Autumn 2018 (#12)
The 12th edition of Convergences captures the Club of Venice’s strategic response to the evolving challenges facing European democracy and public trust. This issue highlights the adoption of the Vilnius Charters, which provide a framework for building societal resilience against disinformation and defining the future of professional government communication. It explores critical regional dialogues, including the first Euro-Mediterranean workshop dedicated to creating an evidence-based narrative on migration and the SEECOM conference on shared identity in the Western Balkans. Contributors analyze the “spiral of euroscepticism” in the media and offer innovative strategies for the 2019 European elections, emphasizing the need for authentic citizen engagement over traditional institutional messaging. Finally, the publication looks ahead to the 2021-2027 European Programming, advocating for a “multi-level governance” approach to effectively communicate the concrete results of EU policies.
Key Topics:
- The Vilnius Charters: New standards for countering digital propaganda and shaping professionalism in communication
- Societal Resilience: Collaborative strategies between EU and NATO partners to detect and neutralize hybrid threats and fake news.
- Evidence-Based Migration Dialogue: Shifting the narrative from sensationalism to facts through Euro-Mediterranean cooperation.
- 2019 European Elections: Moving beyond “citizen consultations” toward permanent civic engagement and co-decision models.
- The “Spiral of Euroscepticism”: Analyzing how media negativity and social media algorithms amplify opposition to the EU.
- Professional Capacity Building: Implementing administrative reinforcement and Nudge theories to improve public policy delivery.
- Western Balkans Integration: Insights from the SEECOM conference on building a shared identity and communicating the benefits of EU enlargement.
- Open Government and Data Dashboards: Promoting transparency through real-time analytics and public dashboards for portals like Europa.
- Behavioral Insights (Nudge): Leveraging psychological models to create more responsive public services and effective social movements.
- European Programming 2021-2027: Enhancing the communication of results from Community Programs to rebuild citizen confidence.
