Stoycho Velev is a Master of Laws (LL.M) graduate from Sofia University. He is part of the 100th Hague Academy of International Law class at the International Court of Justice and the 2021–2024 European Politics and Society “Vaclav Havel” Master’s Degree cohort. He studied in Prague, Kraków and Leiden, with an academic focus on European security and defence policy in a transatlantic context and conducted research on the perspectives of Eastern European states. He is the Bulgarian representative at the 2025–2026 European Diplomatic Programme by the EEAS. Stoycho has held positions in the Bulgarian civil service and the European Commission, and has authored articles on European and global affairs for various outlets, both domestically and internationally.