The EUNWA Advisory Board is composed of professionals in various disciplines from different European countries. Their task is to work alongside the Board to develop in-depth research and analysis on the phenomenon of Neighbourhood Watch in Europe and, more generally, on all those experiences of participation of European citizens in maintaining security in their communities and cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
Advisory Board members
Ilze Bērziņa - Expert working on the issues of security and human rights, projects on police accountability and community policing for crime prevention. She has working experience in state, non-governmental (international and national level) and academic sector. Author of the publications about the issues of accountable policing and effective complaint mechanism of police misconduct, policing with society and feeling of security. Former chairwomen of the European Union Crime Prevention Network during Latvian presidency. Currently working as an expert with different crime prevention and human rights projects as well as teaching International Human rights at the Riga University of Stradina (Faculty of Law and Faculty of European Affairs). She has a master degree in International Human Rights Law from the Institute of Raul Wallenberg of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lund. Sweden.
Umberto Nicolini - Born in Milano in the middle of the Seventies, Umberto is an architect who has chosen Urban Design and Planning as a study object, then a profession and more in general as a life path. During his training years, he had the lucky to meet prof. Clara Cardia - at that time professor of Planning and Design - with whom he took part in several projects on Urban safety and quality of life. He also participated to the foundation of LabQUS. Currently he combines his activitiy as a professional real estate and property manager togheter with the profession of architect and planner oriented to design for security, dedicating to this last topic an intense activity of research, practice and training. Engaged since the very beginning in implementing Environmental crime prevention as an institutional tool in planning policies, Umberto has recently promoted and chaired the Europan Program COST TU1203 *Crime Prevention Through Urban Design and Planning", as well as many other related projects.
Elisabeta Cocolos - She is a lawyer and technical consultant, qualified as a solicitor, specialised in EU and international law as well as Criminology and Criminalistics. An expert in security and risk assessment, she deals with security policies, privacy and the internationalisation of companies and training, as a consultant for public and private bodies. Commitment to the community means providing one's skills and knowledge for the common good. In the globalised world to which we are connected, governing a territory means constantly working with technical legislation and administrative procedures that are often cumbersome and slow. By intervening at the source of problems, we can maintain a high quality of life for our citizens, and in this sense the greatest attention can be paid to prevention, in every context.
Marek Väljari is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in team leadership since 1993. Known for his practical approach and clear communication, he consistently identifies the appropriate tools and methods to achieve results across various settings. His diverse academic background includes a Microdegree in Local Government from Tallinn University, a Master’s Degree in Social Sciences from the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Tallinn University of Technology. In addition, he further developed his expertise through studies in International Business Management at the Estonian Business School and technical training in construction at TTK University of Applied Sciences. Professionally, Marek currently serves on the Kiili Rural Municipality Council, where he contributes as Deputy Chairman of the Environment and Planning Committee and as a member of the Economic Affairs Committee. He also works as a visiting lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, teaching community-centred policing. His leadership experience is further demonstrated by his role as Chairman of the Board of AÜ Küllus MTÜ, an organization dedicated to housing association management, as well as his previous position as CEO of the Estonian Neighbourhood Watch Association. In February 2025, Marek joined the Advisory Board of the European Neighbourhood Watch Association (EUNWA), further expanding his commitment to community safety and collaboration on an international scale.
Valeria Lorenzelli is an architect specialising in placemaking sustainable urban development. With extensive experience in the strategic management of Third Sector organisations and the development of public-private partnerships, she specialises in urban regeneration through multi-stakeholder approaches, coordinating public entities, private companies, and NGOs. Her work focuses on art-driven urban and social regeneration, environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and promoting cycling mobility as a catalyst for urban transformation.
Currently, she is the Marketing and Community Manager for the UpTown District/Cascina Merlata neighbourhood at EuroMilano spa. She also serves as Vice President and Director of FIAB (Italian Federation for the Environment and Bicycle). Her past roles include managing urban planning for Confcommercio Imprese per l'Italia and serving as the Manager of the Historic Center Commercial District of Cremona.
She is the author of the book "Placemaking. Creating living, beloved and attractive places", published by Il Sole 24 Ore. The book won the second edition of the 2024 Il Sole 24 ORE literary prize for economic and social essays.”
Elisabeth Zinschitz is a distinguished expert in European law enforcement training and international security cooperation. She brings to EUNWA over a decade of high-level experience within an EU institution, having served until September 2024 as Head of Sector at CEPOL, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training.
During her tenure at CEPOL, Elisabeth coordinated the agency's Knowledge Centres on Counterterrorism and Law Enforcement Cooperation. Her portfolio included the development of annual training programmes, quality management strategies, and the coordination of expert groups on Fundamental Rights and Hate Crime. She has extensive experience liaising with major international bodies, including the European Commission, Europol, Interpol, and the OSCE.
Prior to her leadership role, she served as a Programme Officer managing large-scale projects such as the European Union Police Services Training (EUPST II) for civilian crisis management missions. Her background is unique in that it combines hard security expertise with a strong foundation in the social sector; earlier in her career, she worked as an International Child Protection Expert in Romania and as a clinical manager of a Child Protection Centre in Vienna and as a psychotherapist in private practice.
Elisabeth holds a Master’s in Public Administration (MBA level) from the Open University in the United Kingdom and a Magister der Philosophie from the University of Vienna. She is highly multilingual, with native proficiency in German and Dutch, and fluency in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French. Her core areas of expertise encompass EU law enforcement education, counterterrorism, fundamental rights, international interoperability, and robust project management.
She is also the proud mother of three children and even prouder grandmother of three grandchildren.
