Access to trustworthy, transparent information is increasingly viewed as a core democratic right, yet one that is growing ever more fragile. As the EU works to build a stronger democracy protection mechanism, key questions emerge: how do we actually protect citizens online, hold platforms accountable, and maintain democratic resilience in an environment shaped by overload, manipulation and algorithmic distortion? The newly adopted Democracy Shield is such an initiative, but is it enough?

Join us as we explore how and whether voters can make informed decisions in such a landscape, what role digital rights can realistically play, and what we can learn from the experience of Central and Eastern Europe. And most importantly — what additional steps are needed to safeguard Europe’s digital public sphere in the years ahead.

This event is brought to you by EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, in collaboration with the Civil Society Forum and experts from FOJO Media Institute, Roskomsvoboda and the Digital Rights Center. The debate will be moderated by Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, Head of the Global Europe Programme at EUROPEUM.