrage or the conduction of genuine elections will also facilitate further development of elections.

Declaration on Security, Privacy and Integrity of elections

The participants of the 27th Annual Conference of the Association of European Election Officials (also known as ACEEEO) emphasize the importance of preserving and promoting the security, privacy and integrity of elections.

Elections are the starting points of the democratic process, and any failure of this institution can pose a threat to the whole democratic system. It is therefore of utmost importance to fulfil the democratic standards with regard to security, privacy and integrity of elections.

The participants of the Conference recognize that the digital age changed the environment of the elections to a great extent. Digital platforms have become part of everyday-life, which exposes security, privacy and integrity to new challenges. The new platforms brought in new stakeholders as well to the electoral arena. Cooperation between EMB’s and these new stakeholders is inevitable in order to effectively guard the elections.

Based on these deliberations the recommendations of 27th Annual Conference of ACEEEO are the following:

EMBs should be ready to consider to apply the most efficient technology if it is feasible and relevant, and should be ready to learn the most up to date methods in order to ensure security of the elections. State institutions should provide the necessary financial and technical support for this ever-evolving development.
EMBs should be ready to exchange and gain knowledge with regard to security of elections as well. Best practices and possible threats should be shared among EMBs.
Data collecting and processing pose a great threat to voter privacy. Social media networks need to impose strict and efficient measures to ensure the security and privacy of voters’ data. EMBs need to be stringent when assessing whether these requirements are met.
Ensuring voter privacy is especially a challenge in the digital age. EMB’s and other stakeholders shall develop and apply norms and standards adapted to the growing threat posed by digital platforms.
Education of voters is essential, especially with regard to voter privacy as well. The new media platforms require new attitudes and competences on behalf of the voters in order to keep the privacy of personal data.
Integrity of elections is endangered by new threats in the digital age. This may result in growing distrust by voters towards elections and the main stakeholders. The trust in elections and the correspondent institutions needs to be promoted by EMBs and other relevant stakeholders.
In the digital age integrity may not only be endangered by direct attacks against the electoral process, but also by the distribution of fake-news and by other techniques aiming to distort, what voters perceive or the truth. EMBs should therefore apply a broad examination when assessing the dangers of the loss of integrity, and perhaps can play a unique role in Regulatory on addressing this issue.

Day 1 5 September 2018 (Wednesday)
9.00 - 16.00	Regional Electoral Jurisprudence Working Group (for invited guests)
15.00 – 16.00	Executive Board Meeting (for Executive Board members)
16.00 – 16.30	Coffee break
16.30 – 17.30	ACEEEO General Assembly Meeting (for ACEEEO members)
19.00 –	Dinner

