Regional Conference on Money in Politics 2026: From Virtual Money to Real Influence

09:30 – 10:15   |   Opening Session: Political Finance Reform After the 2024–2025 Electoral Cycle

Welcome remarks and opening keynote: Money, Technology, and Electoral Integrity in 2026

• Angelica CARAMAN, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova
• Igor GROSU, Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova 

Welcome video address from international partners: International IDEA, UNDP Moldova, Council of Europe, EUPM, NDI, OIF

11:00 – 12:30   |   Plenary Session 1: Democratic Resilience in Eastern Europe: Translating the EU Democracy Shield into Practice

This panel addresses interagency cooperation across EMBs, anti-corruption agencies, financial intelligence units, prosecutorial bodies, regulators, and civil society for safeguarding electoral integrity. It explores how the EU Democracy Shield can be operationalised at the regional level through joint risk assessment, information sharing, coordinated response protocols, and cross-border cooperation against hybrid threats.

Moderator:  Angelica CARAMAN, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova

The interagency coordination and the chain of action 

• Ana REVENCO,  Director, Center for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation

Coordinating against electoral crime: lessons from Albania's inter-institutional mechanism in the 2025 cycle 

• Ilirjan CELIBASHI, State Election Commissioner, Albania 

Reforming political finance in the EU accession context: legislative and regulatory adjustments in North Macedonia and the challenges of the Democracy Shield

• Bojan MARICHIKJ, President of the State Election Commission of North Macedonia 

The regulatory framework for political advertising online in EU and non-EU States 

• Dr Marta ACHLER, UNDP Expert on Digital Platform Regulation, Polish Academy of Sciences 

Protecting elections against hybrid threats - the role of international assistance and regional cooperation

• Sam van der STAAK, Director for the Regional Europe Programme for International IDEA 

Cross-border crisis response: lessons from the 2024–2025 electoral cycle

• Marie-Sophie PEYRE, Team Leader - Democracy, Justice, Freedom and Security (Chapter 24) at DG ENEST (European Commission) 
   

13:30 – 15:00   |   Plenary Session 2: Foreign Financial Interference (FFI) as a Core Enabler for Hybrid Tactics

This session explores how third-party and malign foreign actors interfere in democratic processes bypassing financial regulations and oversight.

Moderator: Catalina URIBE BURCHER, Folke Bernadotte Academy, Sweden

Indirect financing and coordination with political actors: structures, methods, and detection challenges

• Dr. Christine DUGOIN CLÉMENT, Associated Researcher at the Artificial Intelligence Observatory of the Sorbonne (Paris 1) and at the Military Academy of the French National Gendarmerie, OIF Expert

Shadow Funding around Democratic Processes: Romania's Experience

• Septimius PARVU, Expert Forum, Romania

The expanding influence of social media and influencers in political campaigns

• Taisia HARITONOVA, NDI Representative in Moldova

Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior, Invisible financing, and the illusion of political support

• Dr. Susana DRAGOMIR, International Digital Policy Advisor & FIMI Analyst

From transparency to enforcement: what makes political finance oversight effective?

• Dr. Sam Power, expert, International IDEA

Finding the Right Balance in Third Party Regulation

• Konstantine Vardzelashvili, Head of the Democratization Department, OSCE/ODIHR

15:30 – 17:00   |   Plenary Session 3: Following the Virtual Money – Cryptocurrencies, Fintech, and a Revolution in Political Finance Oversight

This session aims to answer the questions that matter for EMBs on fintech, crypto, and virtual assets: what can oversight bodies actually see, what can they realistically do, and what institutional relationships need to be in place throughout the electoral cycle.

Moderator: Skye CHRISTENSEN, Chief Technical Advisor, UNDP Moldova

Where crypto meets the banking system: what the National Bank of Moldova can see

• Alexandru SECRIERU, Deputy Head of Division, Department of Infrastructures, Payments and Supervision of Other Institutions, National Bank of Moldova

Virtual Money Frontiers: efficiency, and sufficiency of existing standards and measures in combating illegal political financing - are we winning the fight? 

• Alfred ZAMMIT, Vice-Chair, MONEYVAL, Council of Europe, Director of Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, Malta

The institutional chain in practice: how EMBs, FIUs, and law enforcement divide detection, referral, and disruption

• Oleksiy FESHCHENKO, UNDP Expert on Virtual Assets and Crypto-Enabled Crime

The use of virtual assets, stablecoins, and DeFi protocols in campaign financing: scale, methods, and emerging patterns 

• Michael HALEPAS, Council of Europe expert

Case study - Romania - cryptocurrencies and fintech in the 2024-2025 electoral process

• Daniel LEU, CysCoe, Romania 
   

09:00 – 10:30   |   Plenary Session 4: Harnessing Technology for Oversight of Electoral Integrity

This session examines how AI can enhance EMB oversight capacities, with a particular focus on social media monitoring as a cross-cutting lens. Panellists will share practical experiences from piloting AI and SMM tools in electoral contexts. Per the merger proposal, this 90-minute slot consolidates AI-Powered Tools content from the former Day 1 Technical Session. 

