This year's forum, "Democratic Renewal. What Makes Change Possible?", brought together European politicians, researchers and civil society experts to examine how democracies recover after periods of backsliding. Discussions drew on recent developments in Hungary, Poland and Moldova and asked what political, institutional and societal conditions allow democratic change to happen.

Speakers included Daniel Freund (Germany), MEP for the Greens/EFA; Kristi Raik, director of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS); Péter Krekó (Hungary), executive director of political capital and a leading disinformation researcher; and Maria Murumaa-Mengel, associate professor of media studies at the University of Tartu.

The program included a fireside chat on why some democracies decline yet others do recover; a panel on lessons from Central and Eastern Europe and a panel on defending democracy in the age of disinformation. Both panels were moderated by journalist Neeme Raud.

The forum is organized by the Open Estonia Foundation (Avatud Eesti Fond). The official event site is here.

The Open Estonia Foundation works to strengthen civil society and social cohesion in Estonia, supporting civic space, democratic participation, open governance and fundamental rights through initiatives ranging from school reform to legal reform and cross-border partnerships, the organization says on its website.

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