ANASTASIA NANI
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SPEAKERS / MODERATORS SEEMF 2025
Anastasia Nani has been the deputy director of the Independent Journalism Center (IJC) in Moldova since March 2018. Until then, she was the editor-in-chief of the Anticorruption.md portal of the Center for Investigative Journalism. She has almost 15 years of experience in the media field. She started her career at the investigative weekly Ziarul de Garda. Later, she was a reporter for Pro TV Chisinau and Publika TV.
In 2010 he joined the team of the daily Adevarul Moldova.
ADELHEID FEILCKE
Adelheid Feilcke (*1962) is Head of the European Languages Desk at Deutsche Welle since 2016. The European desk consists of nine East- and Southeast European language departments, including Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Greek, Macedonian, Polish, Rumanian and Serbian. Theses languages departments have a daily media outlet on different platforms such as online, radio, TV and Social Media. Adelheid Feilcke joined Deutsche Welle in 1992 and became the founding head of the Albanian Service. From 2005 to 2012 she was director of the International Relation Department at DW, from 2012 to 2014 head of the Culture Department and from 2014 to 2016 she headed the department of Strategic Partnership at DW. She has worked as a trainer for DW Akademie since 1995. She is an experienced reporter and editor on crisis and peace journalism.
She studied cultural anthropology and has been involved in media since 1981. After obtaining her high school diploma, she obtained a vocational training at the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Zeitungsverlag and then worked as an editor for the newspaper until 1984. She subsequently studied musicology, science of theater, film and television as well as anthropology in Cologne and as a DAAD scholar in Tirana, Albania. She obtained her master’s degree in ethnomusicology in 1990 and a second diploma in cultural management at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hamburg in 1993. She worked also as a freelance journalist and cultural manager for regional and national radio stations such as WDR and for the State Music Council of Schleswig-Holstein (Landesmusikrat) before joining DW in 1992.
CORNEL CIOBANU
Work Experience
• 2022–present
Media Management – Teleradio Moldova
Deputy Director General, Manager of the Public Radio Stations
Business or sector: Media Management
• 2011–2022
Journalism – Radio România Chișinău, 42 București Street, Chișinău
Writing and editing news, including for Radio Romania Actualități
Business or sector: Mass-Media
• 2008–2014
Journalism – National Romanian Press Agency AGERPRES, 1 Piața Presei
Libere, București, Romania
Correspondent covering major political, economic, social, and cultural
events in Moldova
Business or sector: Mass-Media
• 2003–2008
Press Monitoring
Participated in over 20 monitoring projects on elections, media
pluralism, ethics, gender equality, and mental health
Employers: API, CJI, APEL, Soros Foundation Moldova, Trimbos Moldova
Business or sector: Mass-Media/NGO
• Media Cooperation
Collaborations with API (stopfals.md), CJI (media-azi.md), Soros
Foundation Moldova, Euractiv.ro, Veridica.ro
Business or sector: Mass-Media/NGO
Education and Training
2002–2005 – Moldova State University
Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences
60 Alexe Mateevici Street, Chișinău
CORNELIA COZONAC
Cornelia Cozonac is the president and one of the founders of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Moldova. She has been working in journalism for over twenty years. She is the editor-in-chief of the news and investigation portal Anticoruptie.md.
She has been awarded a number of prizes and certificates for investigative reports, including first prize in 2011, 2007, 2005 and 2003 awarded by Transparency International Moldova for investigative reports on corruption. In 2005, Cornelia was designated one of the ten best journalists of the year in Moldova.
Cornelia started working in investigative journalism in 2002. Cornelia Cozonac is the author of several influential investigative journalism pieces.
She is author and co-author of the studies Transparency of the Implementation of Court of Accounts Recommendations (2014, IPP), Conflicts of Interests and Incompatibilities in Eastern Europe: Comparative Analysis in Three Countries – Romania, Croatia and Moldova. Difficulties and Achievements in the EU Eastern Neighborhood (2013, Expert Forum, Romania), Human Rights 2010-2011 (Promolex), Monitoring of Access to Information (2005, TI Moldova). Cornelia is member of the Investigative Journalists Network of Southeastern Europe, International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Association of Francophone Journalists, and of the UN Club. Since 2013, she has been member of the board of Transparency International Moldova.
CHRISTIAN SPAHR
Christian Spahr is a political consultant and founder and board member of SEECOM, the South East Europe Public Sector Communication Association. Founded in Montenegro, this first professional association for government spokespersons from 15 countries promotes citizen dialogue, transparency, and good governance. Christian has held management positions at the European Commission, the Assembly of European Regions, and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). For six years, he promoted quality journalism and strategic communication in the Balkans, Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. During this time, he co-hosted the SEEMF. Most recently, Christian was Managing Director of Europe’s leading media literacy organisation, Lie Detectors, which trains young people in dealing with disinformation. He has been a host, speaker and moderator at many international conferences in the fields of politics, media and communication. Christian began his career as a business journalist and lives in Brussels.
CHRISTOPH PLATE
Director, Media Programme for South East Europe Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
Bulgaria
Christoph Plate is Director of the Media Programme for South East Europe of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, based in Sofia, Bulgaria. In the 1990s he worked as contributing Africa Correspondent for the German Newsmagazine “Der Spiegel”, based in Nairobi, Kenya, reporting the war in Somalia and the genocide in Rwanda. Thereafter he covered the Middle East for ten years as editor and reporter for the Sunday edition of “Neue Zuercher Zeitung” in Switzerland. Before joining the Foundation, he was the Deputy Editor-in-chief of “Schwaebische Zeitung”, a big regional newspaper in Southwestern Germany. For the past six years he was head of the Media Programme Sub-Sahara Africa, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
DARIA GRUDIĆ
Daria Grudić is a Distribution Manager in the Distribution Europe department at Deutsche Welle. Her main responsibilities include the distribution of DW content in the Benelux countries, along with the distribution of the German News Service project in Europe, with a special emphasis on the Balkan countries. Daria’s academic journey led her to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism in Zagreb, Croatia. She worked for 8 years as a journalist and editor across various media platforms in Croatia, spanning from online and radio to magazines. In 2015 she moved to the Netherlands to pursue a Master’s degree in Media Innovation. In 2021, Daria joined the Distribution Europe team at Deutsche Welle and moved to Germany
FLAVIA VOINEA
Flavia Voinea is a journalist and Manager of Bucharest FM, part of the Radio Romania Regional network. She coordinates the editorial, technical and economic activities of the station, presents special programs, and produces the educational podcast “Cum Să”. She is the first Romanian journalist invited as a speaker at Radiodays Europe and has served as President of the Final Radio Jury for the ABU Prizes 2021. With a background in Public Relations and Journalism, complemented by training at Deutsche Welle Academy and HEC Montréal, Flavia actively promotes media literacy, youth involvement, and the fight against disinformation.
KATERINA VELJANOVSKA BLAZHEVSKA
Katerina Veljanovska Blazhevska, PhD is a political scientist and analyst whose work bridges public policy, strategic communications, security, and geopolitics. She is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Security Studies, MIT University in Skopje, North Macedonia.
Her academic and professional journey spans leading international institutions, including the War Studies University in Warsaw, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany, and Babeș-Bolyai University in Romania. She has been awarded competitive international scholarships and fellowships, such as the Jean Monnet Scholarship (in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute for Crisis Management), the University of Oslo Media program, the Visegrad Fund, and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
A U.S. State Department SUSI Scholar in American Foreign Policy and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Croatia’s Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Dr. Veljanovska Blazhevska brings an interdisciplinary perspective to conflict resolution, data governance, media and strategic communications, and policy development. Her portfolio includes designing and leading EU-funded initiatives, consulting on communication strategies, and serving as an external verifier on international projects.
She is the author of eight books and numerous scientific papers, contributing to the fields of media influence, public policy, and security governance. Her research and publications are widely recognized for linking theory with practice in communication and decision-making processes.
