The EU for Global Transnational Citizens’ Panel in Sofia, Bulgaria took place on 25-27 March 2026, hosted by EIC (European Information Centre). The panel brought together participants from 9 European countries who discussed key topics related to the impact of digital technologies on democracy, the challenges of disinformation, and the role of citizens in contemporary social processes.
Building on these discussions, the panel generated a set of concrete recommendations.
A key step in strengthening democratic participation is ensuring that citizens are fully aware of the tools available to them at local, national, and European levels. Many participation mechanisms already exist—such as public consultations, petitions, and citizen initiatives—but they are often scattered across different platforms and difficult to find or understand.
In order to address this, institutions should develop centralized, user-friendly digital platformsthat bring together all democratic participation tools in one place. These platforms should be intuitive, multilingual, and accessible to people with different levels of digital literacy. By simplifying navigation and clearly explaining how each tool works, citizens will be more likely to engage actively in democratic processes.
Citizens are more likely to participate when they feel their voice matters. Therefore, it is essential to actively promote a culture of participation by demonstrating the real impact of civic engagement.
Social media can play a crucial role in this effort. Public institutions should invest in communication strategies that use platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter) to reach broader audiences, especially younger generations. Collaborating with influencers and content creators can help make democratic participation more relatable and appealing.
One of the main challenges modern democracies are facing, is the growing disconnect between citizens’ expectations and institutional decisions. Many people feel that their concerns are not adequately reflected in policymaking.
To address this issue, citizens should be involved throughout the entire decision-makingprocess in actions like consultation phases, policy design, implementation, and evaluation. Continuous dialogue between institutions and citizens should be encouraged through regular public consultations, town hall meetings, and digital participation tools.
A well-functioning democracy depends on citizens who understand how it works. Therefore, education and awareness initiatives are essential to equip citizens to participate meaningfully in democratic life. Governments and civil society organizations should organize workshops, public debates, citizen forums, and interactive activities that explain democratic processes in a practical and engaging way. These initiatives should target a wide audience, including students, young professionals, and marginalized groups.
Special efforts for Encouraging Youth Participation and Leadership
Young people represent the future of democracy. Encouraging their participation is therefore crucial. This can be achieved by supporting youth-led initiatives, creating spaces for young people to express their views, and integrating them into decision-making processes. Additionally, the creation of a European Youth Leadership Academy could help train and prepare the next generation of leaders by providing education in governance, policy-making, and democratic values.
Disinformation and Media Literacy
Combating disinformation begins with equipping citizens with the necessary skills to critically assess the information they encounter. Media literacy programmes should therefore be strengthened across all Member States, with a particular focus on developing critical thinking, digital awareness, and fact-checking abilities.
Educational systems should integrate media literacy into school curricula from an early age, ensuring that students learn how to identify reliable sources, recognize bias, and detect manipulative content. In addition, lifelong learning initiatives should be promoted to reach adults and elderly populations, who may be more vulnerable to misinformation. By fostering these skills, citizens become more resilient to disinformation and better prepared to participate in democratic life.
Fact-checking plays a crucial role in maintaining an informed society. Existing fact-checking organizations should be supported through increased funding, institutional partnerships, and visibility. At the same time, the creation of new fact-checking initiatives should be encouraged, particularly in regions where such resources are limited.
European funding programs should prioritize media literacy and fact-checking projects, with special attention given to small towns and rural areas, where access to reliable information may be more limited. Supporting local initiatives ensures that efforts to combat disinformation are inclusive and reach all segments of society.
To improve coordination and accessibility, a common European network of fact-checking organizations and databases should be established. This network would serve as a centralized hub where citizens, journalists, and institutions can easily access verified information. Such a system should be multilingual, user-friendly, and publicly accessible, ensuring that all residents of the European Union can benefit from it. By pooling resources and expertise, this network would enhance the efficiency and credibility of fact-checking efforts across borders.
To maximize impact, media literacy policies and campaigns should rely on strong partnerships across different sectors. Governments, NGOs, academia, tech platforms and companies are all together in this fight. Schools are essential partners, as they provide a structured environment to introduce media literacy from an early age. Integrating these tools into educational activities can help students develop critical thinking skills over time. A “Whole-of-Society” System to be build in EU.
Collaboration with influencers and content creators can significantly increase outreach, especially among younger audiences. Influencers can translate complex concepts into relatable and engaging content, making media literacy more appealing. Local media outlets should also be involved, as they are trusted sources of information within communities. By working together, these actors can ensure that media literacy campaigns reach diverse audiences, including those in rural or underserved areas.
Social media platforms play a significant role in the spread of both information and disinformation. Therefore, closer cooperation between public institutions and major platformsis essential. This cooperation should focus on detecting and limiting the spread of false or misleading content; promoting verified and trustworthy information; increasing transparency in algorithms and content moderation practices. Platforms should also be encouraged to integrate fact-checking tools directly into their systems and to provide users with clear warnings when content is disputed or potentially misleading.
Journalists and media professionals are key actors in the fight against disinformation. It is essential to ensure that they are equipped with the latest tools and methods for verifying information. Training programmes should focus on the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT), digital verification techniques, and ethical journalism standards. By strengthening professional capacities, media organizations can improve the quality and reliability of the information they provide, thereby reinforcing public trust.
Digital platforms such as Meta Platforms and Google play a central role in shaping the information citizens consume. However, the functioning of their algorithms and content moderation systems often remains opaque, which can contribute to the amplification of disinformation and biased content. To address this, platforms should be required to providegreater transparency regarding how their algorithms prioritize, recommend, and distribute content. Such measures would allow researchers, regulators, and citizens to better understand how information flows online and to identify potential risks to democratic processes. The measures might include explaining the criteria used to promote or demote content; disclosing how content moderation decisions are made; publishing regular transparency reports on removed or flagged content, etc.
In the digital environment, political advertising and AI-generated content can be difficult to distinguish from organic or authentic information, increasing the risk of manipulation.
To strengthen trust and accountability, platforms should be required to:
- Clearly label all political advertisements, including information about the sponsor, the target audience and the funding source;
- Ensure that users can easily identify why they are being shown a specific political ad;
- Introduce mandatory labeling of AI-generated or manipulated content (such as deepfakes), making it immediately recognizable to users.
An effective way to combat disinformation is to provide citizens with practical, easy-to-use tools that help them quickly assess the reliability of information. These tools should be designed to be simple, engaging, and easily shareable across digital platforms.
For example, short guides such as “How to spot manipulation in 30 seconds” can teach users to check the source of information; identify emotional or sensational language; verify images and videos and cross-check facts with reliable sources . These resources should be presented in accessible formats such as infographics, short videos, quizzes, or interactive content. The goal is to make media literacy intuitive and applicable in everyday online interactions.
A highly effective and immediate action is to use short-form video platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to disseminate media literacy content. These platforms are particularly influential among younger generations and allow for rapid and wide dissemination of information. Short, engaging videos can be used to introduce the concept of prebunking—proactively exposing users to common disinformation techniques before they encounter them in real contexts. For instance, quick videos can demonstrate issues like how fake headlines are constructed; how images can be manipulated; how algorithms may amplify misleading content.
To read all the recommendations collected throughout Europe during Local and Transnational Citizens’ Panels, click here.
The EU for Global project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CERV. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
