GMF Announces 2025 Class of ReThink.CEE Fellows

The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is pleased to announce its 2025 class of ReThink.CEE Fellows.

This year’s cohort will address pressing challenges for democracy, security, and resilience across Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus. From Moldova’s elections and Georgia’s EU accession path to Ukraine’s integration into EU structures and Armenia’s turbulent regional positioning, the ReThink.CEE Fellows will contribute fresh insights at a time of uncertainty and transformation in the region.

The 2025 ReThink.CEE Fellows and their research projects are:

  • Alina Doroftei (Romania): Electoral Integrity Under Pressure: Hybrid Threats, Institutional Reform, and Democratic Resilience in Moldova’s 2025 Parliamentary Elections
  • Yanina Karalevich-Kartel (Belarus): Resilience Under Pressure: Lessons from Belarusian Media in Exile (2020–2025)
  • George Melashvili (Georgia): Resilience Under Pressure: The Fight for Georgia’s European Future
  • Maria Repko (Ukraine): The Economics of Embedding Ukraine’s Defense Industry into the EU’s Defense-Industrial and Technological Base
  • Tamara Sartania (Georgia): Election Observation in Georgia’s 2025 Local Elections
  • Yuliia Shaipova (Ukraine): Exploring Possibilities for Local-Level Participation in Ukraine’s EU Accession Process
  • Narek Sukiasyan (Armenia): Quo Vadis Armenia? Domestic and Foreign Turbulences Ahead

The seven ReThink.CEE Fellows will explore the resilience of democratic institutions under pressure from hybrid threats, contested elections, geopolitical rivalries, and the impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Their research orientation reflects GMF’s commitment to strengthening democratic resilience, advancing European integration, and securing a more stable transatlantic future.

“At a time when Eastern Europe faces democratic openings and renewed threats, the ReThink.CEE Fellows bring critical expertise to address the challenges ahead. Their work will not only shed light on urgent questions of electoral integrity, resilience, and European integration, but also inform the policies and practices needed to strengthen democracy across borders,” says Joerg Forbrig, head of European resilience programs at GMF.

Over the coming year, ReThink.CEE Fellows will conduct research, publish policy papers, and engage with regional and transatlantic stakeholders to share their findings.