Think Tank
Video chats
Online event: Does corruption in Ukraine and the EU threaten democratic security?
24 November 2025
Dive into the debate with us as we unpack both the promising aspects and the loopholes of the Shield that may shape its real-world impact.
Join our public debate in Bratislava on 3 December, 13:00-14:30 CET at Urban House, Bratislava.
REGISTER FOR THE EVENT BY SCROLLING DOWN OR CLICKING HERE.
While the Democracy Shield promises to strengthen democratic processes and protect against disinformation, our panel will examine some of its potential shortcomings. Experts have raised concerns about vague enforcement mechanisms and the risk of uneven application across member states, which could limit the Shield’s effectiveness.
Drawing on scenarios from our latest foresight report to illustrate potential risks, blind spots and missed opportunities, we will also assess what is at stake if Europe fails to use this moment.
Speakers:
Beata Balogova –Editor-in-chief of the SME daily newspaper, one of the major independent dailies in the Slovak Republic. She joined SME in 2014, having previously been editor of Slovakia’s English-language weekly The Slovak Spectator from 2003 to 2014. Beata was a Fulbright scholar of the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia and she also holds a master’s degree in journalism from the School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York.
Wojciech Przybylski – Political analyst heading Visegrad Insight’s policy foresight on European affairs. Editor-in-Chief of Visegrad Insight and President of the Res Publica Foundation.
Hanna Shelest – Director of Security Studies and Global Outreach Programmes at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” and Editor-in-Chief at UA: Ukraine Analytica. Non-resident senior fellow at CEPA (Washington, DC). She was an adviser of the Working Group preparing Ukrainian Navy Strategy 2035 and was involved in working groups developing the Foreign Policy Strategy of Ukraine, the Asian Strategy for MFA, and Ukraine’s NATO Public Communication Strategy.
Moderator: Magda Jakubowska – Vicepresident of the Res Publica Foundation and Editorial Director at Visegrad Insight. She drives EU & security strategy analysis, and fosters pro-democratic discourse and strategic foresight in policy-making.
The discussion will present key takeaways from the upcoming Visegrad Insight report, which contributes to deliberations on four forthcoming EU policy initiatives: the EU Democracy Shield, the EU Civil Society Strategy, the EU Preparedness Strategy, and the next Multiannual Financial Framework. Drawing on scenario-driven workshops held in spring 2025, the report distils strategic foresight from across Central Europe to propose actionable recommendations for Europe’s democratic future.
This is a part of the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programmes, and involved a Visegrad Insight-led 3-year engagement across Central and Eastern Europe: EU Values Foresight homepage.
Register by filling out the form:
This is also a part of the European Commission’s Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values (CERV) programmes, and involved a Visegrad Insight-led 3-year engagement across Central and Eastern Europe: EU Values Foresight homepage.