Beyond academia, she serves on multiple leadership and advisory boards, shaping strategic dialogue in both the public and private sectors. She currently contributes as an expert within the DSC2 – Defence, Democracy, and Security Strategic Communication Community and is a member of the Scientific and Academic Standards Board at the Stirling Centre, University of Stirling, UK.
With certifications from Carnegie Mellon University, the Center for Executive Education in Technology Policy, WIFI Austria, and TAG International, Dr. Veljanovska Blazhevska combines scholarly insight with hands-on expertise in communication, governance, and leadership. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences and forums, where she shares perspectives on the interplay between media, policy, and security in an evolving global landscape.
LINA BOTNARU
Lina’s first part of professional experience was in journalism. She passed almost all the steps – starting as a simple news paper journalist, foreign correspondent for Romanian news paper ‘Evenimentul Zilei’, radio journalist and, finally, reporter and news show host at PRO TV Chisinau. After 10 years of experience in this field, she switched to communication for development. She provided communication consultancy for Government, the Ministry of Economy to develop the Communication Strategy of the National Development Plan of RM (2008-2011), followed by 8 years as Media Officer and Communication Lead in UNICEF Moldova office.
Lina has also experience in working in civil society. In 2015 she joined CCF Moldova Team. Apart from working with concrete families and helping concrete vulnerable children, she led Advocacy Strategy of the organization and was the National Coordinator of an european international campaign led by EU and Eurochild in 16 countries in Europe called ‘Opening Doors for Europe’s Children’. In 2019 she became Campaign Manager in one of the communication teams of the EU Delegation. Currently she is the Programme Manager for Communication and Visibility of EU Delegation in Moldova, managing the projects related to media, resilience to disinformation and strategic communication.
LILIANA NICOLAESCU-ONOFREI
Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei is a Member of Parliament of Republic of Moldova. She has served as Chair of Committee on Culture, Education, Research, Youth, Sports and Mass Media (2021-2025). She acted as Minister of Education, Culture and Research of Moldova (Government of Maia Sandu, 2019), and Deputy Minister of Education (2013-2015). Within 1998-2010, she was the executive director of „Education Centre PRO DIDACTICA”, a Moldovan think-tank specialized in teacher training, curriculum development and educational leadership. She also has international experience as education expert in Georgia (2005), Kyrgyzstan (2006-2007), Kazakhstan (2009) and Turkmenistan (2010-2012).
MARIJA SLIJEPČEVIĆ
Marija Slijepčević is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Public Relations and Media Studies at VERN’ University in Zagreb, Croatia, and also teaches at the University of Dubrovnik. She teaches courses in media relations, theories of mass and contemporary media, media literacy and fact-checking, as well as specialized journalism.
Her academic and professional focus lies in media theories, fact-checking, disinformation research, and public relations. She is the editor-in-chief of TurFacto, a fact-checking initiative specialized in tourism, supported by EU projects and networks.
Slijepčević has published extensively on media ecosystems, public relations, and fact-checking practices in Central and South-East Europe, and has presented at numerous international conferences from Indonesia to Spain. She has also worked as a journalist and PR professional, and served as Executive Editor of Contemporary Issues, an international journal for social sciences and humanities.
NOEL CURRAN
Noel took up the role of Director General of the EBU in September 2017.
Noel is the former DG, Managing Director of Television and Editor of Current Affairs of RTÉ, Ireland’s national television and radio broadcaster. As Director General, he radically restructured RTÉ following the financial crisis that began at the end of 2008 and successfully positioned RTÉ as a robust digital media organization.
A strong and long-time advocate of public service media, Curran is also an award winning investigative journalist and producer. As an editor and producer, Noel’s programming won numerous awards for journalism and he was Executive Producer on a range of live television events, including the Eurovision Song Contest in 1997, general election coverage, live entertainment series and factual programming.
Noel attended Trinity College, Dublin, and graduated from Dublin City University in both European Studies and Communications, specialising in national and international broadcasting policy. He is currently Adjunct Professor of Journalism at Dublin City University.