Day 2 6 September 2018 (Thursday)
9.30 – 10.30	Official opening of conference and the exhibition
	Chair: Laura Matjošaitytė, President of ACEEEO, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė has Master degree in social science (Law). From 2007-2017, Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė was a Lawyer and a few years later – Attorney. In June 2012, she was appointed as a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Lithuania by the proposal of the Lithuanian Lawyers Association. In June 2016, she was elected as the Deputy – Chair of the Central Election Commission. In June 2017, Laura Matjošaitytė was appointed as a Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania by the Speaker of the Parliament. Ms. Matjošaitytė also works as a Lecturer at Mykolas Romeris University and teaches Constitutional Law. She has observed various types of elections in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and other countries, participated in international conferences as a participant, a moderator and a speaker. She has published articles on electoral management and election systems. She is the Executive Board Member of the Association of European Election Officials. Speakers: Viktoras Pranckietis, Speaker of the Parliament of the Lithuania William J. Hybl, Deputy Chair of the Board of Directors, IFES Bill Hybl serves as Vice Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Public Diplomacy, appointed by President Obama and has previously served as Chairman, appointed by President George W. Bush. He is Chairman Emeritus and a member of the board of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems. He is President Emeritus of the United States Olympic Committee having served as President during four Olympic games; Alberville, Barcelona, Nagano and Sydney. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Hybl as U.S. Representative to the 56th General Assembly. He is also Chairman of The Air Force Academy Foundation. A native of Colorado, Hybl is Chair and Chief Executive Officer of El Pomar Foundation. Zsolt Szolnoki, Secretary General of ACEEEO Zsolt Szolnoki currently serves as Secretary General for the Association of the European Election Officials on a voluntarily basis, providing leadership to the Secretariat’s work. He manages the annual conferences, supervises the projects’ preparations, the agendas for the Executive Board and the General Assembly meetings. His areas of expertise include planning for the elections, e-voting, election observations and supervisions, project management and design. He started to work for the ACEEEO in 1995, when he organized the annual conference in Siófok, Hungary. Since this year, he organized and attended all ACEEEO annual conference and Executive Board meeting. At the end of the nineties, he prepared several large observation missions to the Balkan region. In 2000, he worked for the OSCE Mission to Kosovo providing expertise for the preparatory work of the first election in Kosovo. He represented the ACEEEO as an international expert in many conferences and seminars. In his professional capacity between 1993 and 2002 he worked for the Hungarian National Election Office as the Deputy Head of the Election Department. From 2002 to 2005 he served as Head of IT department in the Ministry of Interior. From 2006 till November 2010 he worked for the European Commission as a Seconded National Expert on the area of Home Affairs. In 2011 he was the Chairman of a working group in the Hungarian EU Presidency team. Currently he is a high counselor in the Ministry of Interior of Hungary. He holds a B.A in Public Administration and completed a post graduate course in Business Management.
10.30 – 11.00	Group photo, visiting the exhibition
11.00 – 11.45	Presentations by CEC Lithuania
	Speaker: Laura Matjošaitytė, President of ACEEEO, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė has Master degree in social science (Law). From 2007-2017, Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė was a Lawyer and a few years later – Attorney. In June 2012, she was appointed as a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Lithuania by the proposal of the Lithuanian Lawyers Association. In June 2016, she was elected as the Deputy – Chair of the Central Election Commission. In June 2017, Laura Matjošaitytė was appointed as a Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania by the Speaker of the Parliament. Ms. Matjošaitytė also works as a Lecturer at Mykolas Romeris University and teaches Constitutional Law. She has observed various types of elections in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and other countries, participated in international conferences as a participant, a moderator and a speaker. She has published articles on electoral management and election systems. She is the Executive Board Member of the Association of European Election Officials. Vincentas Vobolevičius, Vice-chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania Dr. Vincentas Vobolevičius, is an Associate Professor and a Head of Politics Subjects Group at ISM University of Management and Economics, specializing in political economy, post-communist transformations, public choice and statistical data analysis. Prior joining ISM, Vincentas taught at New York University and Manhatan College, as well as did consulting work for Evalueserve Ltd., a global knowledge process management company. In summer and fall of 1999, Vincentas worked as a research assistant at the South Carolina Chamber of commerce, in Columbia, SC. Vincentas holds a Ph.D. in International Political Economy from New York University. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa society, and holds several outstanding lecturer awards and received the Teacher Of The Year 2011 Award. Teaching areas: - Introduction to politics - Political economy - Post-communist transformations - International Relations Research areas: - Political economy - Post-communist transformations
11.45 – 13.00	Plenary session I. Why Voter Privacy, Security, and Integrity Matters – general background
	Chair: Laura Matjošaitytė, President of ACEEEO, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė has Master degree in social science (Law). From 2007-2017, Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė was a Lawyer and a few years later – Attorney. In June 2012, she was appointed as a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Lithuania by the proposal of the Lithuanian Lawyers Association. In June 2016, she was elected as the Deputy – Chair of the Central Election Commission. In June 2017, Laura Matjošaitytė was appointed as a Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania by the Speaker of the Parliament. Ms. Matjošaitytė also works as a Lecturer at Mykolas Romeris University and teaches Constitutional Law. She has observed various types of elections in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and other countries, participated in international conferences as a participant, a moderator and a speaker. She has published articles on electoral management and election systems. She is the Executive Board Member of the Association of European Election Officials. Keynote speaker: Jeffrey Karp, Professor, Brunel University London Jeffrey Karp is Professor of Political Science at Brunel University London. He specialises in research on public opinion, elections, and political behaviour. He has over 20 years of experience in survey research and has designed and carried out surveys in Europe, North America, and Australia. His research addresses questions about how institutional arrangements influence political attitudes and behaviour covering such topics as electoral integrity, voter turnout, political cynicism, popular support for direct democracy, and attitudes about European integration. Copies of his publications can be found at www.jkarp.com. Presentation Speakers: Peter Wolf, Technical Manager for the Electoral Processes and Constitution-Building programmes International IDEA Peter Wolf is Technical Manager for the Electoral Processes at International IDEA. His work focuses on ICTs in Elections and Democracy with an emphasis on sustainable and trusted implementation of technology in electoral processes. This includes global research as well as application of findings through International IDEA’s regional programs in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America. Wolf’s previous experience includes his tenure with the Elections Department of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has served in various international election observation missions as voter registration and electronic voting expert in France, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela and the Philippines. He worked as a consultant and expert in election related ICT projects in Albania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Iraq as well as work for private sector technology companies in Austria. Presentation Sean Evins, EMEA Head of Politics & Government Outreach, Facebook Sean Evins is the Head of the Facebook Politics and Government Outreach Team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. This team is tasked with working with government and political officials to educate about the Facebook platform, driving creative best practices and top content. The team also coordinates Facebook’s work around elections and protecting the integrity of elections around the region. Prior to starting with Facebook in August 2016, Sean worked on the Politics, Government & News Partnerships team at Twitter and also previously worked in the U.S. House of Representatives. Sean received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Political History from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, and he earned his Master’s Degree in Government from the Johns Hopkins University in 2010. He is based in London. Presentation
13.00- 14.00	Lunch
14.00 – 15.30	Plenary Session II. Seen and Unseen threats to elections
	Chair: Arnis Cimdars, Chairman, Central Electoral Commission of Latvia Arnis Cimdars is Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Latvia since December 1997, member of the CEC since January 1997. Over the last 21 years Mr. Cimdars has managed and administrated six parliamentary elections, five local government elections, three European Parliament elections and several referenda, observed various types of election in around 20 countries, actively participated in numerous international conferences and seminars as participant, moderator and speaker. Mr. Cimdars has also contributed as lecturer, consultant and expert in the fields of voter registration, voter education, election commission training, election observation and IT solutions for elections. He has worked as the election expert of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe several times. He is the Executive Board Member of the ACEEEO since 2000, former President of the ACEEEO from 2005 to 2007. In 2014 Arnis Cimdars received the highest award in the Republic of Latvia for special merits to the country – The Order of the Three Stars. Speakers: Beata Martin-Rozumilowicz, Director for Europe and Eurasia, IFES Dr. Beata Martin-Rozumiłowicz is currently the Director for Europe and Eurasia at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES). Before starting in February 2016, she headed the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODHIR) Election Department in Warsaw, Poland since 2011 and previously served as its Deputy from 2009 to 2011. From 2005 to 2009, she worked on dozens of OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions across the 57 OSCE participating states as Deputy Head of Mission or as Political Analyst, including in Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine. In 2005, she served as Election Adviser to the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and from 2003 to 2005 was Political/Media Officer at the OSCE Centre in Almaty, Kazakhstan. From 2000 to 2002, Beata acted as Human Dimension Officer at the OSCE’s Advisory and Monitoring Group in Minsk, Belarus. She has also previously consulted for IFES in Armenia and Kyrgyzstan on various aspects of electoral reform. During the course of her work and travels, Beata has visited more than 75 countries around the world. Beata holds a D.Phil. (Ph.D.) and M.Phil. (Masters) in politics from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom