Visiting researcher: Alejandro Flores Moleón

About Alejandro Flores Moleón

Alejandro Flores Moleón is a doctoral researcher working on European digital governance, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence, platform regulation, and disinformation policy in the European Union. His research examines how emerging digital risks are framed and governed within EU policymaking, paying particular attention to the narratives and assumptions that shape regulatory approaches to artificial intelligence and digital platforms.

Alejandro holds a Law degree from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a Master’s degree in International Relations from the Autonomous University of Madrid. During his doctoral research he has also been affiliated with the Scuola Normale Superiore in Florence. His work sits at the intersection of EU studies, digital policy, and science and technology studies, focusing on how political institutions conceptualise and regulate emerging technological transformations.

His Research Project and Interests

His doctoral project analyses the socio-technical imaginaries shaping the European Union’s evolving approach to artificial intelligence and digital platform governance. In particular, the research explores how AI is framed in EU policy discourse both as a potential source of new systemic risks and as a key instrument for addressing challenges such as disinformation, platform manipulation, and democratic vulnerabilities.

The research focuses on key regulatory and policy initiatives such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the AI Act, and the Strengthened Code of Practice on Disinformation, as well as more recent debates surrounding the evolving architecture of EU digital governance. Through qualitative analysis of policy documents, parliamentary debates, and institutional communications, the project seeks to understand how the EU legitimises different governance models for digital platforms and algorithmic systems. Particular attention is given to the growing reliance on technological solutions to address complex societal challenges, and to the implications this may have for democratic accountability, regulatory authority, and the relationship between public institutions and large technology companies.

His Research Stay at the IEE‑ULB

During his research stay at the Institute for European Studies (IEE–ULB), Alejandro works under the supervision of Professor François Foret and Álvaro Oleart. Being based in Brussels provides a valuable opportunity to deepen the empirical dimension of the project, including conducting interviews with policymakers, experts, and stakeholders involved in EU digital governance. The proximity to EU institutions also allows him to closely follow ongoing policy debates on artificial intelligence, platform governance, and the future of European digital regulation.

Why He Chose the IEE‑ULB

Alejandro chose the IEE–ULB for his research stay because of its strong reputation as a leading centre for the study of European governance and public policy. The institute’s interdisciplinary environment and its close connections to EU policymaking make it an ideal setting for research on contemporary regulatory debates. Engaging with scholars working on European integration, democracy, and digital governance provides an important opportunity to further develop the theoretical and empirical dimensions of the project.

More broadly, the aim of this research stay is to deepen the analysis of the EU’s evolving digital regulatory framework and to contribute to ongoing academic and policy debates on the political foundations of artificial intelligence governance in Europe.