The Board
Sorina Ștefârță is a journalist and expert on communication. Ms. Stefârță, studied journalism at the State University of Moldova, but also at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest. Between 2001 and 2012 she was the editor-in-chief of the daily "Timpul". Ms. Ștefârță previously worked for the daily "Flux". For a while she was the director of the School of Advanced Studies in Journalism.
Eugen Carpov is currently member of the Executive Board and Director of the National Agency for Energy Regulation of the Republic of Moldova. He was previously Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the Republic of Moldova (2011-2014) and Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova (2014-2018). In the period 2002 - 2005 he served as Moldovan Ambassador to Poland and during 2005 - 2007 – he was posted as Ambassador and Head of Moldovan Mission to the European Union. Mr. Carpov holds the diplomatic rank of Ambassador.
Marin Ciobanu is currently the General Manager of the Balti Free Economic Zone. Mr. Ciobanu is President of the Employers' Association of the Manufacturing Industry and a member of the National Council for the Coordination of Regional Development. He also is the chairman of the Council for Strategic and Institutional Development at the State University „A. Russo” from Bălți. Mr. Ciobanu studied economic development at Friedrich-Alexander University from Germany.
Victor Lutenco is currently a program manager at the International Organization for Migration Mission. He has university studies in the fields of political and administrative sciences and postgraduate studies at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs (Minneapolis, USA). Mr. Lutenco holds a Master degree in Public Administration from Harward Kennedy School (USA). He worked for several years in international organizations. In 2010 he was appointed advisor to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, a position he held until December 2012 when he became Head of the Office for Diaspora Relations. In 2015 he was one of the founding members of IPRE and during 2015-2018 he served as councilor in the Chisinau Municipal Council.
Eugen Sturza currently leads the European People's Party of Moldova. In the period 2017-2019 he was Minister of Defense of the Republic of Moldova. He is one of the founding members of IPRE, where he worked as Moderator of the Reform of the administration (2015-2017). In the period 2013–2015 he was the Chief of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, and from 2009 to 2013 Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. He graduated from the Faculty of Finance, Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova.
Iulian Groza is an expert in international relations, European affairs and good governance with a particular focus on EaP countries, EU and Russia. He is a former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova in charge for European integration and international law. Before that he served in different capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, including as Director General and Deputy Director of the Directorate for European integration. He was also posted to Brussels at the Moldovan Mission to the EU. He also is a Board member of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS). Mr. Groza holds a University Degree in Law. He also did postgraduate European Studies at Birmingham University and NATO Security Studies at SNSPA in Bucharest. He is a J.D. candidate in law at the Moldovan State University. Mr. Groza is a career diplomat and holds a diplomatic rank of Minister-Counsellor. He is also an FCO Chevening Scholar.
Iurie Leancă is a diplomat and career politician. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute for International Relations with a degree in international relations. From 1993 to 1997 he was Minister-Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in the USA. From 1998 to 2001 he was Deputy Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova. From 2005 to 2007 he was a senior adviser to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, and from 2005 to 2009 vice-president of the Foreign Policy Association. From 2009 to 2013, he served as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. During 2013-2014 he was the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. From 2015 to 2018 he was member of Moldovan Parliament and Vice-Speaker of the Parliament (2017-2018). From 2018 to 2019 he was Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration. During 2015-2019 he was Chairman of the European People's Party of Moldova.
Valentina Ursu is a journalist working for Radio Free Europe since 2004. She previously worked for Radio Moldova for 17 years. In 2014, the President of Romania awarded her the National Order "For Merit" - in the rank of Commander. In 2009 she was awarded the Order of the Republic of Moldova. She was named five times the winner of the Top Journalists of the Year. Mr. Ursu wrote the book "The River of Blood", in which he included the reports he made during the armed conflict in the Dniester (1992).
Victor Chirilă is the Executive Director of the Foreign Policy Association (APE). He has a degree in history from the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iași. He holds a master’s degree in international Relations from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest and is a Master in European Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh. Mr. Chirilă was a Foreign Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (2011-2012) and previously held several positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova (1996-2006).
Igor Boţan currently is the Executive Director of the Association for Participatory Democracy (ADEPT). He holds a degree in physics from the Moldova State University (1982). He also holds a Ph.D. in physics and mathematics. He studied also at the Georgetown University. Between 1992 and 1994, he worked for the President of Moldova. Since 1995, he has been a correspondent for the Moldova Azi online magazine and for the Vocea Civica newspaper. Between 2000-2008, Mr. Boţan worked as political commentator for Radio Free Europe, BBC, The Economist Intelligence Unit and TV8.md.
Vladislav Kulminksi is an expert in strategic and political analysis and planning, public administration and conflict resolution. Currently he is the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS). He worked on public administration reforms at the World Bank. Vladislav was Senior Adviser to Moldova’s Prime Minister when Moldova signed the Association agreement with the EU, leading a strategic analysis unit. In 2019, he was invited to the Government led by Maia Sandu, as Prime Minister’s Adviser on foreign policy and strategic planning. Vladislav developed and ran conflict resolution programs in the region, including confidence-building programs, and worked as a political expert for US and UK Embassies in Moldova. He has an MPA degree from Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and an MA degree in International Relations and European studies from the Central European University. He is a Fulbright, John Smith and Munich Security Conference Young Leaders Fellow.
Miroslav Lajčák is currently the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. Previously he served as Deputy Prime-minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia and as President of the United Nations General Assembly for its 72nd session (2017-2018). Between 2010 and 2012 Mr. Lajčák was the EEAS Managing Director Managing Director for Russia, Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans. He has extensive experience in South-eastern Europe where he was known for his role as mediator and personal representative of the EU High Representative for the CFSP, Javier Solana, in Montenegro in 2006. He was EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2007-2009. Ambassador Lajčák is a law graduate from the Commenius University in Bratislava. He studied international relations at the State Institute of International Relations in Moscow and is also a graduate of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
Radoslaw Sikorski is currently member of the European Parliament. His is a Distinguished Statesman at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Senior Fellow at the Centre for European Studies at Harward Kenedy School. He previously served as speaker of Poland’s lower house, as foreign minister in Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s cabinet from (2007 - 2014) and as defense minister in (2005 – 2007). He also held earlier positions in government, including as deputy minister of national defense in 1992 and as deputy minister of foreign affairs from 1998-2001. With Carl Bildt, the former Prime Minister of Sweden, he is seen as one of the principle architects of the EU Eastern Partnership Policy. In his early career, Sikorski was a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Angola.
Carl Bildt served as both Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Sweden. Under his leadership, the government initiated major liberal economic reforms and negotiated Sweden’s accession to the EU. A renowned international diplomat, he also served as EU Special Envoy to the Former Yugoslavia, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, UN Special Envoy to the Balkans, and Co-Chair of the Dayton Peace Conference. Mr. Bildt also has a well-established profile in technology circles. He is Chair of the Global Commission on Internet Governance, a former Adviser to ICANN, and a high-profile proponent of a global digital marketplace. Bildt graduated from Stockholm University.