and a B.A. in political science from Rutgers College (Phi Beta Kappa). She has specialized in political party and electoral development in post-communist countries, Latin American transitions, and political theory. From 1999-2000, she was research fellow for Oxford’s Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy, publishing a book on media law reform in transitional democracies. She has also published various articles on political party and electoral development, election observation, media freedom, and political party and campaign finance issues. Presentation Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Honorary Member, ACEEEO Mr. Kingsley was appointed Chief Electoral Officer of Canada in 1990, serving until 2007. As Chief Electoral Officer, he was responsible for the administration of elections and referendums in Canada and was head of Elections Canada. His accomplishments as Chief Electoral Officer included the development of a permanent voters list, the National Register of Electors, and the introduction of computer use in all areas of Canadian federal election administration. Jean-Pierre has also served as President of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), and is a Senior Fellow at the University of Ottawa Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. He has overseen elections in Haiti and Iraq, and in 2007 Mr Kingsley was awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award the Mexican government bestows on foreign nationals. Gregor Wenda, Deputy Head of Department III/6, Electoral Affairs, Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Austria Gregor Wenda, born and raised in Vienna, is a graduate of the University of Vienna Law School (Magister iuris) and the University of Salzburg Business School (Master of Business Administration). He started to work in the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior in 2003. After two years as a legal specialist in the Department of Legislative Affairs, he transferred to the Department of Electoral Affairs and became its Deputy Head. In 2006, Gregor Wenda was also appointed 3rd Vice Chair of the Austrian Federal Electoral Board. In October 2015 he was elected Chair of the Council of Europe Ad-hoc Committee of Experts on electronic voting (CAHVE), which was tasked with updating the Committee of Minister’s Recommendation on e-voting through 2016. The new Recommendation Rec(2017)5 of the Council of Europe on e-voting was adopted in 2017. Aside from his job in electoral affairs, Gregor Wenda serves as Advisor to the Director-General for Legal Affairs. He is the editor and author of numerous publications, including articles and commentaries, and holds functions in different associations, inter alia as the Secretary-General of the Austrian Society of Administrative Sciences. Presentation
15.30 – 16.00	Coffee break
16.00 – 17.00	Roundtable discussion – Securing Voting process?
	Moderator: Ivilina Aleksieva-Robinson, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of Bulgaria Mrs. Robinson has been a Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) since March 2014. Before that she was Executive Director of the Institute of Modern Politics – a non-profit organization, which works in the field of monitoring the legislation according to the principles of transparency, publicity, accountability and civil participation in decision making. She was an advisor to the Minister of Emergency Situations; a lawyer; a member of the CEC (2005). Her professional experience includes advising NGOs working in the field of human rights protection and good governance. Mrs. Robinson is an author of analyzes and proposals for new/ amendments of the electoral legislation. She participated in Civil Councils to the Parliament Committees for the preparation of the Election Code now in force; in round tables and discussions on electoral matters; in preparation of statements on conducting of the presidential elections 2011 for Constitutional Court cases and others. Speakers: Lord Richard Balfe, Vice-president of the Council for Democratic Elections, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Richard Balfe is the Vice President of the Venice Commission Council for Democratic Elections. He has been a Member of the Council of Europe since 2014 and of the UK House of Lords since 2013. From 1979 to 2004 he served as an elected Member of the European Parliament and is deeply disappointed with the UK decision to leave the European Union. He has been a regular election observer and has contributed to seminars and meetings on electoral practices for many years. Darius Povilaitis, Cyber Security Expert, Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania Darius Povilaitis is a cyber security professional working in this area since 2004. Main work areas are: systems security design, pentests, protection of websites, cyber threat hunting. Since 2006 he is certified SANS Institude intrusion analyst. He also does cybersecurity investigations. Some results of these investigations are published in mass media as well in a website https://tyrimai.esec.lt Presentation Yuliya Shypilova, Senior Electoral Advisor, IFES Ms. Shypilova is a well-known electoral and political finance expert in the post-Soviet Union region with more than 10 years of experience on strengthening capacity of the electoral management and political finance oversight bodies and developing electoral legislation in accordance with the international standards and best practices. Yuliya Shypilova is IFES’ Senior Electoral Advisor providing technical assistance in the region on electoral and political finance matters, building capacity of the electoral and political finance stakeholders and ensuring inclusiveness of the electoral processes. Ms. Shypilova has proven experience in managing large donor-funded programs in developing, transitional and conflict environments; works in a post-Soviet Union region on promoting electoral and political finance reforms, effective management of the elections, she has worked on a variety of assignments, most recently building capacity of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine; drafting election-related legislation; launching the operations of the newly established anti-corruption agency and political finance regulator - the National Agency for Prevention of Corruption; as well as conducting electoral integrity and cyber security assessments. Ms. Shypilova was part of the international observation missions to Hungary, Lithuania, and the US. Yuliya has published various of publications, including manuals for election commissioners, international observers and more than 150 publications on legal issues. She has a master’s degree in law with honors from the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and studied public administration and e-governance in Sweden.
17.00 – 18.00	Roundtable discussion – Voter privacy
	Moderator: Ingrid Bicu, Director of the Communication and International Affairs Department, Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania Ingrid Bicu is currently serving as the Head of the Communication and International Affairs Department within the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania. She is also responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Romania’s international assistance projects in the electoral field. Ms. Bicu coordinated the activity of the electoral bureau for Romanian citizens residing abroad, bringing a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the mail voting for the Romanians living outside the national borders. She has a BA in Law and one in Communication and Public Relations. Previous affiliations include the Romanian National Intelligence Academy and the Open Source Centre within the Romanian Intelligence Agency. In her ten-years’ experience in the intelligence field she participated in various national and international events and training programs on topics related to OSINT, intelligence analysis, strategy, intelligence management, international cooperation, regional and global security. Ms. Bicu also contributed as lecturer and expert in the fields of knowledge management, competitive intelligence, collaborative IT solutions. Speakers: Paul DeGregorio, Honorary Member, ACEEEO Mr. Paul DeGregorio served as commissioner of the United States Election Assistance Commission (EAC) from 2003-2007. During his tenure he served as chairman of the EAC and oversaw federal election reform, such as the implementation of the Help America Vote Act and the establishment of the first federal certification of voting systems and best practices in elections clearinghouse. Prior to the EAC, Mr. DeGregorio was Executive Vice President of the International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES) and he also was senior election adviser for IFES in many countries. He focused on new voting technologies and automation for out of country voters and voters with disabilities as Chief of Elections of Everyone Counts, Inc. Mr. DeGregorio has over 30 years of election experience and was Director of Elections for St. Louis County, Missouri, USA. He has provided technical assistance and has observed elections in more than 35 countries, including serving as Head of Mission for several OSCE/ODHIR election assessment missions and participating in election observation projects for AWEB and other organizations. Mr. DeGregorio is Senior Advisor to the Association of World Election Bodies and a Senior Fellow for the Democracy Fund. He is frequent lecturer and has authored numerous publications on elections, including serving on the Scientific Board of the Electoral Expert Review and Kids Voting. He has received numerous awards, including the Freedom Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State, and was appointed a lifetime member of the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO) and the International Association of Government Officials (iGO). A graduate of the University of Missouri with a B.A. in Political Science, Mr. DeGregorio was honored by his alma mater with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Presentation Arnis Cimdars, Chairman, Central Electoral Commission of Latvia Arnis Cimdars is Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Latvia since December 1997, member of the CEC since January 1997. Over the last 21 years Mr. Cimdars has managed and administrated six parliamentary elections, five local government elections, three European Parliament elections and several referenda, observed various types of election in around 20 countries, actively participated in numerous international conferences and seminars as participant, moderator and speaker. Mr. Cimdars has also contributed as lecturer, consultant and expert in the fields of voter registration, voter education, election commission training, election observation and IT solutions for elections. He has worked as the election expert of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe several times. He is the Executive Board Member of the ACEEEO since 2000, former President of the ACEEEO from 2005 to 2007. In 2014 Arnis Cimdars received the highest award in the Republic of Latvia for special merits to the country – The Order of the Three Stars. Adrià Rodríguez-Pérez, Political Analyst, Universitat Rovira i Virigili / Scytl Secure Electronic Voting, S.A. Adrià Rodríguez-Pérez is a Political Analyst specialising in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). He currently holds the position of Project Manager and Researcher (Electoral Law and Policy) at Scytl’s Research & Security Department. Prior to joining Scytl, Adrià secured several years of professional experience in the international public sector (Council of Europe, Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, AECID) as well as research and academic institutions (Pompeu Fabra University). In his previous experience, he played an instrumental role during the update of the Council of Europe’s Recommendation Rec(2004)11 on legal, operational and technical standards for e-voting. Adrià graduated with Highest Honours in Political Science and Public Administration from Pompeu Fabra University and holds a master’s degree in International Relations. Currently, he is a PhD candidate in Electoral Law at Universitat Rovira i Virgili with a research project under the topic of “Secret Suffrage and Digital (Electoral) Technologies”.
19.00 -	Dinner

