Can Europe defend its values in a more hostile world? EESC seminar to debate democracy and competitiveness

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Reference number
33/2026

As the EU rethinks its priorities in a more hostile geopolitical climate, civil society communicators, policy-makers and journalists will gather in Sofia on 6-7 July for the XVIII Connecting EU Seminar to discuss how Europe can defend its values while responding to pressure on security, competitiveness and democratic trust.

Organised by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), in partnership with the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria, this year’s seminar is held under the title In defence of European values: The power of civil society.

The seminar will include a keynote by Dave Keating, Brussels-based journalist and author of The Owned Continent, on how Europe can strengthen its sovereignty and reduce its dependence on American, Russian and Chinese power.

 

FOCUS OF THE SEMINAR         

As the old global order frays, Europe is putting security, defence and competitiveness at the top of its agenda, while reassessing its social and environmental ambitions.

At the same time, democracy is taking hits from all sides: civil society is being squeezed out, confidence in institutions and independent media is eroding, and populist narratives, often boosted by foreign influences, are making it harder for citizens to know who to trust, weakening democracy from within.

Can Europe build an economic model that is competitive, sustainable and socially fair? Can its democratic model withstand intensified foreign interference, populist attacks and conspiracy theories — and how should it fight back to show that democracy is not a given, but must be actively defended?

 

SPEAKERS

Opening speakers will include EESC President Séamus Boland, representatives of the Bulgarian government and parliament, the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria and Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’.

Antoinette Nikolova, Director of the Balkan Free Media Initiative (BFMI), will draw on the BFMI’s report Tackling TikTokcracy in the Balkans – a blueprint for fighting algorithmic manipulation in Europe to discuss how digital platforms are shaping public debate in the region.

The full line-up and detailed information about the speakers are available on our web page.

                                                                                             

PANELS

The Connecting EU seminar will feature two panels:

  • Europe’s new economic compass: Balancing competitiveness, social rights and sustainability

  • Europe’s democratic compass: Can trust and resilience be restored?

It will also include an interactive strand:

  • AI as a friend, not a foe (two breakout sessions and a LinkedIn workshop will explore how AI can help communicators spot fake news, sharpen their messages and work more efficiently).

The full programme is available here.

The seminar will be web-streamed.

The Connecting EU Seminar is an annual forum for press and communication professionals from civil society organisations to exchange views on the European issues shaping public debate. It brings together EESC members, EU representatives, partner organisations from Member States and journalists.

The event is organised with the support of the European Parliament Office in Bulgaria, which will also be represented among the speakers.