Learning and Practising Democracy
Disengagement is a risk in the current climate of unmet expectations, broken promises and disinformation. Seventy-six per cent of young Europeans say they have encountered disinformation in the past week. Forty-two per cent rely on social media as their primary news source.
Elections in recent years have highlighted the risks of information manipulation across Europe. The spread of disinformation — including misleading AI-generated content — requires robust action.
Part of this response will involve promoting media literacy and democratic engagement. It will include advocating for inclusion, equal access, and dialogue across political, generational, cultural, and digital divides.
Europe cannot surrender the public sphere to algorithms. It is vital that we demonstrate why democracy remains the best system for ensuring peace, social justice, equality, progress, and prosperity in Europe.
How can we achieve this?
Education fosters democratic engagement through formal and informal learning, while advocating for inclusion and dialogue across political, generational, cultural, and digital divides.
Throughout the process, the aim will be to:
Foster dialogue across divides – political, cultural, and generational – by safeguarding space for dissent, encouraging critical thinking, and amplifying diverse voices.
Build a shared vision of democracy rooted in the values of the European Convention on Human Rights and the parameters of the Reykjavík Declaration with its 10 Principles of Democracy. Place human dignity and pluralism at the heart, while promoting cultural and historical awareness.
Empower citizens through civic education, strengthening digital and media literacy to equip people with the tools to navigate today’s complex information landscape.
Elevate youth leadership and participation, fostering civic engagement through innovative tools and inclusive narratives that connect new generations to democratic life.
Living democracy, combatting disengagement
Foster dialogue across divides
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Build a shared vision of democracy
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Empower citizens through civic education
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Elevate youth leadership and participation
Hack for democracy
In June 2025 the Council of Europe brought innovators, activists, policymakers, and creatives together in Strasbourg for a high-energy hackathon. Their goal: to engage with and co-design practical, forward-thinking solutions that counter disinformation, protect free speech, and strengthen democratic resilience in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Among the many excellent proposals – from a tool by Echobreaker from Georgia addressing the risks of echo chambers, to the Fact-checking Foxes from Italy, who took the prize home with a game-based pre-bunking platform to help develop critical-thinking.
New ways to learn and practise democracy.