Day 3

7 September 2018 (Friday)

9.30 – 12.00

Workshops

Special workshop on Cyber Security

Moderator:

Representative of the DELIAN Project

Speakers:

Dr. Rytis Rainys, Director, National Cyber Security Center of Lithuania

In 2011 Dr. Rytis Rainys graduated with a doctoral degree in Technology Studies in Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. Currently he is appointed by the Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania for a term of office of 4 years as a Director of the National Cyber Security Center under MND.

In 2005 he developed the first national cyber education and information project esaugumas.lt. Since then he specializes in cyber security for more than 13 years. In 2007-2011 he organized and implemented the European Commission’s program “Safer Internet” in Lithuania, in order to fight against illegal content on the internet; in 2006-2007 was developing a research unit of national cyber security incidents.

Dr. Rytis Rainys works not only on the national, but also international level: in 2011-2016 he worked as a European Commission cyber security expert in coordinated missions in Georgia, the Republic of Kosovo and Ukraine. He was a speaker in such international events, as Telecommunications and Media Forum Miami USA 2015, World Summit on the Information Society WSIS-2014, ID WORLD Abu Dhabi 2014 annual EMEA Summit and others.

Jānis Sārts, Director, NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence

Janis Sarts is a Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (Riga), - a multinational, cross – sector organisation providing comprehensive analysis, advice and practical support in strategic communications to the Alliance and the allied nations. Prior to that, he has been the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Latvia for seven years, - leading defence sector reforms during an economic crisis period, developing a new state defence concept, and encouraging regional defence cooperation within NATO and the EU. He has also led the Latvian Government’s efforts to increase its security and defence in cyberspace. As Chair of the National Cyber Security Board, he was responsible for formulating and overseeing the implementation of Latvia’s cyber security policy, as well as for overseeing the work of the National Information Technology Security Incident Response Institution – CERT.LV.