Noel is married to the singer and former Eurovision Song Contest winner Eimear Quinn and they have two daughters.
OLIVER VUJOVIC
Oliver Vujovic is a co-founder of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) and since 2000 has been SEEMO Secretary General. Vujovic worked as a journalist and Balkan correspondent for the Austrian daily Die Presse between 1991 and 2000, and as a freelancer for different media in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the UK. He also worked in the marketing department of the German company Henkel. He graduated in economics and is currently working on a PhD at the University of Vienna. Vujovic started his professional work as a journalist for Radio Indeks 202 (Radio Belgrade) in Belgrade (1988) and worked from the founding for Radio B92 in Belgrade (1989). In 2000 and 2001, he served as Director of the Vienna Balkan publication Südosteuropäischer Dialog, and Director and Advisor of the Kulturzentrum in Vienna.
Vujovic is also a founder and Deputy Director of the South-East and Central Europe PR Organisation (SECEPRO) in Vienna and of the International Institute – International Media Center in Vienna. He is also co-founder and Deputy Director of the International Academy in Belgrade. He is author, co-editor, editor, and publisher of numerous books, magazines, publications, research articles, and research papers.
Oliver Vujovic was member of different boards.
Currently he is member of the ECPMF (Leipzig, Germany) Supervisory Board.
RALITSA STOYCHEVA
Ralitsa Stoycheva is a Research Associate and Project Coordinator at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Media Programme South East Europe. Her main topics of interest are digitalisation, social networks and their influence on society as well as on the foreign malign influence in the region. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Freie Universität Berlin and Master’s degree in Political Economy of European Integration at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Currently, she is a PhD candidate at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
REMZI LANI
Remzi Lani is a graduate of Tirana University, Faculty of Philosophy. He spent nine years (1983-1992) as chief editor of ‘Zeri i Rinise’ newspaper, followed by three years (1992 1995) as media coordinator at the Soros Foundation. Lani was a correspondent for the Spanish newspaper ‘El Mundo’ between 1991 -1993; and for ‘Zeri’ newspaper, in Pristina, between 1993 – 1995.
Lani is Executive Director of the Albanian Media Institute in Tirana, the first President of the South East Network of Media Centers and Media Institutes, which brings together 17 organisations in SEE and is a founding member of the first Human Rights Group in Albania (The Forum for Human Rights) and founder of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) and former SEEMO board member.
He has written widely on Balkan affairs for local and international newspapers and magazines such as: ‘El Mundo’ Madrid, ‘The Guardian’ London, Quimera Barcelona, The International Spectator Rome, Futuribili Trieste, Fokus Skopje, Nasha Borba Belgrade, Vreme Belgrade, Oslobodjenie Sarajevo, Monitor Podgorica, War Report London, and Transition-Prague.
Lani has worked with the Aspen Institute, Berlin, the Istituto Affari Internationali-Rome, CESPI-Rome, the Center for International and Strategic Studies- Washington, the Carter Center- Atlanta, and the Hellenic Foundation-Athens on a range of Balkans related projects and has participated in numerous conferences, seminars and post graduate qualification courses in Albania, the USA, Greece, France, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Italy, England, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland and Turkey.
He is co author of the books ‘My Albania Ground Zero’ New York, 1992 and ‘Masters of Humanist Philosophy’, Tirana, 2000.
SIMON PIATEK
Dr Simon Piatek is an AI and social media researcher, author, and digital creator whose work explores the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, misinformation narratives, and strategic communication. He has a strong interest in information politics and emerging digital landscapes, and in examining how technology shapes public understanding and discourse.
Simon is the founder of the New Imagination Lab, a research initiative exploring the future co-existence of humans and Artificial Intelligence. He also co-founded the IRIS Academic Research Group, a collaborative platform bringing together researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the University of Cambridge, Sapienza University of Rome, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, City, University of London, and Harvard University, focused on interdisciplinary insights into information systems and infodemic management. He has been involved in projects and campaigns funded by UNICEF, WHO, the UK Government, Facebook, and Google, developing innovative methodologies to tackle online misinformation and conduct message testing.
