EuroDIG 2026 opening plenary examines democracy and digital disruption

The opening plenary session of EuroDIG 2026 examined whether digital disruption is weakening or revitalising democracy in Europe, with speakers highlighting concerns about disinformation, declining trust in institutions, AI-driven manipulation, and the growing concentration of power among major technology platforms.

Held in Brussels under the theme ‘Democracy: Stifled or Revived by Digital Disruption of the Public Sphere?’, the discussion brought together representatives from the Council of Europe, the decentralised social media platform Mastodon, and the fact-checking organisation Correctiv. The session also incorporated recommendations from youth participants involved in the EuroDIG youth dialogue process.

Florence Ranson, moderating the session, opened by summarising concerns raised by youth delegates, who argued that European democracies are struggling to keep pace with technological developments and called for stronger regulation, media literacy, fact-checking initiatives, and civil society engagement.

Claudia Luciani, Director of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities at the Council of Europe, warned that democratic backsliding in some European states is occurring alongside growing digital threats. She pointed to restrictions on civil society, limits on press freedom, and the use of emergency powers that weaken democratic oversight mechanisms.

Luciani also highlighted disinformation, foreign information manipulation, and AI-generated content as key risks to electoral integrity and public trust. According to her, the rapid pace of technological change is outstripping existing democratic safeguards. She argued that the challenge is not to halt digital transformation but to ensure that it develops in line with human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

Felix Hlatky, Executive Director of Mastodon, criticised the concentration of influence among a small number of major technology companies, arguing that advertising-driven business models incentivise the amplification of polarising content and the extensive collection of user data. As an alternative, Hlatky presented decentralised social-media models such as Mastodon and the broader Fediverse, which he said allow greater local autonomy, community moderation, and linguistic diversity through independently operated servers.

He also warned that the speed of online misinformation makes correction increasingly difficult, arguing that decentralised moderation structures may offer more responsive approaches to managing harmful content.

Caroline Lindekamp, Director for Fact-Checking at Correctiv, focused on the role of fact-checking organisations and media literacy initiatives in countering online misinformation. She argued that large online platforms continue to amplify misleading content despite existing moderation partnerships and fact-checking programmes.

Lindekamp highlighted the work of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network, which coordinates monitoring activities, data-sharing projects, and media-literacy efforts across Europe. However, she warned that many initiatives remain dependent on short-term project funding and lack sustainable financial support.

The discussion also addressed broader questions surrounding public trust and institutional accountability. Luciani cited declining trust in traditional media and democratic institutions, while both Luciani and Lindekamp stressed the importance of stronger enforcement of existing European digital regulations, including the Digital Services Act.

Audience questions focused on issues including inclusive trust-building, smaller language communities, and the relationship between fact-checking and cybercrime investigations. Speakers highlighted the need for greater platform transparency, stronger cross-sector cooperation, and accessible multilingual engagement.

The session concluded with broad agreement among speakers that safeguarding the digital public sphere will require stronger enforcement of existing regulations, sustainable support for fact-checking and media-literacy ecosystems, and more accountable and pluralistic online governance models.

EuroDIG 2026 takes place on 26 and 27 May at the Charlemagne Building of the European Commission in Brussels. Hosted by EURid, the registry for the .eu domain name, the event marks 20 years of the .eu domain under the broader theme ‘European Voices for the Future of the Internet – Celebrating 20 Years of .eu and the Beginning of a New Internet Governance Era’.

Digital Watch Observatory is following EuroDIG 2026 through a dedicated event page, featuring session information and reporting from Brussels.

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