Anssi Kärkkainen, Director of Cyber Security Operations at CINIA in Finland

Jussi Toivanen, Cyber Defence Specialist to the Prime Minister’s Office of Finland

Jussi Toivanen is Chief Communications Specialist at the Finnish Prime Minister`s Office in Helsinki. Before the present position, Mr. Toivanen has worked as Information Officer in the Finnish Ministry of the Interior and the National Police Board.
Mr. Toivanen is the Prime Minister Office’s representative in the cross-governmental Finnish Information Influencing Network which was set up by the ministries in 2014 to identify, analyze and counter hostile foreign-led information operations targeted at Finland.
Mr. Toivanen has M.Soc.Sci and M.A. degrees in political history and digital culture from the University of Turku. He has also studied violin at the Karlsruhe University of Music.

Ann Väljataga, Researcher, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence

Ms. Ann Väljataga works as a researcher at NATO CCD COE, where her areas areas of expertise cover national cyber security strategies, digital rights and public international law. She holds a BA in Law from the University of Tartu and a LLM in Law and Technology from Tallinn University of Technology. Previously she has conducted legal research at the Estonian Human Rights Centre, where she focused on privacy and data protection, and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), where her work examined the fundamental rights implications of untargeted surveillance and biometric border control systems.

Why Integrity matters?

Moderator:

Richard W. Soudriette, Honorary Member, ACEEEO

Richard W. Soudriette is the chairman of the Smartmatic International Elections Advisory Council. He is a founding member and senior adviser to the Association of European Election Officials (ACEEEO).

From 2009 to 2015 he served as president of the Center for Diplomacy and Democracy in Colorado Springs. From 1988 to 2007 he was the founding president of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, IFES became a leader in providing international election and democracy assistance. He was instrumental in helping to launch a number of regional and global election networks and was a founder of the ACE Election Knowledge website. Mr. Soudriette has observed elections in more than 50 countries.

He served as a member of the U.S. Secretary of State’s Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion from 2006 to 2008. He was a founder of the Global Election Organization Conference (GEO) in 1999 and the ACE Knowledge Network in 1998.

Prior to joining IFES, Mr. Soudriette served as director of the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic and in Paraguay. He later served as chief of staff for a member of the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Soudriette was honored for his work in promoting professional election administration by the University of Paris and the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Soudriette is the author of many articles and publications on elections.

He earned a B.A. degree in Political Science from the University of Tulsa and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. He resides in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Speakers:

Daniel Barbu, President, Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania

Dr. Daniel Barbu is professor of political science at the University of Bucharest. He studied art history, history, theology and philosophy in Bucharest, Cluj and Fribourg. Visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Pa., the Central European University (Budapest), the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Bordeaux and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques of Aix-en-Provence. Fulbright scholar-in-residence at Jackson State University, Miss. Author of several books, including Byzance, Rome et les Roumains. Essais sur la production politique de la foi au Moyen Âge (Bucarest: Éditions Babel, 1998) and Die abwesende Republik (Berlin: Frank & Timme, 2009), and editor of Rumäniens „Rückkehr” nach Europa. Versuch einer Bilanz (Wien: New Academic Press, 2017). Minister of Culture in the Romanian Government (2012-2013) and member of the Romanian Senate (2012-2016). Since May 2017, president of the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania.

Manuel Carrillo Poblano, Head of the International Affairs Unit, National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE)

Head of the International Affairs Unit at the National Electoral Institute since 1993. He holds a degree in Political Science and Public Administration from UNAM and a Master's degree in Political Science from the Center for International Studies at El Colegio de México. He has participated in various electoral observation missions, as well as in technical cooperation exercises in the organization of electoral processes. He is the author of several collaborations in electoral matters, and has participated as speaker in national and international forums. He collaborated in the area of training and officials training at the National Institute of Public Administration, as well as in various units of the Mexican government, in the Ministry of the Interior and the Presidency of the Republic.

Mansour Sadeghi, Electoral/Political Affairs Officer, Electoral Assistance Division United Nations

Valdete Daka, President of Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kosovo

Valdete Daka, was born on 19.04.1961, in Mitrovica, Republic of Kosovo. She studied Legal Sciences at the University of Pristina and also completed Jurisprudence (BAR) exam. She is a Candidate for Master degree at the AAB University in Pristina.

Valdete Daka is a judge of career. From 1986 - 2010, she worked as a Judge at the Municipal Court and later at District Court as Judge.

On 2010, she has been elected judge in the Supreme Court of Kosovo, later that year she was also elected Chair of Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kosovo. She was also a member of the Kosovo Judicial Council and regular trainer at Kosovo Judicial Institute.

She is proven record of success managing and implementing Kosovo’s elections since 2010 as Chair of headquarters management team or at field implementation level. Demonstrated ability to deliver and add value through excellence in management, team building, project appreciation and implementation. Managing an election management body with a particular attention to the Count and Results Centre. She is certified as a short term observer (STO), observed more than ten (10) elections in Different countries: United Kingdom, Finland, Slovenia, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Latvia etc.
Ms. Daka is certified by the Council of Europe to train, judges and prosecutors related on the European Convention on Human Rights and Freedoms.

Other trainings for professionals:

2010 - Managing Elections and its techniques for Professionals, PAI – London/ UK;

2012- Professional Certificate on Electoral Affairs, ISPI – London / UK

2013 – Specialized Training on Voters List – ACEEEO, Budapest / Hungary etc.

