By Marc Martorell Junyent
Marc is a journalist and researcher based in Munich, Germany. He covered the German-Baltic Conference 2024 as a Young Journalist, following the work of Cluster A: AI in Refugee Protection & Humanitarian Aid.
The Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania is a welcoming building at the western end of Vilnius’ main street, Gediminas Avenue. The library, in the city centre of the Lithuanian capital, hosted the working sessions of the German-Baltic Conference 2024, which took place between October 24th and October 27th. The conference, organised by the German-Baltic Future Foundation, is a yearly event held in different Baltic cities. Its aim is “to connect young people, especially those living in Germany and the Baltic States, and to strengthen their voice in politics.”
There could hardly have been a more appropriate location than the National Library for those conference participants organised in Cluster A, which focused on AI in Refugee Protection & Humanitarian Aid. The addressees of Cluster A’s recommendations on how to improve the protection of refugees and the provision of necessary assistance are the elected representatives of the Lithuanian people. They work in the building next to the National Library, the Lithuanian parliament, known as the Seimas. The second round of the elections to the Seimas coincided with the last day of the German-Baltic Conference.
The conference was organised into four different clusters. Apart from Cluster A, three other clusters discussed healthcare, disinformation, and climate change—always from an AI perspective. The target countries were, respectively, Latvia, Germany, and Estonia. In a somewhat different format, the conference also convened the German-Baltic Youth Exchange Network (GBYEN), which brought together young members of civil society organisations, politics, and administration to discuss youth cooperation in Europe.
The participants in Cluster A brought with them different academic backgrounds. Studies in International Relations, Political Science, and Public Policy were common, but also in Law and even Linguistics. The cluster was headed by Sergej Stoma, a master's student at Sciences Po Paris law school specialising in public international law. This was Stoma’s first experience as head of cluster. He had participated in a previous conference held in Tallinn, but only as an external guest to take part in the activities of the GBYEN. Stoma noted that the Cluster A participants displayed “a wide range of perspectives and expertise, which enriched the discussions but also made it challenging to select priorities. Some of the participants had more knowledge of specific AI solutions and technologies, while others had more to contribute to policy and legal issues.” As head of cluster, Stoma’s task was to assist and coordinate the work of the cluster participants.
The participants had been selected around September and already had many hours of work behind them when they met in person for the first time in Vilnius. Three different online meetings had taken place before the conference began. During these meetings, they learned about national and international legal frameworks regulating the protection of refugees. Among them, Lithuania’s Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners or the 1951 Refugee Convention.
The participants also became better acquainted with the specific situation in Lithuania. The country, which borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, is one of the EU members processing fewer asylum requests. During the first half of 2024, and according to the European Union Agency for Asylum, Lithuania received 72 asylum applications per million inhabitants, which compares to an EU average of 1108 applications per million inhabitants. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lithuania has reported 90,780 asylum-seekers as of October 2024.
Once in Vilnius, the cluster participants shaped the final policy paper during several working sessions held on the ground floor of the National Library from Friday to Saturday. The work was sometimes carried out in separate groups that later presented their ideas to all the cluster members. The discussions were focused on identifying key areas of improvement regarding refugee protection and humanitarian aid in Lithuania and establishing recommendations to address these challenges with the help of AI technology.
For instance, one of the key issues in Lithuania is that asylum application processes are often long and inefficient. Another one is that integration services can be ineffective or insufficient. One of the cluster’s suggestions to address these problems is the creation of a multifunctional app for refugees and asylum seekers. The app would provide them with information about relevant legal procedures as well as language learning assistance to improve their Lithuanian skills. The app, with some functions facilitated by AI technology, would also ease the cultural integration of refugees thanks to practical guidance on Lithuania’s everyday life.
The cluster’s participants received the professional assistance of Laurynas Biekša, an Associate Professor of International Human Rights Protection and Asylum Law at Mykolas Romeris University. Biekša, who is also a lawyer specialised in migration law and human rights law, visited the cluster to answer questions and give his opinion on the cluster’s work. Biekša provided the participants with specific advice on how to effectively formulate their policy proposals so that they resonate with the politicians who have the power to implement them.
