EuroDIG 2026 debate strengthens Council of Europe digital governance push

The Council of Europe participated in EuroDIG 2026 in Brussels, contributing to discussions on digital governance, democracy, trustworthy AI, platform accountability, and the digital public sphere.

The European Dialogue on Internet Governance took place on 26 and 27 May, bringing together governments, businesses, civil society, academia, the technical community, and other stakeholders to exchange views on internet governance.

The Council of Europe participated under its New Democratic Pact for Europe, a year-long consultation focused on democratic backsliding and digital governance. The consultation covers issues including AI, data protection, media and information society, cybercrime, online discrimination and gender-based violence, digitalisation of justice, legal education, internet governance, and youth participation.

At the opening session, Claudia Luciani, Director of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, said democratic safeguards are critical for the integrity and functioning of Europe’s digital public sphere. She highlighted risks linked to disinformation, information bubbles, and foreign interference and manipulation campaigns.

The Council of Europe also co-organised a debate on trustworthy AI in public services, focusing on transparency, accountability, explainability, and crisis-resilient communication when automated decision-making and AI systems are used in public administration.

Another Council of Europe co-organised session addressed platform accountability and the need to strengthen the digital public sphere. Participants discussed how engagement-driven platform design, generative AI, and synthetic media can contribute to disinformation, hate speech, and other harms, and how governance frameworks could empower users as active citizens.

The Council of Europe’s European Commission for the Efficiency of Justice and its HELP programme also organised a session on how the use of AI in justice systems is changing legal professionals’ training needs.

EuroDIG 2026 was hosted by EURid, the .eu domain name registry, and supported by the European Commission.

The event was held under the theme ‘European voices for the future of the internet – celebrating 20 years of .eu and the beginning of a new internet governance era’.

Why does it matter?

The Council of Europe’s participation in EuroDIG shows how digital governance is being folded into broader debates on democratic resilience. Its focus on trustworthy AI in public services, platform accountability, synthetic media, online discrimination, and AI in justice systems reflects a broader policy shift: digital governance is increasingly treated as part of Europe’s democracy, human rights, and rule-of-law agenda, rather than solely as a technology issue.

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