She is a member of professional bodies: International Association of Woman Judges IAWJ; Forum of Woman Judges and Prosecutors of Kosovo; A-WEB, member of audit committee etc.

Beside Albanian (mother tongue) she also speaks English, Serbian and Turkish.

12.00 – 13.00

Lunch

13.00 – 14.15

Best practices from the world of elections – Communicating trust

Chair:

William (Bill) Sweeney, President, CEO, IFES

William “Bill” Sweeney is the president and CEO of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), bringing decades of experience to the organization in election-assistance and democracy support. He was appointed president in June 2009 by the IFES Board of Directors. Prior to his appointment as president, Sweeney served on the Board of Directors at IFES from 1993 to 2001, and as chairman from 1999 to 2000. He has observed elections in the Philippines (1986), Russia (1994), Nicaragua (1996), Jamaica (1997), Mexico (2012), Kenya (2013), Pakistan (2013), Ukraine (2014), Indonesia (2014), Myanmar (2015), Nigeria (2015), Guatemala (2015), Jordan (2016), Georgia (2016), Liberia (2017), Mexico (2018), Zimbabwe (2018) and Tunisia (2014, 2018).

Sweeney was vice president for global government affairs for EDS from 2000 to 2009 and managed relations with governments and policy organizations around the world. He was the founding president of Washington Resources & Strategy, Inc., a public affairs management company, from 1985 until 1991. From 1981 until 1985, Bill was deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee and served as executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 1977 until 1981.

In 2009, Sweeney was awarded an honorary Order of the British Empire for his service to the British Embassy. In 2007, Sweeney was awarded the Issac Hull Medal in honor of his service to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center from 2000 to 2007.

Sweeney is a member of the Advisory Committee for International IDEA’s Global Commission on Elections, Democracy and Security. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation.

Sweeney holds a bachelor's degree in political science from American University’s School of Government and Public Administration. He was a founder and director of the Campaign Management Institute at American University where he received awards for service and teaching. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies.

Speakers:

Tamar Zhvania, Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Georgia

Tamar Zhvania is the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission of Georgia since 2013. She holds the Master Degree in Sociology and is pursuing the PHD in Sociology at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Tamar Zhvania is the fellow of the Centre of Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) in the Democracy and Development Programme (Stanford University, California USA). She is fully accredited BRIDGE (Building Resources in Democracy, Governance and Elections) Workshop Facilitator.

Before her career in public service, Tamar Zhvania was a Project Manager (team leader) at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). At UNDP, under European Union projects, she designed and implemented programs oriented on development of election environment through raising public awareness, policy development and capacity building; Ms. Zhvania was an executive director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED); As a leader of the largest civil society organization of Georgia, she supported development of professional non-partisan election observation as well as advocated to improve legislation and transparency of electoral processes. In 2013-2012, Tamar Zhvania served as a Senior Program Manager at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in Nigeria. Before, she also served as contracted election consultant in NDI Bangladesh.

Ms. Zhvania gained practical experience in monitoring more than 30 elections worldwide including being the representative of OSCE/ODIHR, NUPI and ENEMO international observation missions. Tamar also participated in “Strategies for Raising Public Trust” programme in London, supported by the International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS). Her professional training and awards received cover diverse areas including the certificate on Advance Study of Nonviolent Conflict in Fletcher Summer Institute of Tufts University and certificate of Conflict Prevention in Electoral Assistance of EC-UNDP Joint Task Force in Barcelona, Spain. Ms. Zhvania is a winner of annual Joe C. Baxter Award in 2017, granted by IFES for her contributions in advancing election environment as a CEC Chairperson.

Alina Russu, Chairperson, Central Election Commission of the Republic of Moldova

Born on September 30, 1976 in Chisinau Municipality, Republic of Moldova

Education and academic training:

2003-2004: Master degree in International Public Law, Faculty of Law, Academy of Public Administration under the President of RM, qualification – Master in Public International Law;

1993 - 1998: University studies, Faculty of Law, Moldova State University, qualification – Bachelor of Law;

1996 - 2010: Various studies/national and international seminars in law, (University for Democracy (UniDem Campus), Venice Commission, Trieste, Italy, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, Strasbourg, France etc.);

Professional experience:

April 2015 - June 2016: Head, Office of the Chairperson of PCRM Faction, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova of XX Legislature;

April 2015 - June 2015: Candidate Representative entitled with a consultative vote, appointed to the Central Electoral Commission, General Local Elections of 14th of June 2015;

October 2014 - December 2014: Candidate Representative entitled with a consultative vote, appointed to the CEC, Parliamentary Elections of 30th of November 2014;

September 2009 - December 2014: Main Adviser, PCRM Faction, Parliament of the Republic of Moldova of XVIII and XIX Legislature;

April 2005 - September 2009: Head, General Division of the Republic of Moldova President’s Office;

June 2002 - April 2005: Deputy Head, General Division of the Republic of Moldova President’s Office;

November 2001 - June 2002: Head of the Organizational Assistance Service, General Division of the Republic of Moldova President’s Office;

November 1998 - November 2001: Referent, Main Advisor, Legislative Service, Republic of Moldova President’s Office;

1997 - 1998: Legal Assistant, International Centre for Supporting Journalists’ Creation.

Janja Horvat Drobnjak, Member of the State Electoral Commission of the Republic of Croatia

Ms. Janja Horvat Drobnjak serves as a Commissioner in State Electoral Commission of Croatia since 2011. She is a Member of ACEEEO Executive Board and the Croatian representative in A-Web Executive Board. As a legal expert Ms. Horvat Drobnjak participate in working groups drafting Law on voters register, Law on supervision of political finance and electoral campain. She is also the representative of the SEC of Croatia in the Initiative for Open Government.

