📅Date: 21 April 2026
⏰Time: 10:00-12:00 CET
📍Location: European Parliament, Brussels
🔗Register here by 17 April, 23:59 CET
Armenia is preparing for national parliamentary elections on 7 June 2026, a pivotal moment for the country’s democratic trajectory and regional stability. These elections are expected to influence Armenia’s internal governance, its reform, peace and security agenda, and external alignments in a period marked by geopolitical tensions.
One of the country’s biggest challenges is hybrid threats, notably in the form of disinformation campaigns, social media manipulation, and cyber-enabled operations that aim to erode public trust in institutions and influence electoral behaviour. In Armenia, experts have identified pro-Kremlin actors and Russian-linked networks as key drivers, spreading misleading narratives and attempting to shape public perceptions ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections.
This event will bring together policymakers, experts, and civil society representatives to explore the challenges posed by hybrid threats and disinformation, share best practices from democratic resilience efforts, and discuss collaborative strategies to uphold electoral integrity in Armenia and the broader Eastern Partnership region.
The event will seek to:
- Highlight current hybrid threats’ dynamics affecting Armenia’s electoral environment, including disinformation trends and digital manipulation tactics.
- Examine the role of civil society in countering false narratives and monitoring elections.
- Foster cross-sector dialogue between policymakers, practitioners, and civic actors on safeguarding the integrity of electoral processes.
The event will feature contributions from high-level speakers, including:
- Miriam Lexmann, Member of the European Parliament and Quaestor
- Isabelle Richard, Deputy Head of Unit (Georgia, South Caucasus, East), Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood, European Commission (TBC)
- Jan Latal, Strategic Communications Expert, East Stratcom Task Force, European External Action Service
- Lousineh Hakobyan, President, NGO Europe in Law Association; Co-Chair, EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform
- Daniel Ioannisyan, Director, Union of Informed Citizens
- Dr. Dorina Baltag, Researcher, Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Loughborough University London
The discussion will be moderated by Etienne Soula (German Marshall Fund of the United States), with concluding remarks by Hovsep Khurshudyan (Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum).
Agenda:
| 09.30 – 10.00 | Registration and welcome coffee |
| 10.00 – 10.20 | Opening remarks: – Miriam Lexmann, Member of the European Parliament and Quaestor |
| 10.20 – 11.50 | Speakers: – Isabelle Richard, Deputy Head of Unit (Georgia, South Caucasus, East), Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood, European Commission (TBC) – Jan Latal, Strategic Communications Expert, East Stratcom Task Force, European External Action Service – Lousineh Hakobyan, President, NGO Europe in Law Association; Co-Chair, EU-Armenia Civil Society Platform – Daniel Ioannisyan, Director of a Civil Society Platform – Union of Informed Citizens – Dr. Dorina Baltag, Researcher, Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs at Loughborough University London |
| 11.50 – 12.00 | Concluding Remarks: – Hovsep Khurshudyan, President, “Free Citizen” Civic Initiatives’ Support Center, member of the Steering Committee, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum |
For any questions you may have about the event, please contact advocacy@eap-csf.eu.
