YOU^thDIG – Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance

23 – 25 May 2026, YOU^thDIG | 26 – 27 May 2026, EuroDIG

The Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance (YOU^thDIG) is a yearly pre-event to the European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) aimed to foster active youth participation. Young people (ages 18-30) from the pan-European region with a strong interest in Internet governance, digital policy and cooperation are working together to draft and advocate for the youth messages.

Every year the YOU^thDIG Organising Team is compiled of former YOU^thDIG participants who design the programme for the upcoming edition. This is a chance to reflect and improve the programme from last editions, build further connections with YOU^thDIG alumni and the EuroDIG community and to provide an opportunity for young people throughout Europe to participate in the Internet Governance Ecosystem focusing on topics that are important to youth in the field.

More details on the wiki.

YOU^thDIG programme

Webinars 8 May, 11 May, 14 May, 17 May, 20 May | 23 – 25 May 2026, YOU^thDIG | 26 – 27 May 2025, EuroDIG

More details on the wiki.

by EURid

26 May 2026 | 09:00 – 09:45 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi |

For 20 years, .eu has reflected Europe’s shared digital ambition. This opening pre-event looks back and forward at how strong partnerships have shaped and will continue to shape a trusted, resilient, and inclusive European online space.

More details on the wiki.

by IGF Youth Track

26 May 2026 | 09:00 – 10:00 CEST | LORD JENKINS |

The 2026 IGF Youth Track on Governance of AI builds on the achievements of the Youth Tracks from 2022–2025, continuing to elevate young voices in shaping inclusive and responsible AI governance.

More details on the wiki.

by EURid

26 May 2026 | 10:00 – 11:00 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi |

Europe’s energy, chips, computing and telecom sectors are not only industrial pillars – they are shaping the future architecture of the internet. This session explores how European actors can strengthen resilience while keeping the internet open, free and secure.

More details on the wiki.

by Council of Europe

26 May 2026 | 10:15 – 11:15 CEST | LORD JENKINS

The increasing use of AI in the justice system requires a shift in judicial professional training, moving from the use of technological tools to addressing fundamental questions about the principles that underpin judicial work.

This leads to an evolution in the required knowledge and skills of judicial professionals, necessitating new approaches and methodologies for judicial training.

In what ways are legal professionals actually using AI? How does this differ for judges and lawyers? What knowledge and skills are required, and how can effective training be provided in such a rapidly changing environment? What are useful resources they can make use of?

More details on the wiki.

Quantum and Europe’s Long Term Competitiveness

26 May 2026 | 11:30 – 12:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi |

His intervention will explore how quantum technologies will reshape encryption, cybersecurity, and the foundations of Europe’s digital infrastructure in the years ahead.

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26 May 2026 | 14:00 – 14:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

• Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks in DG Connect, European Commission |
• Peter Janssen, General Manager EURid |
• Sandra Hoferichter, Secretary General | and Thomas Schneider, President, EuroDIG Support Association |

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26 May 2026 | 14:30 – 15:15 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

Democracy depends, to a large extent, on the soundness of its supporting public sphere. In Europe, democracy is increasingly mediated by digital information ecosystems. They are strongly affected by opportunities and challenges created by rapid technological developments. Whether they are used to revitalize democratic processes by increasing citizens’ engagement, or to paralyze them by eroding public trust, is influenced by economic and political considerations, largely outside Europe.

The opening session focuses on how to safeguard the integrity and functioning of the European digital public sphere. In particular, the session will highlight tools supporting the protection of democracy in the digital sphere, for instance for ensuring media and social media pluralism and their ability to adequately cover elections and other democratic processes, for addressing disinformation or information bubbles and for countering foreign information manipulation and interference campaigns. It will also highlight the mechanisms through which Europe can protect and preserve its regulatory achievements in the current challenging geopolitical landscape.

More details on the wiki.

26 May 2026 | 16:00 – 16:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

Twenty years of .eu: Europe’s tech sovereignty in the global internet

• Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President European Commission |

More details on the wiki.