Ms. Horvat Drobnjak observed elections in Georgia, Armenia, Poland, Ecuador, Tunis, South Korea and Lithuania. Before being elected as a Commissioner she worked as a Legal Adviser in Croatian Parliament, Director in country office of America’s Development Foundation, and Coordinator for International Cooperation in the Ministry of Economy.

Manuel Carrillo Poblano, Head of the International Affairs Unit, National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE)

Abdyzhapar Bekmatov, Deputy Chairman, Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic

He was born on January 15, 1961 in the village of Eski Nookat district of Osh region.

Higher education. In 1983 he graduated from the Kyrgyz Agricultural Institute. K. Scriabin, in 2008 - Osh State Law Institute

Work experience:

1983 - 1985 - veterinarian of the collective farm. V. Chapaeva of the Nookat district

1985-1987 - Chief Veterinary Officer of the collective farm. V. Chapaeva of the Nookat district

1987-1990 - II Secretary of the Nookat RK LKSM of Kyrgyzstan

1990-1991 - Party organizer of the Nookat RK KP of Kyrgyzstan

1991-1995 - Head of the Nookat district veterinary and sanitary unit

1995-1996 - Chairman of the Chechma-Say village committee of the Nookat district

1996-2000 - Head of the Kara-Tashsky village government of the Nookat district

2000-2002 - Executive Director of Altyn-Temir Corporation

2001-2010 - Member of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic

2010-2015 - Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic of the 5th convocation from the political party "Respublika"

From June 2016 to present - Deputy Chairman of the Central Commission for Elections and Referenda of the Kyrgyz Republic.

14.15 – 15.30

Recapitulation speeches, conference findings. Official closing of the 27th Conference

Chair:

Zsolt Szolnoki, Secretary General of ACEEEO

Zsolt Szolnoki currently serves as Secretary General for the Association of the European Election Officials on a voluntarily basis, providing leadership to the Secretariat’s work. He manages the annual conferences, supervises the projects’ preparations, the agendas for the Executive Board and the General Assembly meetings. His areas of expertise include planning for the elections, e-voting, election observations and supervisions, project management and design. He started to work for the ACEEEO in 1995, when he organized the annual conference in Siófok, Hungary. Since this year, he organized and attended all ACEEEO annual conference and Executive Board meeting. At the end of the nineties, he prepared several large observation missions to the Balkan region. In 2000, he worked for the OSCE Mission to Kosovo providing expertise for the preparatory work of the first election in Kosovo. He represented the ACEEEO as an international expert in many conferences and seminars. In his professional capacity between 1993 and 2002 he worked for the Hungarian National Election Office as the Deputy Head of the Election Department. From 2002 to 2005 he served as Head of IT department in the Ministry of Interior. From 2006 till November 2010 he worked for the European Commission as a Seconded National Expert on the area of Home Affairs. In 2011 he was the Chairman of a working group in the Hungarian EU Presidency team. Currently he is a high counselor in the Ministry of Interior of Hungary. He holds a B.A in Public Administration and completed a post graduate course in Business Management.

Speakers:

Richard W. Soudriette, Honorary Member, ACEEEO

Prior to joining IFES, Mr. Soudriette served as director of the U.S. Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic and in Paraguay. He later served as chief of staff for a member of the U.S. Congress.

Laura Matjošaitytė, President of ACEEEO, Chairperson of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania

Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė has Master degree in social science (Law). From 2007-2017, Ms. Laura Matjošaitytė was a Lawyer and a few years later – Attorney. In June 2012, she was appointed as a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Lithuania by the proposal of the Lithuanian Lawyers Association. In June 2016, she was elected as the Deputy – Chair of the Central Election Commission. In June 2017, Laura Matjošaitytė was appointed as a Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania by the Speaker of the Parliament. Ms. Matjošaitytė also works as a Lecturer at Mykolas Romeris University and teaches Constitutional Law. She has observed various types of elections in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia and other countries, participated in international conferences as a participant, a moderator and a speaker. She has published articles on electoral management and election systems. She is the Executive Board Member of the Association of European Election Officials.

Arnis Cimdars, Chairman, Central Electoral Commission of Latvia

Arnis Cimdars is Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Latvia since December 1997, member of the CEC since January 1997. Over the last 21 years Mr. Cimdars has managed and administrated six parliamentary elections, five local government elections, three European Parliament elections and several referenda, observed various types of election in around 20 countries, actively participated in numerous international conferences and seminars as participant, moderator and speaker. Mr. Cimdars has also contributed as lecturer, consultant and expert in the fields of voter registration, voter education, election commission training, election observation and IT solutions for elections. He has worked as the election expert of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe several times. He is the Executive Board Member of the ACEEEO since 2000, former President of the ACEEEO from 2005 to 2007. In 2014 Arnis Cimdars received the highest award in the Republic of Latvia for special merits to the country – The Order of the Three Stars.

Ivilina Aleksieva-Robinson, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of Bulgaria

Mrs. Robinson has been a Chair of the Central Election Commission (CEC) since March 2014. Before that she was Executive Director of the Institute of Modern Politics – a non-profit organization, which works in the field of monitoring the legislation according to the principles of transparency, publicity, accountability and civil participation in decision making. She was an advisor to the Minister of Emergency Situations; a lawyer; a member of the CEC (2005). Her professional experience includes advising NGOs working in the field of human rights protection and good governance. Mrs. Robinson is an author of analyzes and proposals for new/ amendments of the electoral legislation. She participated in Civil Councils to the Parliament Committees for the preparation of the Election Code now in force; in round tables and discussions on electoral matters; in preparation of statements on conducting of the presidential elections 2011 for Constitutional Court cases and others.

