Politics, civil society and the media as guardians of European money
24 October 2026, 13:30 – 17:30 (CEST), Hotel Le Premier, Ulica kralja Držislava 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Every year the European Union disburses billions of euros through its cohesion, agricultural and recovery instruments. Where control mechanisms are weak, part of that money is lost to fraud and corruption — and with it, part of the public trust on which the Union rests. This conference presents the EU Funds Corruption Controller, an online tool developed within the project, which consolidates publicly available information on EU-funds fraud cases across member states and makes it accessible and more understandable to journalists, policymakers and, consequently, the general public. Two panel discussions then examine the responsibilities of the actors best placed to prevent and expose the misuse of European funds: elected politicians, civil society organisations and the media. Speakers from several EU member states will share national experiences and draw out what they mean for European policy.
Programme
13:30 – 14:00 Registration and coffee
14:00 – 14:20 Opening remarks
Goran Neralić, Head of Operations, European Liberal Forum
Davor Nađi, President, International Educational Centre (IEC)
14:20 – 14:40 Presentation: EU Funds Corruption Controller
Davor Nađi, President, International Educational Centre (IEC)
Presentation of the online tool developed within the project
14:40 – 15:40 Panel discussion: Politics and the rule of law – preventing corruption as a common goal
Moderator: Davor Nađi, International Educational Centre
Nevenka Lastrić Đurić, State Secretary, Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, HSLS
Tea Batel, Head of the Administrative Department for the Italian Indigenous National Community National Minorities and Youth, President of the IDS Women’s Club, and President of the City Council of Rovinj, IDS
Luuk Peeters, International Office Coordinator at VVD
Jovan Jovanović, International Consultant on Political Integrity (OSCE/ODIHR), former Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and former Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Indonesia and ASEAN
15:40 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:15 Panel discussion: Safeguarding democratic values – the role of NGOs, media and politics
Moderator: Fjona Merkaj, Project Officer, European Liberal Forum
Constantinos Saravakos, Head of Research, KEFiM
Tomislav Radnić, Journalist, Z1 Televizija
Petra Škrobot, Mayor of Samobor, Fokus
Isabella Cugusi, Professor and Attorney at Law, Luigi Einaudi Foundation
17:15 – 17:30 Closing remarks
Davor Nađi, President, International Educational Centre (IEC)
17:30 End of the conference programme