26 May 2026 | 16:30 – 17:15 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

The increasing demand for young people to be recognised as stakeholders requires empowering youth in Internet Governance. This involves integrating younger topics, concerns, and perspectives that were previously underrepresented in such settings. To facilitate this inclusivity, a series of Intergenerational Dialogues brings together senior EuroDIG attendees, along with current YOU^thDIG participants, providing an open and comprehensive platform to present youths’ impressions on Internet Governance and discuss the Youth Messages.

More details on the wiki.

26 May 2026 | 17:15 – 17:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

• Isabelle Lois, Vice-Chair of UN CSTD, OFCOM Switzerland |

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27 May 2026 | 09:00 – 10:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

This main session as well as WS 7 will develop messages relating to the UN WSIS+20 Review. The Main Session provides the opportunity for European stakeholders to discuss in general terms the outcomes of the Review and the conduct of the process. In the workshop we will focus on the role of the national and regional IGFs in the implementation phase of the Review outcomes. Finally, stakeholders are invited to make proposals for specific actions by EuroDIG in support of the implementation phase.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 09:30 – 10:30 CEST | LORD JENKINS | |

The session will explore how the EUDI Wallet and the EU Business Wallet could become a cornerstone tool for strengthening trust, efficiency and integration within Europe’s Digital Single Market. It will include an up-to-date overview of the Wallet’s development and national implementation perspectives as well as its practical relevance for European domain registries and businesses.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 09:30 – 10:30 CEST | SICCO MANSHOLT | |

The 2025 Youth DIG messages called explicitly for greater youth involvement and broad user empowerment in all things AI and algorithmic governance including the potential use of ‘visible markers or labels’ on AI generated content. Now, new provenance tools such as C2PA and SynthID offer to do just that, providing technological solutions for enforcing standards and ensuring compliance in line with the EU AI Act and the European Democracy Action Plan.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 11:00 – 12:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

Europe’s dependence on non-European digital infrastructures and technologies has fired up the debate on digital sovereignty. From cloud services and semiconductors to social media platforms and payment systems people are asking how Europe can strengthen its tech independence and resilience while remaining open and innovative.

The ongoing debate highlights that sovereignty is not only about infrastructure but also about protecting our democratic values and fundamental rights. Thus the trust in existing digital ecosystem is crucial. It is now clear for everyone that technological design choices can shape European economic autonomy and democratic resilience.

This session will explore whether digital sovereignty in Europe is desirable and feasible. We want to discuss what strategies Europe should pursue to balance autonomy with openness and security in the digital age.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 11:30 – 12:30 CEST | LORD JENKINS | |

This session will bring in a critical discussion on the do’s and don’ts of using technical measures to mitigate online scams and how to address online harms without breaking the Internet. It will bring together technical operators, policymakers and Internet governance experts to examine:

• The real-world impact of DNS and IP blocking on Internet integrity
• The security implications of interfering with DNS, including DNSSEC deployment
• The effectiveness and limits of existing anti-spoofing and authentication technologies
• Approaches that target harms at their source rather than distorting core infrastructure

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 11:30 – 12:30 CEST | SICCO MANSHOLT | |

Digital technologies are reshaping European societies, creating opportunities to advance gender equality by expanding access, participation, and empowerment for women, girls and diverse groups. At the same time, online and technology-facilitated violence is a growing cross-border threat to democracy, human rights, and gender equality, as digital tools can amplify and reinforce structural inequalities, including online and offline violence, discrimination, and exclusion.

