WELCOME TO THE
COUNCIL FOR EUROPEAN PUBLIC SPACE
The new NGO think-and-do-tank advancing the goal of a democratic, independent, and diverse European Public Space.
NEWS AND RESOURCES
Our partners at DisplayEurope produced an episode of the StandardTime talk show, diving deeper into Europe’s response to digital transformation and the challenges posed by big tech.
We presented our recommendations for Germany's planned broadcasting reform, emphasizing the need to strengthen the European perspective to ensure diverse content.
Europe’s Fateful 2024 Elections. Under the Sign of War, Populism and Digital Disruption: What to Do?
Published in the "Future Europe" Journal by the European Liberal Forum, Matthias Pfeffer highlights the need for Europe to embrace AI-driven innovations, like real-time translation technologies, to bridge language barriers and foster a unified, democratic public space.
Christian Ehler and Matthias Pfeffer argue that Europe must act by creating its own digital infrastructure to preserve media diversity and democracy.
In a recent interview, Matthias Pfeffer advocates for a secure, European alternative to US and Chinese platforms, aiming to protect Europe's digital sovereignty and democratic values following the recent European elections.
On June 27, 2024, we hosted an impactful event titled “Reclaim the European Public Space” along with MEP Dr. Christian Ehler and his team at the European Parliament.
Amid Open AI's recent innovations, disinformation risks grow, demanding stronger regulations and proofs of AI benefits, argue experts Jürgen and Matthias Pfeffer.
The threat from Big Tech's influence and unclear AI regulations grows. Europe needs clear AI guidelines and a multilingual platform for reliable, democratic information access.
Matthias Pfeffer and Barbara Prainsack discuss solidarity in the digital age, emphasizing its evolving nature in highly differentiated societies. Prainsack calls for public digital forums to counter the commercial dominance of digital spaces.
WHO WE ARE
The Council for European Public Space is a non-governmental new-style think-and-do tank that brings together outstanding European personalities to develop fact-based and policy-actionable strategies to create an open, fair and safe digital public space in Europe.
It advocates for rights and major investments in public value digital infrastructures from EU institutions and supports existing initiatives from science, industry, and civil society. The Council is composed of eminent European personalities who represent diverse perspectives towards the common goal of a democratic and more unified Europe.
HOW DOES IT WORK
RESEARCH
By monitoring current research as well as specific research projects initiated by the Council on the critical state of the European public sphere, the Council ensures that its efforts to create an open, fair and safe public sphere are evidence-based and politically feasible.
ADVOCACY
The Council for European Public Space advocates for alternative spaces & independent platforms based on democratic values rather than pure market logic; diversity & inclusion in the media; and major investments from EU institutions in a trustworthy European information infrastructure.
PUBLIC AWARENESS
By publishing recommendations, proposing practical solutions and generating media coverage, it raises public awareness about the importance of common spaces and technologies that follow democratic rules.
THE PROBLEM WE ARE FACING
The current state of the public sphere in Europe is under threat. The digital age has made it easier than ever for misinformation and manipulation to spread. Democracy is beeing underminded by hate speech, fake news, national filter bubbles and social media algorithms that are exploiting users for economic gain. This is hindering peoples ability to form informed opinions and engage in productive discussions about issues that affect us all.
And above all: While Europe is trying to grow together politically and socially in the face of a world in a state of radical change and new geopolitical challenges, national media public spheres often work against this. Like filter bubbles, they continue to reference only individual national interests and thus work against a common European perspective that is needed to overcome these global challenges.
How about we use AI-based digital technologies to strengthen democracies and bring Europe together, for example by automatically translating news into all European languages in real time?
JOIN THE COUNCIL AND GET IN TOUCH
If you have any questions or just want to say hello, please don´t hesitate to contct us. We´ll get back to you soon.
ABOUT
The Council for European Public Space is a non-governmental new-style think-and-do tank that brings together eminent European personalities and develops evidence-based and politically viable strategies to create an open, fair and safe digital European Public Space. It works like a think and do tank by initiating research and studies, bringing together actors from politics, science, and civil society, and initiating joint projects that advance Europe on the path to a democratically constituted digital public space.
Supported by grants from the European Cultural Foundation.
The Council for European Public Space is registered in the Transparency Register of the European Commission.