The European Youth Centre Budapest hosted a satellite event to the 'Outsmart Disinformation, Protect Free Speech' Council of Europe Hackathon, organised under the initiative of Secretary General Alain Berset as part of the New Democratic Pact.

 The satellite event ran in parallel with the main Hackathon and was organised in collaboration with ELTE University and GYIÖT (Federation of Children's and Youth Municipal Councils).

 The event explored the challenges posed by disinformation to democratic societies and examined solutions to combat these threats while safeguarding free speech and freedom of expression, in line with the Council of Europe's core values. Experts in disinformation joined young participants passionate about democracy, digitalization, civic technology, artificial intelligence and online freedom of expression for intensive brainstorming sessions that informed the outcomes of the main Hackathon taking place in Strasbourg.

 Secretary General Alain Berset also joined the event for an online Q&A session with the attendees, further emphasizing the high-level commitment to addressing disinformation challenges while preserving democratic freedoms.

 The event represents part of broader European efforts to strengthen democratic resilience in the face of evolving information threats. The collaborative effort brought together diverse perspectives to address one of the most pressing challenges facing democratic institutions in the digital age.

 The organisers expressed gratitude for the innovative ideas and active participation from all attendees. Special recognition was given to the panel of experts including Péter Krekó, Gábor Polyák, Raduca Ralu, Szilárd Teczár, Krisztina Nagy and Christopher Coakley for their valuable contributions to the discussions.