EuroPCom 2026

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 62 (listening rooms JDE 53, JDE 51) / Web streaming / EN-FR-ES-IT

Watch the Opening session

We scroll, we click, we connect, but do we really feel close? This opening session kicks off EuroPCom 2026 by exploring the paradox of connection in today's digital world and by inviting public communicators to step into their roles as true connectors of people, democracy, and belonging.  

  Opening

        Kata TÜTTŐ, President, European Committee of the Regions

        George PAPANDREOU, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, former Prime Minister of Greece, General rapporteur on Democracy in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

Keynote speech

        Hugo MERCIER, Research director, French National Center for Scientific Research         

Moderator

        Anna GUMBAU, moderator, Moderating.eu 

European Committee of the Regions, JDE Atrium 5 / EN

Three short and inspiring talks that explore how public communication can create connection across people, places, and time, from strengthening social bonds and amplifying diverse voices, to grounding European narratives in local realities and linking the past experiences to future challenges, these talks show how communication can turn fragmentation into shared meaning 

Connecting people 
        Sevim AKTAS, Founder, Inside EU and Communication Adviser, Cabinet of Commissioner Micallef

Connecting places 
        Mariyana NACHEVA, Information and Communication Officer, Local Engagement, Europe Direct & Networks, DG Communication, European Commission

Connecting times
        Dr Felix M. SIMON, Research Fellow in AI, Information, and News at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford  

Moderation by Anna GUMBAU, moderator, Moderating.eu

Workshop 1

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 62  (listening room JDE 63) / Web streaming / EN-ES-FR-IT

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From recognition to resilience: countering Foreign Information Manipulation Interference (FIMI) in regional elections 

FIMI doesn't just spread falsehoods, but it also turns people against each other. In the run-up to regional elections, this workshop explores how manipulation campaigns exploit fear, identity, and emotion to fracture communities and weaken election integrity. It challenges public communicators to move beyond debunking and focus on what really counters interference: rebuilding trust, restoring dialogue, and reconnecting people to democratic life. 

Keynote
        George PAPANDREOU, Member of the Hellenic Parliament, former Prime Minister of Greece, General rapporteur on Democracy in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

Speakers   

        Viktoras DAUKSAS, Head of Debunk.org 

        Péter KREKÓ, Policy Leader Fellow; Florence School of Transnational Governance and Director of Political Capital Institute and Head of HDMO-Lakmusz 

        Dorina BALTAG, Fellow, Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, London and Founder, Noroc Olanda Stichting

        Laurie-Anne KEMPTON, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Communications and Consultations, Privy Council Office, Government of Canada 

Moderation by: Sara AHNBORG, Team leader, Spokesperson's and Information Integrity Unit, DG Communication, European Parliament

Ideas lab 1

European Committee of the Regions, JDE Atrium 6 / EN

In-person interaction as an antidote to polarisation: An Ideas Lab on facilitating dialogue and community building in challenging conversations  

This hands-on session explores how face-to-face dialogue can counter polarisation by rebuilding trust and fostering constructive exchange—even in heated discussions. Drawing on the Local Conversations – European Questions workshop findings, participants will practise tools to navigate tense topics (like migration, climate, or institutional distrust) without falling int confrontational traps. Through group analysis of real polarising narratives, attendees will unpack deep-seated beliefs and backcast trust-building alternatives, identifying what institutions and individuals can do differently. By the end, participants will leave with a few practical pointers to keep conversations open, empathetic, and focused on shared understanding - not "winning."   

Facilitators:

        Kasia SUMISLAWSKA, Policy Officer, Task Force for Strategic Communication and Countering Information Manipulation, DG COMM, European Commission

        Rolf NIJMEIJER, Analyst, Task Force for Strategic Communication and Countering Information Manipulation, DG COMM, European Commission

Training 1

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 51 / Web streaming / EN

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Data Storytelling

TikTok is one of the most influential and notoriously opaque platforms shaping political communication today. From election campaigns to disinformation networks, its dynamics are studied - but rarely accessible to the communicators who need to act on them. This hands-on workshop shows you how to collect, clean, and visualise TikTok data to produce compelling, evidence-based stories. 

Trainer
        Marcus BÖSCH, researcher and consultant specialising in propaganda, AI, and platform politics 

Workshop 2

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 62 (listening room JDE 63) / Web streaming / EN-FR

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Europe speaks but who is really listening?  

This workshop will explore how European public communication is perceived from outside Europe. We will listen to bold provocative, and (uncomfortably) honest views - challenging the European lens, revealing blind spots, and unpacking how credibility and relevance are constructed (or lost) across continents. This session aims to break the autopilot of EU narratives.  

