European Economic
and Social Committee
European Public Diplomacy Days 2026
About the European Public Diplomacy Days
The European Public Diplomacy Days was be held from 30 September to 2 October 2026. Like in 2025, this year’s event brought together a variety of different European Union (EU) institutions working on public diplomacy and international people-to-people initiatives. The programme explored four areas at the heart of public diplomacy today: building trust in a digital world; civil society, health and peace; local women leaders; and human rights and EU international relations. The aim was to move the public debate forward in each of these domains.
The European External Action Service's (EEAS) Autumn School, an invitation-only event for students and academics from selected universities, focused on Human rights and EU international relations.
The EPDD Team
European Public Diplomacy Days (EPDD) programme
30 September – 2 October 2026
European Parliament – 30 September
- –Welcome coffee
- –Opening session
Session I: Building trust in a digital world
- –Democracy, public diplomacy and information integrity
- –The next generation: engaging global youth in Europe's story
- Sabine Verheyen, First Vice-President, European Parliament
- Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
- Séamus Boland, President, European Economic and Social Committee
- Joško Klisović, Co-Chair of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly, Committee of the Regions
European Economic and Social Committee – 1 October
Session II: Civil society, health and peace – together for global solidarity
- –Opening and keynote speeches
- –High-level panel
- –Panel 1: Civil society as a partner in health diplomacy: How can we ensure health resilience and fight health disinformation?
- –Panel 2: Preventing the instrumentalisation of health in armed conflicts? Promoting health as a driver of peace? What civil society can do
- –Panel 3: No health without equity: Civil society as a bridge between poverty reduction and health improvement
- –Concluding remarks
European Committee of the Regions – 1 October
Session III: Local women leaders, catalysts for EU public diplomacy
- –Opening Remarks
- –Locally elected women leaders: an asset for EU public diplomacy
- –The role of local leaders in contributing to GAP III EU action plan on gender equality in EU external action
EEAS Autumn School 2026 – 1 October
- Introduction and welcome
- –The role of human rights in EU international relations
- –The protection of freedom of thought, religion and belief in EU international relations
- –Fostering equality and non-discrimination: a human-centred EU foreign policy
EEAS Autumn School 2026 – 2 October
- –International protection of human rights: theory and practice
- –The role of the European Court of Justice as regards the defence of human rights at home and abroad
- –Discussion at round tables
- Conclusion