Expertise
Photo: Bojan Kordalov, European Centre of Excellence (ECE Brussels)
Bojan Kordalov is a Senior expert in communications, EU expert and public relations specialist from North macedonia with over 20 years of experience in visibility, public affairs, and strategic consultancy. Based in Brussels, since June 2024, he serves as the Director for Policy and Communication at the European Centre of Excellence (ECE Brussels), an independent think tank registered in Brussels, Belgium, and listed in the EU Transparency Register. The Centre works on topics related to strategic communication, civic engagement, and good governance, particularly in the context of European Union enlargement and accession process, digital transparency, artificial intelligence (AI), and support for youth and women inclusion and empowerment.
Bojan holds a Master’s degree in Communications and has been actively working in this field for more than two decades. He is the author and implementer of numerous communication and visibility strategies, as well as promotional and public engagement campaigns for public institutions, civil society organisations, international bodies, and private companies, and he is regularly involved in developing additional communication campaigns tailored to different stakeholders. These include: the Strategic Communication Framework related to the EU assistance and the Communication and Visibility Plan for the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and the Reform Agenda 2024–2027 of North Macedonia (developed within the EU-funded SUPRAE Project); the Communication Strategy for the 2021 Census (developed under an engagement with UNFPA); as well as the regional communication strategy and plan for the “Western Balkans Reform and Growth Monitor” project (developed within a regional EU-funded project implemented by the Think for Europe Network). These documents serve as a foundation for institutional communication of reform processes and European integration at both national and regional levels
More than 15 years ago, in 2009, Bojan Kordalov and his team created the first analysis on the effective use of social media by public institutions in North Macedonia, as one of the digital mechanisms for citizen engagement and broader public inclusion in decision-making processes at the local, national, and international levels. In June 2024, during the 12th edition of the prestigious POINT Conference held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bojan was invited as a representative of IDUEP to present the Analysis as a tool for increasing institutional transparency on social media.
Bojan Kordalov was the first President of the Digital Transformation Council for the Western Balkans at the Heidelberg Institute - Skopje and the IDUEP Institute.
He is recognised as a national, regional, and EU-level expert in strategic communications, public policy, and stakeholder engagement. Bojan has been engaged as a senior expert in various programmes and projects funded by the EU, US, UN agencies, and OSCE, and implemented by leading European and US-based think tanks and international consulting firms. He was also engaged as a facilitator of a workshop during the fourth “Bridging the Gap” event, organised by the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission (EC) in cooperation with DG NEAR and the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
Publicly, Bojan advocates for the importance of inclusive communication processes related to EU membership and accession, as well as reforms linked to digital transformation of society, media and digital literacy - with the goal of countering disinformation, conspiracy theories, discrimination, and hate speech. He is actively involved in various national and regional initiatives and projects focused on empowering youth and women and the need of their inclusion in the decision-making processes. Bojan was involved in North Macedonia’s EU integration process from its early stages, as an employee of the Secretariat for European Affairs of the Government of North Macedonia from 2005 to 2009.
Bojan and his team at IDUEP Skopje are actively working to reduce political polarisation in North Macedonia through the organisation of public events and debates featuring high-level representatives from different political parties, encouraging the creation of common platforms around pressing issues such as EU integration, education reform, digitalisation, and the use of artificial intelligence.
Bojan Kordalov is the author and co-author of multiple publications and a certified trainer who, over the past decade, has conducted more than 500 trainings. He regularly appears in electronic, print, and online media and writes columns on communication, reform, and democracy-related topics.
He is a passionate music lover and never starts the day without it. “My music is always loud, with high tones, and you definitely don’t want to see my playlists — I think you’ll rarely find such a mix of styles in one place,” Bojan said in an interview for the “Success Story” section of the MAAA newsletter, adding that he has a favourite song or music style for every moment and mood throughout the day.
Finally, Bojan says he considers himself exceptionally lucky to be able to combine his profession with his personality, because he truly enjoys what he does. For him, the most important aspect of any job is achieving tangible results, and he identifies much more as a practitioner than a theorist. “I genuinely enjoy sharing my experience selflessly, but I also want to listen to and learn from other people’s opinions and perspectives,” he concluded for the MAAA newsletter.
Over the past decade, he has led more than 500 training sessions and capacity-building activities, providing institutions and professionals with tools to improve public communication and enhance policy impact. He is highly skilled in managing multi-stakeholder projects and building strategic partnerships with EU institutions, international organisations, and public authorities.
List of publications, authored or co-authored by Bojan Kordalov:
A Roadmap for Inclusive Democracy: Increasing Youth Participation in Politics through Amendment of the Election Code - NOVUS and NED, 2024
Digital Marketing for SMEs - UNDP, 2024
How to Improve Youth Standard? Recommendations for the Parliamentary Club on Youth Affairs - IDUEP and FNF, 2023
Digital Transformation in Higher Education-Youth Perspectives - IDUEP and IRI, 2023
Education of Young Voters (e-learning course) - OSCE, 2022
What Is Local Government and How It Is Elected (e-learning course) - OSCE, 2022
Digital Transformation into E-Municipalities - IDUEP and FNF, 2022
Voter’s Manual: How to Communicate with Young Voters - OSCE, 2020
How to Create and Design Successful Content on Social Media - FES, 2014
Social Responsibility through Social Media - FES, 2014
Manual for Non-Formal Education - Secretariat for European Affairs, 2009
Get to Know the EU magazine - EUSR and OSCE, 2003
His work actively contributes to improving public communication and building trust between institutions and citizens, particularly in the processes of European integration, depolarisation and digital transformation. For more details, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bojankordalov/