European Commission
A jury panel of experts will carefully review all submissions and select the nominees and winners in each of the three award categories. This year’s jury comprises Ms Elena Galindo Ayuso, Mr Fjodor Guetermann and Mr Michael Schmitz.
Ms Elena Galindo Ayuso
Engineer with over 20 years’ experience in the private industrial sector, Elena works as civil servant in the telecommunications sector since 2018. Currently, she holds the position of Deputy Director General at the Subdirectorate for Telecom Operators and Digital Infrastructures at the Spanish Ministry for the Digital Transformation. Her responsibilities include leading the development of national broadband infrastructure programs aimed at achieving the EU´s connectivity targets for this decade. Elena also represent Spain in various European connectivity forums, such as the Broadband Competence Offices (BCO) Network, the CEF Digital Committee and the Submarine Cables Expert group.
Mr Fjodor Guetermann
Fjodor Guetermann works as Head of Department of Telecommunications Policy and ICT-Infrastructure (aka Austrian Broadband Office) in the Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport. He studied Economics in Vienna, has worked in Athens and Brussels. In his current role, he acts as a national contact point for the CEF-Digital programme and represents Austria in the European network of Broadband Competence Offices (BCO).
Mr Michael Schmitz
Michael Schmitz, ass. iur., pursued his legal studies in Mainz, Germany, and Lausanne, Switzerland, with additional academic visits to Sydney, Washington D.C., and Brussels. Since 2012, he has been serving at the EU office of the German County Association, where he holds the position of Deputy Head of Office. His expertise primarily encompasses EU Regional and Agricultural Policy, Regulation and Digital Policy. In 2018, Michael was elected Chair of the Cohesion Expert Group of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (cemr.eu). Additionally, he is an active member of the European Commission’s Rural Pact Coordination Group and the Subsidiarity Expert Group of the European Committee of the Regions.
European Digital Connectivity Awards 2025
The nominees for the European Broadband Awards will be announced on the Shaping Europe’s Digital Future website. The winners will be revealed and honoured during the official Award Ceremony, taking place on 7 October 2025 in Brussels.