3 November 2026 - 9.30-12.00 / Hemicycle of the Council of Europe

Interpretation: FR/EN

Objective of the sessions: to promote inclusive democratic decision-making and resilience while underlining the key strengths of the Council of Europe in preparing for the future.

Master of ceremony
BAILEY Sally en

Sally BAILEY

Chief Interpreter and Head of Conferences and Travel, Council of Europe

9.30 - Keynote speech
GAVRILITA Natalia en

Natalia GAVRILIȚA

Former Prime Minister

Republic of Moldova

moderators
ALDERMAN Liz en

Liz ALDERMAN

Journalist, Former New York Times European Business Correspondent

Emma NELSON en

Emma NELSON

Journalist, broadcaster and presenter

9:45 - Sharing solutions

After reflecting on the global state of play of democracy, the second day will kick off by reflecting on diverse and inclusive solutions to existing and future democratic challenges.

DELIEUX Delphine en

Ambassador Delphine DELIEUX

President of Rapporteur Group on Democracy of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers (GR-DEM)

HELGESEN Gunn Marit en

Gunn Marit HELGESEN

President of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

PAPANDREOU George 2026 en

George PAPANDREOU

General Rapporteur on Democracy, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

11:00 - Putting Council of Europe Insights to the Test

Through constructive debate, this session will explore how Council of Europe bodies and mechanisms strengthen democratic decision-making and resilience through monitoring national developments.

GEERTS Wim en

Wim GEERTS

Ambassador for Human Rights

the Netherlands

HOLMOYVIK en

Eirik HOLMØYVIK

Vice-President of the Venice Commission

KOSTOPOULOU Maria-Andriani en

Maria-Andriani KOSTOPOULOU

Chair of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO)

POLYZOU Aikaterini en

Aikaterini POLYZOU

Chair of the Steering Committee on Media and Information Society (CDMSI)

TSIRLI Marialena en

Marialena TSIRLI

Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights