Doing Democracy dialogues: DigiTalk on Participatory Democracy in Times of Disinformation

Within the framework of ERUA WP5 Digital Talk Series of UAegean on Achieveing Social Change and the “Doing Democracy” initiative of EUV & SWPS Universities

On 23 April 2026, the ERUA alliance will host its 4th DigiTalk “Doing Democracy – Participatory Democracy in Times of Disinformation”. The event is part of the Digital Talk Series on “Achieving Social Change in ERUA’s Local Communities and Regions” of ERUA’s WP5, led by the University of the Aegean, and will take place within the framework of Doing Democracy: Connecting Academia and Civil Society Across Borders (23-24 April), a German-Polish initiative of European University Viadrina and SWPS University, fostering dialogue between academia and civil society on key democratic challenges.

Doing Democracy will create a shared space to address fundamental questions: what strengthens democratic resilience and what threatens it. As democratic governance becomes increasingly urgent and complex, the initiative will bring together research and practice to exchange knowledge, identify societal needs, and foster cross-border cooperation.  The roundtable will bring together academic perspectives and civil society experience to explore effective forms of participation, strategies for enhancing democratic resilience, and ways to respond to emerging challenges.

The DigiTalk session will be broadcast live from the City Council Chamber of Frankfurt (Oder) City Hall and will be moderated by Dr. Anja Hennig (European University Viadrina). It will open with a welcome address by Claus Junghanns, Mayor of Frankfurt (Oder), and will include contributions from Prof. Radosław Markowski (SWPS University, Warsaw), Krzysztof Izdebski (Batory Foundation, Warsaw), Prof. Gesine Schwan (Berlin Governance Platform), and Dr. Anne Holper (Center for Peace Mediation, European University Viadrina), alongside short spotlights from civil society actors.

Register here for the 4th ERUA DigiTalk!

The ERUA DigiTalk forms part of a broader “Doing Democracy” programme taking place on 23–24 April 2026, which will include:

1. Opening panel on “Doing Democracy: Why network academia and civil society around Democracy?”

23 April | 13:00–14:30 CEST | Logensaal, European University Viadrina

• Live streaming:
  EN: https://europa-uni.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=1386e212-e111-456b-a6e5-b42500c7f7d6
  DE: https://europa-uni.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=a54b08cc-cb1b-4620-8bea-b42500c7adf6
  PL: https://europa-uni.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d3dcfd3b-8477-4bff-ab2b-b42500c83d56

2. 4th ERUA DigiTalk: Doing Democracy – Participatory Democracy in Times of Disinformation

23 April | 18:30–20:00 CEST | City Council Chamber, Frankfurt (Oder) Town Hall (with simultaneous English interpretation)

• Register in advance to receive the live streaming link: Registration form 

3. Future Lab: Topics, Formats and Conditions for Science-Practice Cooperation

24 April | 13:30–15:30 CEST | Collegium Polonicum Conference Hall, Słubice

• Live streaming:
  EN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuvmcEFLb34

  DE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecBekTcaB_c

  PL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez2KbNbVY20

All events are open to citizens, students, academics, civil society organizations, NGOs, and practitioners in political science, governance, and media literacy, as well as anyone interested in the impact of disinformation on democratic processes.

The DigiTalk series is part of ERUA’s Work Package 5: “Achieving Social Change in ERUA’s Local Communities and Regions”, and the ERUA Collaborative Open Space (ECOS) platform, developed and supported by the University of the Aegean.

For more information, please visit the ERUA Collaborative Open Space (ECOS):

• Doing Democracy: https://ecos.erua-eui.eu/info/doing-democracy
• ERUA DigiTalk Series: https://ecos.erua-eui.eu/info/digitalks