Speakers
        Shada ISLAM, Managing Director; New Horizons Project and Brussels-based EU analyst and commentator 

        Luca Eszter KADAR, Head of Division of Global Communications, International Cultural Relations and Public Diplomacy, European External Action Service   

        Guilherme CANELA GODOI, Director of the Division for Digital Inclusion and Policies and Digital Transformation, UNESCO

Moderation by Silke TOENSHOFF, Head of the Events and Local Dialogues Unit, European Committee of the Regions

Ideas Lab 2

European Committee of the Regions, JDE Atrium 6

Rebuilding Trust in the Age of polarisation and unpeace

Fragmentation is rising, trust is eroding, and communication is under increasing pressure to respond. This interactive session challenges participants to rethink how connection and trust can be rebuilt in increasingly divided societies. Drawing on the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra’s future-oriented work on trust and societal resilience, participants will engage with the “Us vs Them Europe 2035” scenario to explore a central question: How can public communication strengthen societal trust and resilience in an age of polarisation?

Facilitators
        Hannele LAAKSOLAHTI, Senior Lead, Innovations, Sitra

        Jukka VAHTI, Senior Lead, Foresight and training, Sitra

Training 2

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 53 / Web streaming / EN

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Reclaiming social media: bold responses to online attacks 

Social media is a contested space where narratives collide and connection can quickly break down. This training will present the example of the French Response account to showcase how bold, realworld digital strategies can be used by public communicators to push back against disinformation, reclaim space, and build meaningful engagement.  

Trainer:
        Maike BRAKHAN

Spotlight session / 09:00-10:30

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 52 / Web streaming / EN, FR, IT, ES

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Countering FIMI: practical strategies for political leaders at the regional level 

This interactive training brings together regional and local political leaders, Young Elected Politicians, and public communicators to explore how foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) affect regions and cities across Europe. Through real-life cases shared by CoR members and a minimasterclass led by Debunk, participants will gain practical experience from concrete cases, codevelop tailored response strategies for the regional and local level.

Speakers

        Matteo PUGLIESE, Senior Analyst, Debunk.or

        Sophie SACILOTTO, Analyst, Debunk.org

Moderation by Mario GRUBIŠIĆ, Head of Future LAB Sector, Events and local dialogurd unit, European Committee of the Regions

Workshop 3

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 52 (listening room JDE 63) / Web streaming / EN-FR 

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Beyond Big Tech: shaping Europe digital future  

Europe is building its own digital kit. The workshop will explore alternative social media platforms, AI solutions, and LLMs in light of current EU priorities, including democratic resilience, the implementation of the Digital Services Act, and Europe’s strategic autonomy in the digital sphere. The focus is on what new models can structurally change public communication ecosystems and ensure technology serves connection rather than fragmentation.    

Speakers
        Anna ZEITER, CEO, W

        Sofie SCHÖNBORN, Digital Sovereignty Manager, Schwarz Digits

        Gualtiero CARRARO, CEO, Carraro Lab
 

Moderation by Adalbert JAHNZ, Head of Unit Social media & Visual Communication, DG Communication, European Commission   

Ideas lab 3

European Committee of the Regions, JDE Atrium 6 / EN 

Listening at scale: how AI can turn noise into meaning 

What if we could hear everyone at once—and still respond with care?  

This Ideas Lab examines how AI can become a genuine listening tool -detecting trends, decoding sentiment, and surfacing meaning from complex, fragmented public voices. The focus is on augmenting human empathy, not replacing it, and translating digital noise into real, respectful connection over time.

Trainer 

        Agueda QUIROGA, Workshops Lead, InnovateUS - TheGovLab-Burnes Center for Social Change

        Dimitri BARUA, Deputy Head of Unit Digital Solutions, DG COMM, European Commission

Training 3

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 53 / Web streaming / EN

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A whole-of-society approach to defending local and regional elections from influence operations  

As a municipal, city, or regional administration, how can you protect your elections from information manipulation, foreign interference, and disinformation? This training uses the Berlin State elections as a case study, alongside Alliance4Europe’s Disrupt Toolkit and the Counter Disinformation Network’s whole-of-society approach to countering influence operations. It will also present case studies of threats to regional elections, including in Rhineland-Palatinate, showing how such risks can be mitigated. The session provides a practical model adaptable to different local contexts, co-developed with 170 European democracy defenders.

Speakers

Saman NAZARI, Lead Researcher, Alliance4Europe and Coordinator of the Counter Disinformation Network (CDN)

European Committee of the Regions, JDE 62 (listening room JDE 52) / Web streaming / EN-FR

Watch the Closing session

EuroPCom 2026 wraps up by reflecting on the ideas, insight, and experiments of the past two days. The session highlights how public communication can transform hyper-connectivity into meaningful human connection, reinforcing trust, engagement, and democratic resilience across people, places, and times. 

Speakers:  

        François-Xavier PRIOLLAUD, vice-president of the Normandy Region and Special Rapporteur for the CoR's Communications Strategy 

        Inga ROSINSKA, Director for Information and Outreach, DG Communication and Information, Council of the European Union  

        Sophia ERIKSSON WATERSCHOOT, Deputy Director-General, DG Communication, European Commission 

        Florian MARIN, member of the European Economic and Social Committee

        Matteo MAGGIORE, Special Advisor to the Secretary-General, European Investment Bank Group

        Gabriel GLÖCKLER, Principal Adviser, Directorate General Communications, European Central Bank

        Gillian DORNER, Deputy Director, Public Governance Directorate, OECD 

Moderation by Anna GUMBAU, moderator, Moderating.eu