Moderator:  Nana KALANDADZE, Programme Manager, Regional Europe Programme, International IDEA

Artificial Intelligence and Electoral Integrity: A Rule of Law Perspective.

• Veronika BÍLKOVÁ, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Czechia, Council of Europe

Risks, safeguards, and trust: ethical considerations, data protection, and public confidence

• Goran PETROV, Election Advisor, ODIHR

Practical experiences from electoral oversight bodies that have piloted AI and SMM tools

• Olga MACUJEVA, Chief Specialist of the Political Party Financing Control Division, CNAB

Integrating financial and digital datasets: connecting campaign finance data with social media intelligence

• Andrei FORNEA, Expert, International IDEA

Linking AI and SMM: how machine-learning models can enhance monitoring of online political spending and detect coordinated inauthentic behaviour

• Gabriel PUIU, Hackout Association, Romania

AI applications for EMBs: anomaly detection, predictive risk modelling, and automated, compliance checks 

• Ajay PATEL, Special Advisor, UNDP 
   

11:00 - 12:30  |  Plenary Session 5: The Enforcement Ecosystem - Countering Illicit Political Finance from Detection to Prosecution  

Integrity in political finance cannot be achieved by any single institution: Integrity requires an integrated ecosystem of Investigative journalists who surface criminal networks, electoral management bodies which oversee disclosure, financial intelligence units that trace, law enforcement that disrupts, and prosecutors who secure convictions. This session examines the ‘Moldovan Model’ of tackling cross-border, crypto-enabled electoral corruption at scale, with an emphasis on practical things regional countries can do to build resilience against cross-border & illicit political finance.

Moderator: Pavel POSTICA, Deputy Chairman, Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova  

The political finance integrity ecosystem in practice: detection, disclosure, investigation, and sanction/prosecution

• Alex SHLYK, Senior Expert on Political Finance, UNDP

Investigative journalism as the first line of political finance accountability

• Mariuța NISTOR, journalist, Ziarul de Gardă

Inter-institutional collaboration in practice - disruption, seizure, and operational coordination

• Dumitru CUCIAȘ, Head, General Department for Criminal Investigation, National Anti Corruption Centre, Republic of Moldova

Detection and oversight mechanisms in Ukraine

• Bogdan ZOLOTUKHA, Deputy Head of the Division, Department of Political Finance Integrity Formation, National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Ukraine

Competences and experiences of the State Commission for prevention of corruption in monitoring of electoral campaigns

• Adem CHUCHULJ, President of the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption, North Macedonia

13:30 – 15:00   |   Plenary Session 6: Peer-to-Peer Exchange – Strengthening Political Finance Oversight in Practice

This session provides a dedicated space for peer learning and exchange among practitioners from Moldova, Ukraine, the Western Balkans, and other regional partners. The format prioritises practical, experience-based sharing over presentations.

Coordinator: CoE

Moderator:  Veronika BÍLKOVÁ, member of the Venice Commission in respect of Czechia, Council of Europe

Legislative and regulatory frameworks that have worked (and those that haven’t)

• Radivoje GRUJIC, Expert, ODIHR

Closing the transparency gap: Moldova's experience in civic oversight of emerging risks in political finance

• Nicolae PANFIL, Program Director, Promo-LEX Association

Strategies for public engagement and building trust in political finance oversight

• Andrii YEVSTIHNIEIEV, member of the Central Election Commission Ukraine

Implementation challenges for new transparency requirements, including digital campaign monitoring

• Vita DUMANSKA, leader of the CHESNO Movement, Ukraina

Tracking illicit finance, including cryptocurrency in elections: the case of Armenia

• Jeffrey COONJOHN, Chief Executive Officer, UNISHKA

Digitalising political finance oversight: the Lithuanian CEC's experience and the road to AI readiness in EMBs

• Milda POCEVIČIŪTĖ, Head of Political parties and political campaigns funding control unit, Central Electoral Commission, Lithuania
   

15:30 – 16:30   |   Closing Session: Democratic Resilience in Eastern Europe: Translating the EU Democracy Shield into Practice

This closing session will bring together key partners to reflect on the conference discussions, consolidate takeaways, and define collaborative pathways forward.

Moderator: Marie-Sophie PEYRE, Team Leader - Democracy, Justice, Freedom and Security (Chapter 24) at DG ENEST (European Commission) 
The Democracy Shield in Practice: Translating Commitments into Electoral Integrity

Key takeaways and reflections 

Speakers:

• Angelica CARAMAN, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova
• Ilirjan CELIBASHI, State Election Commissioner, Albania
• Bojan MARICHIKJ, President, State Election Commission of North Macedonia  
• Andrii YEVSTIHNIEIEV, member of the Central Election Commission of Ukraine  

Closing remarks

Angelica CARAMAN, Chairperson, Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Moldova