APA at the 16th Annual PACE Conference in Madrid

On May 21 and 22, 2026, the annual Public Affairs Community of Europe (PACE) Conference took place at the Senate of Spain in Madrid, organized in cooperation with the Spanish public affairs association APRI. The Czech Public Affairs Association (APA) was represented by its chairman, Václav Nekvapil.

This year’s professional conference focused on specific regulations in individual member states and the growing role of AI in public affairs. Václav Nekvapil, chairman of the Czech APA, spoke in a panel discussion dedicated to legislative changes in lobbying regulation, alongside representatives from Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Romania.

The program also included a debate on the transformation of the profession under the influence of AI, led by Cyrille Mai Thanh (Spaak Technologies) and Irene Matías Campano, Vice-President of the Spanish association APRI. This was followed by a practical workshop focused on the responsible use of these tools.

Representatives from the University of Navarra (UNAV) presented data from a current market survey of the public affairs sector in Spain. Other sessions addressed specific challenges currently faced by professionals in the field. During the summit, a tripartite agreement was also signed between PACE, the Spanish association APRI, and the University of Salamanca, aiming to strengthen academic cooperation and education in public affairs.

The meeting built on last year’s successful annual conference in Rome and confirmed ongoing efforts to strengthen transparency and professionalization of public affairs in Europe, as well as the sharing of experience across different markets. As an active member of PACE, APA continues to participate in the exchange of experience and best practices among European associations.

Recordings of the panel discussions are available at this link. More information can be found on the PACE website.