Assya Kavrakova is the Director of the European Policies and Civic Participation Program at the Open Society Institute – Sofia.
She has a Master’s degree in Law and a Master’s degree in European integration from St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. She has worked as Public Policies and Outreach Director at the Democracy Network Program (DemNet) of the United States Agency for International Development.
She was also the Executive Director of Transparency without Borders Association, the national branch office of Transparency International. Assya Kavrakova is a Fellow of German Marshall Memorial Fellowship, USA and a Fellow of the International Fellowship Programme, Brussels.
She is the author of the Bulgarian chapter of the reports "TV across Europe: Regulation, Policy, Independence 2005" and "TV across Europe: Follow-up reports 2008" –of the OSI EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program, publications available at www.mediapolicy.org
Ms. Kavrakova is leading the analytical and research activity of the European Policy Initiative at the OSI – Sofia. Assya Kavrakova is a member of the Ethical Commission on Electronic Media in Bulgaria.
E-mail: akavrakova@osi.bg
Boryana Klimentova is the European Policies and Civic Participation Program Coordinator and Coordinator for Bulgara for the East East: Partnership Beyond Borders Program.
Mrs. Klimentova holds a B.A. degree in Social pedagogy from the Sofia University St. “Kliment Ohridski” and an M.A. degree in Management of social activities and systems from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. Prior to joining the OSI-Sofia in 2009 she worked as an expert at the Ministry of labour and social policy and in non-profit organizations dealing with people with disabilities and legal issues. Her expertise is in the field of social integration and inclusion of children and families at risk, establishment of alternative social services and non-governmental sector development and capacity building.
Her publications focus foster care, legal framework, accessibility, social services and social work, PR and outreach of people with disabilities.
E-mail: bklimentova@osi.bg
Elitsa Markova is an analyst at the European Policies and Civic Participation Program of the Open Society Institute – Sofia and leads the Project Design Unit of the institute.
She holds an MA in International Relations form the University of Sofia and is currently a PhD student at the Faculty of Political Science. She holds an internship at the International Relations Department of the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Germany (2003) and fellowship at the European Foreign Policy, Research Institute of the German Council of Foreign Relations, Berlin, (2002).
Some of the publications of which she is co-author include: "The European Debates in 2003: Foreign Policy and Constitutional Aspects", Open Society Foundation, Sofia, 2004; "Turkey’s long way to EU accession – facts and challenges", Open Society Foundation, Sofia, 2006; "EU Funds Absorption – measuring the impact on the infrastructure, economy and social sphere", OSI- Sofia, 2007. Author of: "Ensuring Democracy and Effective Human Rights Protection in the Black Sea Region" briefing paper to the Directorate General External Policies of the Union of the European Parliament, November 2007.
E-mail: emarkova@osi.bg
Marin Lessenski is a policy analyst with the European Policies Initiative and expert to the to the European Policies and Civic Participation Program of the Open Society Institute – Sofia. He has been Director of Programs of the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) since 1998.
He holds an MA in Southeast European Studies from the Central European University - Budapest and an MA in History from the University of Sofia. He has been a Freedom House Visiting Fellow with the Hudson Institute's Center for European and Eurasian Studies and the Center of National Security Studies. He has also been a participant in the Transatlantic Young Leaders Program of the Aspen Institute - Berlin.
Mr. Lessenski’s areas of interest include EU's foreign, security, neighbourhood and enlargement policy, democratization, foreign policy, security and institutional developments in Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region, identity politics and interethnic relations.
E-mail: mlessenski@osi.bg