Simon has contributed to scientific reports and papers published in The Lancet, Nature Human Behaviour, and the Journal of Medical Internet Research. He currently leads the New Imagination Lab and works with CT Group. Previously, Simon led the digital team at the Vaccine Confidence Project at LSHTM, where he oversaw efforts to analyse online misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simon holds a degree in Social Research from Goldsmiths, University of London, and a PhD in Social Media Narratives from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies, University of Warwick.
CEI SEEMO AWARD 2025 CEREMONY
ANUŠKA DELIĆ
Anuška Delić is an investigative reporter and founder of Oštro, a non-profit center for investigative journalism in the Adriatic region.
In 2021, Oštro established a sister center in Zagreb, Croatia, effectively creating a unique two-headed micro-regional entity dedicated to impactful investigations in the two neighboring countries and beyond.
She is a Balkans regional editor at OCCRP, and a member of ICIJ.
For more than a dozen years before establishing Oštro, she was a journalist with the national daily Delo.
BARBARA FABRO
Graduated in International Relations and Diplomacy at the University of Trieste, Barbara Fabro is Senior Executive Officer at the Central European Initiative (CEI) – Executive Secretariat. She is responsible for the CEI activities and programmes in the fields of intercultural cooperation and media. She is the Focal Point for the
CEI Parliamentary Dimension. She runs the CEI partnership with the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) in the context of the annual South East Europe Media Forum and coordinates the CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Journalism.
Previously, she was in charge of communication and media relations and coordinated the CEI working groups/networks of experts in the fields of culture, education, minorities, media. As short-term observer, she participated in OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Missions.
BOGDANKA KANCHEVA LAZAROVA
Date of birth: 25.12.1963
Education:
Doctor of National Security, “G. S. Rakovski” National Defense College, Sofia, Bulgaria
Bulgarian philology and Russian philology, Veliko Tarnovo University, Bulgaria
Professional experience:
• Since 2024 – member of the Investigative Journalism Network of the European Broadcasting Union EBU
• Since 2021 – Jury member of the European Parliament’s Daphne Galizia International Media Festival for Investigative Journalism in Strasbourg
• Since 2021 – Jury member of the international media festival PRIX EUROPA in Berlin
• Since 2019 – Bulgarian National Television, author and host of the program for investigative journalism “The traces remain”
• 2016 – 2017 – “G. S. Rakovski” National Defense College, Sofia, Bulgaria, Office of the Commandant of “G. S. Rakovski” National Defense College, Chief Expert Public Relations and International Activity
• 2015 – Ph.D. degree in National Security, “G. S. Rakovski” National Defence College
• 2011 – 2014 – Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria, Head of the Cabinet of the President of Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria
• 2002 – 2011 – Darik Radio, author and host of the program for investigative journalism “Affair”, host of the weekly political program “The Week”
• 2000 – 2002 – Standard newspaper, journalist
• 1996 – 2000 – Balkan Information Agency, journalist
• 1993 – 1996 – Standard newspaper, journalist
• 1992 – 1993 – Novinar newspaper, deputy chief secretary
• 1991 – 1992 – Marica newspaper, Plovdiv, deputy chief secretary
Authour of 3 books – “Affair” June 2007, “State security services and the vanished treasures” October 2009 and “That list – first defeat of the intelligence” – June 2010, as well as author of more than 100 journalist investigations and many articles in printed media.
Author of 3 documentaries on BNT – “In the Shadow of Democracy” (2020) about Bulgaria’s transition to democracy in the years 1990-94, about the fate of the tsarist policeman Nikola Geshev in two parts – “Geshev’s Cobweb” and “Geshev’s Mystery”, (2023) and about who and when started the Bulgarian hippie movement – “Julia: The Beginning” (2024)
Winner of 12 bulgarian and international awards and 10 nominations for awards for journalistic activity.