One of the cluster’s participants was Agnė Jankauskaitė, from Lithuania. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and European Politics. Jankauskaitė explained she was influenced in her choice of study by her previous experience at the German-Baltic Conference 2023, which took place in Tartu, Estonia. She covered the conference as a Young Journalist. When asked about the key learnings she made during this year’s conference, Jankauskaitė mentioned she greatly expanded her knowledge about international and Lithuanian migration laws and asylum-seeking processes. Even more important, she said, was the great teamwork experience. In her words: “It was beautiful to see how it all worked out due to our cooperative efforts and mostly to the great skills of our leader.”
Maximilian Arndt, from Germany, is currently finishing his second bachelor’s degree. After finishing a bachelor’s in Romance Studies and Philosophy and History of Law, he now studies Empirical Linguistics, with a focus on Baltic Studies and Phonetics. Arndt and Jankauskaitė referred to similar learnings during the conference. Arndt, however, specifically highlighted how he gained new knowledge about various technologies that can assist refugees, such as geofencing. Arndt also had very positive words about Stoma, the head of cluster. “I am deeply impressed by the leadership and organisation skills of our cluster head,” he said.
During the last event of the conference, the different clusters presented their work before the other participants, who had the opportunity to raise questions. After a short introduction by Stoma, the presenters from Cluster A took the stage. David Ehresmann, Vincent Tadday, and Agnė Jankauskaitė provided some background information about the situation of refugees in Lithuania before delving into the issues that need to be addressed and the specific recommendations.
Reflecting on the experience of coordinating Cluster A’s work three weeks after the conference’s conclusion, Stoma remarked that “synthesising diverse contributions into a cohesive, structured document was a demanding but ultimately rewarding exercise.” He also expressed his satisfaction that “the final policy paper reflected the collective input of all participants while maintaining clarity and focus, not a single idea was left out.”
The German-Baltic Conference 2024 did not only include work meetings but offered an agenda full of diverse events. Just to name a few, on Friday the 25th, a panel discussion was convened under the title "Weaponizing Disinformation: Insights from Ukraine and the EU's Response." The following day, Erika Kuročkina, Vice-Minister of Economy and Innovation of the Republic of Lithuania, offered a keynote speech on “Building a Future-Ready Workforce: AI, Youth, and Education in the Baltics.”
The participants also profited from a rich cultural program. One of these cultural activities was a music performance by Rīgas Danči, a Latvian folklore group. The performance engaged the public from the very beginning and was received with warm applause. On Saturday, there was time for a visit to the Modern Art Museum. After dividing into four different groups, the visitors were offered a guided tour of the exhibition From Within, a combination of art history and psychology inspired by the work of psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung and philosopher Alain de Botton.
When asked about her opinion on the extra-academic activities, Jankauskaitė noted that they “were perfect in providing a relaxing atmosphere after intense working sessions”. She also liked “the possibility for foreigners to get to know Lithuanian and Baltic culture better.” The International Relations student noted that the conference was a good occasion to make “meaningful connections” with other participants. Stoma, the head of cluster, explained he enjoyed the social activities, which “provided an excellent opportunity to connect with participants in a more informal setting.” Similarly, Ardnt, the Empirical Linguistics student, said that the encounter in Vilnius was “a great opportunity to meet people with similar interests” although he would have favoured a less tight schedule that would have left more time to get acquainted with new people.
On the last day of the German-Baltic Conference 2024, it was announced that the next conference will be hosted in Riga, the capital of Latvia. As the conference in Vilnius drew to a close, and some participants rushed to their travel connections to return home, others discussed applying again in one year’s time.
If you are interested in the policy paper of cluster A, take a look here!
Graphic Recording by: Agne Rapalaite-Rasiule, visualmind.lt
Photos by: Simonas Lukoševičius (Instagram: @simonas_luko)