Democratic Renewal. What Makes Change Possible?
15. October 2026
For more than a decade, discussions about democracy in Europe have been dominated by the narrative of democratic backsliding. Across Central and Eastern Europe, disinformation, foreign interference and authoritarian influence have increasingly undermined democratic institutions, media freedom, judicial independence and civic space. The manipulation of information has become one of the defining challenges for democratic societies, fueling polarization, eroding public trust and weakening democratic participation.
Recent developments, however, suggest that democratic decline is not inevitable. Viktor Orbán’s defeat in Hungary after sixteen years in power, together with democratic developments in Poland and Moldova, has challenged long-held assumptions about the resilience of entrenched illiberal regimes. These developments raise an important question: what makes democratic change possible?
Is democratic change driven primarily by elections, strong institutions or civic mobilization? How can democracies rebuild trust, strengthen societal resilience against disinformation and foreign interference, and protect freedom of expression without compromising democratic values? What role do independent media, civil society, political leadership and international cooperation play in this process?
The XXIX Open Society Forum will explore these questions through the experiences of Central and Eastern Europe. The Forum will focus on the conditions that make democratic change possible and examine how the experiences and lessons of the region can help strengthen democracy across Europe and beyond.
The Forum aims to identify the political, institutional and societal conditions that enable democracies to recover and become stronger after periods of democratic backsliding. Drawing on experiences from Central and Eastern Europe, it will explore how societal resilience and cross-sector cooperation can help protect and strengthen democracy at a time of growing authoritarian influence, disinformation, hybrid threats and risks associated with technological change. Alongside the challenges, the Forum will focus on practical experiences, effective solutions and opportunities to strengthen democracy.
Programme
12:00–13:00 Registration and welcome coffee
13:00–13:10 Opening of the XXIX Open Society Forum
13:10–13:30 Fireside chat: Why do some democracies continue to decline while others demonstrate the capacity to recover, renew and become more resilient?
Speakers: Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), Germany and Kristi Raik, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security, Estonia.
13:40–15:00 Panel I. From Democratic Backsliding to Democratic Change: Lessons from Central and Eastern Europe
The discussion will focus on the different trajectories of Central and Eastern Europe and the political, institutional and societal conditions that enable democracies to recover and become stronger. Particular attention will be paid to the role of elections, independent media, civil society and European cooperation.
Speaker: Edit Zgut-Przybylska, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Research Fellow at the CEU Democracy Institute; Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), Germany; Maciej Nowicki, President of the Management Board, Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Poland.
Moderator: Hannes Rumm, journalist
15:00–15:30 Coffee break
15:30–17:00 Panel II. Defending Democracy in the Age of Disinformation
Disinformation, artificial intelligence and digital manipulation are increasingly shaping democratic debate. Civil society plays an important role in protecting democracy and civic space and maintaining a trustworthy information environment. The panel will explore how civil society, researchers, journalists and the public sector can work together to counter disinformation and information manipulation while safeguarding open and fact-based public debate.
Speakers: Péter Krekó, political scientist, social psychologist and disinformation expert, Executive Director of Political Capital (Hungary); Mihail Sircheli, journalist, civic activist and founder and Editor-in-Chief of the independent media outlet Nokta.md (Moldova), Maria Murumaa-Mengel, Associate Professor of Media Studies, University of Tartu (Estonia).
Moderator: Hannes Rumm, journalist
17:00 Closing of the Forum
17:00–18:00 Networking and refreshments
NB! The list of Forum speakers will be updated as confirmations are received. The organiser reserves the right to make changes to the programme.
Practical information
The working language of the Forum is English. Simultaneous interpretation into Estonian will be provided.
Registration for the Forum will open in mid-September.
For further information and media enquiries, please contact Jete Silva at jete@oef.org.ee.