Elina has a background in political science, focusing on environmental governance and international relations. With a great interest in international cooperation, she wrote her thesis on the climate security policies of NATO and the EU and assessed the potential for integrated governance across the organizations. Elina joined International IDEA already in August 2023, when she interned at the Climate Change and Democracy Team as part of concluding her bachelor’s degree in political science. In that position, she supported the development of the new workstream and worked with partnerships, outreach material, and research mapping.

As a Research Assistant of the Global Democracy Coalition, she will assist in planning the coalition’s engagement in the Summit for Democracy and the preceding GDC Forum.