The next EuroDIG will take place on 26-27 May 2026 at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission in Brussels. It will be hosted by EURid – the registry for the .eu domain name and supported by the European Commission, a longstanding Institutional Partner of EuroDIG. The event will mark 20 years of .eu, celebrating two decades of the trusted digital identity. Therefore, the overarching theme for EuroDIG 2026 is “European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New Internet Governance Era”.
Over the past twenty years, the .eu domain and its enabling Regulation have stood as a European success story – a symbol of openness, security, and cooperation in the digital sphere. On the other hand, for the past 18 years, EuroDIG developed into a European open multi-stakeholder platform to exchange views about the Internet and how it is governed. EURid’s hosting of EuroDIG 2026 in Brussels offers an opportunity to bring together the leading voices shaping Europe’s digital future, and promote an inclusive multi-stakeholder governance model.
Twenty years of .eu: Europe’s tech sovereignty in the global internet
Democracy: Stifled or Revived by Digital Disruption of the Public Sphere?
Guiding Questions:
- How are European democracies and the digital public sphere faring in the face of rapid technological advancements?
- What roles do tech industries (platforms, AI firms, social media, etc.) bear in safeguarding—or undermining—democratic integrity?
- What keeps stakeholder up at night in terms of risks to democracy and digital public sphere linked to disruptive technologies?
- What challenges and opportunities await us, and how should policymakers, civil society, and industry respond?
The increasing demand for young people to be recognised as stakeholders requires empowering youth in Internet Governance. This involves integrating younger topics, concerns, and perspectives that were previously underrepresented in such settings. To facilitate this inclusivity, a series of Intergenerational Dialogues brings together senior EuroDIG attendees, along with current YOUthDIG participants, providing an open and comprehensive platform to present youths’ impressions on Internet Governance and discuss the Youth Messages.
This main session as well as WS 7 will develop messages relating to the UN WSIS+20 Review. The Main Session provides the opportunity for European stakeholders to discuss in general terms the outcomes of the Review and the conduct of the process. In the workshop we will focus on the role of the national and regional IGFs in the implementation phase of the Review outcomes. Finally, stakeholders are invited to make proposals for specific actions by EuroDIG in support of the implementation phase.
The session will explore how the EUDI Wallet and the EU Business Wallet could become a cornerstone tool for strengthening trust, efficiency and integration within Europe’s Digital Single Market. It will include an up-to-date overview of the Wallet’s development and national implementation perspectives as well as its practical relevance for European domain registries and businesses.
The 2025 Youth DIG messages called explicitly for greater youth involvement and broad user empowerment in all things AI and algorithmic governance including the potential use of ‘visible markers or labels’ on AI generated content. Now, new provenance tools such as C2PA and SynthID offer to do just that, providing technological solutions for enforcing standards and ensuring compliance in line with the EU AI Act and the European Democracy Action Plan.
Europe’s dependence on non-European digital infrastructures and technologies has fired up the debate on digital sovereignty. From cloud services and semiconductors to social media platforms and payment systems people are asking how Europe can strengthen its tech independence and resilience while remaining open and innovative.
The ongoing debate highlights that sovereignty is not only about infrastructure but also about protecting our democratic values and fundamental rights. Thus the trust in existing digital ecosystem is crucial. It is now clear for everyone that technological design choices can shape European economic autonomy and democratic resilience.
This session will explore whether digital sovereignty in Europe is desirable and feasible. We want to discuss what strategies Europe should pursue to balance autonomy with openness and security in the digital ag