This session examines how effective measures and regulatory frameworks – such as the Council of Europe’s standards such as its recently adopted Recommendation on accountability for technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, and its monitoring mechanism GREVIO as well as the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) – combined with best practices and multistakeholder cooperation, can address online violence, prevent AI-driven discrimination, and harness digital technologies to protect fundamental rights and advance gender equality in the digital public sphere.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 13:00 – 13:45 CEST | SICCO MANSHOLT

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 14:00 – 15:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

Building on the European normative framework, governments are rapidly integrating AI into public services. However, it is critical to ensure these systems are transparent, explainable, and accountable as the reliance on automated decision-making (ADM) and artificial intelligence (AI) systems poses risks to public trust, transparency, and accountability if not in line with legal standards. Although AI can enhance citizen engagement, research has also demonstrated that algorithmic bias reflects and even exacerbates existing social inequalities, thereby undermining principles of good administration, respect for the rule of law, and fundamental rights.

The session will explore whether these challenges can be addressed, in particular by utilising different tools and by bias testing via the AI Regulatory Sandboxes to ensure ‘human-rights-by-design’ from the earliest stages of development, or if it requires a more fundamental shift toward human-centric governance, fostering active participation through ‘anticipatory governance’ and ‘civic AI’.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 14:30 – 15:30 CEST | LORD JENKINS | |

Starting from a review of Internet standards, this session examines how open standards can help deliver the Internet we want: resilient, secure, interoperable and inclusive, especially in a time of rapid technological and political change.

As debates on the future of Internet governance continue beyond WSIS+20, one question is becoming increasingly urgent: how do we preserve an open, secure and interoperable Internet while integrating new and more complex technologies?

The Internet’s success has long depended on open standards developed in multistakeholder processes and adopted across networks on a voluntary basis. This model enabled innovation, resilience and global interoperability. But today, the deployment of more complex, automation-dependent and sometimes non-backwards-compatible technologies is putting that model under pressure. At the same time, policymakers are taking a growing interest in standards-setting, while technologies such as AI, quantum computing and other frontier innovations are reshaping the technical and political environment in which the Internet evolves.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 14:30 – 15:30 CEST | SICCO MANSHOLT | |

Several countries, European and beyond, are discussing the introduction of social media age restrictions, amounting to bans for children. But do these measures serve the purpose of protecting children from illegal and harmful content?

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27 May 2026 | 16:00 – 17:30 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

Digital platforms hold immense power over public debate, but their engagement-driven designs—amplified by generative AI and synthetic media—often reduce users to passive consumers of algorithmically curated content, eroding civic agency and fueling disinformation, hate speech, and other harms. Against this backdrop, and building on frameworks like the DSA, Council of Europe’s Recommendation on Online Safety, and foundational texts such as the Rome Declaration on Media Ecology and Cannes Declaration on the Sovereignty of Mind, this session will explore: How can we reshape platform governance to empower users as active citizens—not just audiences—in the digital public sphere? Join us to unpack the legal, governance, and practical conditions needed to safeguard democratic debate in platform-mediated environments.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 16:30 – 17:30 CEST | LORD JENKINS | |

This session is related to Main Topic 1 and provides the opportunity to discuss how European national and regional IGF’s could contribute to the WSIS+20 review outcomes. By connecting policy ambitions with operational realities, the session aims to foster dialogue on how WSIS+20 can remain a living framework – one that empowers communities, strengthens regional cooperation, and ensures that digital transformation benefits all. This session will bring together European Stakeholders to:

• Share national and regional experiences in implementing WSIS commitments
• Highlight innovative governance models and cooperation mechanisms
• Identify gaps between global vision and local execution
• Explore how multistakeholder participation can be strengthened in practice in the European Region
• Discuss how WSIS+20 outcomes can reinforce sustainable development, digital inclusion and human rights
• Contribute with input from Europe to the global discussion on the WSIS Review Outcomes

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 16:30 – 17:30 CEST | SICCO MANSHOLT | |

This session will explore the latest developments in quantum cryptography and how it relates to the internet more broadly. We will examine the technological state of play as well as existing initiatives in the policy field.

More details on the wiki.

27 May 2026 | 17:30 – 18:00 CEST | Alcide De Gasperi | |

More details on the wiki.

Join also the EuroDIG Extra on 18 May 2026, 14:30 – 15:30 CEST (UTC +2)