Ingrid Bicu, Director of the Communication and International Affairs Department, Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania

Ingrid Bicu is currently serving as the Head of the Communication and International Affairs Department within the Permanent Electoral Authority of Romania. She is also responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Romania’s international assistance projects in the electoral field. Ms. Bicu coordinated the activity of the electoral bureau for Romanian citizens residing abroad, bringing a significant contribution to the successful implementation of the mail voting for the Romanians living outside the national borders. She has a BA in Law and one in Communication and Public Relations.

Previous affiliations include the Romanian National Intelligence Academy and the Open Source Centre within the Romanian Intelligence Agency. In her ten-years’ experience in the intelligence field she participated in various national and international events and training programs on topics related to OSINT, intelligence analysis, strategy, intelligence management, international cooperation, regional and global security. Ms. Bicu also contributed as lecturer and expert in the fields of knowledge management, competitive intelligence, collaborative IT solutions.

Representative of the DELIAN Project

16.00 -

Cultural program

General information

Official name: Republic of Lithuania

Capital: Vilnius

Form of governance: multi-party parliamentary democracy

Official language: Lithuanian

National holidays:

1st January – New Year's Day

16th February – The Day of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania

11th March – The Day of the Restoration of Independence of Lithuania

The first Sunday and Monday after the first full moon after the spring equinox – Easter

1st May – International Labour Day

24th June – Midsummer Day

6th July – Day of the State (Coronation of King Mindaugas)

15th August – Assumption Day

1st November – All Saints' Day

24th December – Christmas Eve

25th – 26th December – Christmas

Currency: Euro

International phone code: +370

Religions:

Roman Catholic – 77,3%

Orthodox Christians – 4,1%

Old Believers – 0.8%

Evangelical Reformed – 0,2%

Evangelical Lutheran – 0,6%

Other – 0,9%

Not indicated – 10,1%

Ethnic groups:

Lithuanians – 84,2%

Poles – 6,6%

Russians – 5,8%

Belarusians – 1,2%

Other – 2,2%

Elections: the last parliamentary (Seimas) election was held on 9th October 2016, the presidential election – on 11st May 2014, election to the European Parliament – on 25th May 2014, election to the Municipal Councils – on 1st March 2015. Forthcoming elections – to the Municipal Councils, presidential election and election to the European Parliament in 2019.

Organisations: Lithuania is a member of European Union (EU), Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations (UN), Interpol, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Geographical data:

Location: a country in the Baltic region of northern-eastern Europe

Size: 65 300 sq. km

Population: 2 808 901 (according to the 2018 official census)

Climate: ranges between maritime and continental

Neighbouring countries: Latvia, Belarus, Poland and Russia

Information about Vilnius

Vilnius is the capital of the Republic of Lithuania, located in the southeast part of Lithuania and with the 543,626 inhabitants is the second largest city in the Baltic states region. The Old Town of Vilnius is the largest old town in the Eastern Europe, covering 359,5 ha.

Vilnius was first mentioned in 1323 in the letters of Gediminas – the Grand Duke of Lithuania – inviting craftsmen, merchants and monks from the Western Europe to come and stay here. In 1387, after Lithuania adopted Christianity, the city was awarded the Magdeburg Rights. Vilnius was formed as a center of tolerance where people of various nationalities, including Poles, Belarussians, Russians, Germans and others, settled and lived in harmony.

After the Union of Lublin (1569) that created the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the city flourished further in part due to the establishment of Vilnius University by Stephen Bathory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1579. The university soon developed into one of the most important scientific and cultural centers of the region and the most notable scientific center of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

After the Third Partition of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795, Vilnius was annexed by the Russian Empire and became the capital of Vilna Governorate, a part of the Northwestern Krai.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Vilnius became the center of the Lithuanian national rebirth. During the First World War, Vilnius was occupied by Germany from 1915 until 1918. Still under German occupation, Council of Lithuania proclaimed the Act of Independence of Lithuania in Vilnius on February 16th, 1918. Act proclaimed restoration of the independent state of Lithuania with Vilnius as its capital.

During the Inter-War period and the Second World War Vilnius has been occupied several times by Poland, Nazi Germany and Soviet forces. Kaunas became Temporary Capital of Lithuania in 1920, when Poland annexed Vilnius.

In 1944 the Germans were forced to leave Vilnius. By July 1944, the area around Vilnius came under control of the Polish Resistance fighters of the Armia Krajowa. The Soviet Union re-occupied Lithuania and Joseph Stalin established the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944 with its capital in Vilnius.

On March 11th, 1990, the Supreme Council of the Lithuanian SSR announced its independence from the Soviet Union and restored the independent Republic of Lithuania.

The Historic Center of Vilnius has been inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 1994. The most valuable historic and cultural sites are concentrated here. The buildings in the old town – there are nearly 1,500 – were being built for several centuries, creating a blend of many different architectural styles. The Historic Center has also maintained a radial street pattern that dates back to the Middle Ages. Its spatial structure reflects both the evolution from changes in style and the political and natural calamities that have struck the area.

Some spaces, uses and activities have naturally changed with developing social and economic needs, yet the formulated significance of the property remains readily recognizable. Vilnius has retained its political role and economic and cultural importance in the country and the region, and its current shape represents its complex history excellently.

The current shape of the city retains its authentic qualities in the material attributes and continuous processes, traditions of the arts and life witnessing the often-stormy history of the city and country and their political, economic and cultural evolution throughout the centuries.

Contemporary Vilnius is a center of the business, politics and culture in Lithuania. The city enjoys a well-developed infrastructure of services and entertainments.

The Association of European Election Officials gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the following organizations in 2018:

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