This year's Civil Society Days will take place right after the plenary session at which the European Economic and Social Committee celebrates its 60th anniversary.
The focus of this Civil Society Days will be on fostering the current debate about the future of Europe and on highlighting the role across Europe of the civil society organisations which come together in the EESC to represent "Europe at work".
In line with this twofold emphasis, the CivSocDays 2018 will address Europe at work in relation to a dimension which has permeated our everyday working and living environment and will affect and shape our future, as well as the future of Europe: the digital world.
The digital revolution has already started to define the way that society as a whole operates and is living together. Are we still masters of digital tools or are they already our masters, altering our values, our perceptions, and our cultures?
What direction are we going in? How do we want our societies to evolve using these new technologies in a way that benefits us?
Civil society organisations have a crucial role to play when it comes to defending our values, our rights and our democracy, and thus in reflecting on and discussing other fundamental societal questions.
Against this background, the six interactive workshops will take a closer look at how citizenship, democracy and culture can develop and be promoted in a digitalised Europe, from the point of view of:
- Education and Culture: a synergy for European identity in all its diversity
- Identities and polarisation
- Cybersecurity and data protection: at the service of the general interest
- The Digital Democracy Battle: Defend your tool to improve Civic Participation
- Empowerment to overcome the digital divide
- AI as a common good