Connecting Futures is organised in cooperation with Aspen Digital, the Aspen Institute Romania, the Aspen Institute Central Europe, the Aspen Institute Kyiv, and the Aspen Institute UK.
Across the EU enlargement region, the information environment is facing growing pressure. Political polarization, declining trust in traditional media, and increasing media capture make societies more vulnerable to manipulation by both domestic and foreign actors, while emerging technologies accelerate the spread of disinformation and reshape how information circulates, collectively threatening democratic resilience and undermining progress toward EU integration.
In response to these challenges, Connecting Futures aims to bring together a new generation of media professionals, social media influencers, and online content creators to exchange experiences, openly discuss shared challenges, and collaborate across borders.
From July to December 2026, the project will bring together 20 participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine. Across a series of four digital sessions and an in-person workshop in Berlin, Germany, participants will engage in a structured foresight process on the future of information integrity in the EU enlargement region. The goal of the foresight process is to identify key drivers shaping the future of information ecosystems, develop alternative scenarios for 2036, and formulate policy options to strengthen democratic information spaces.
The results of the process will be compiled in a scenario report, to be shared with policy makers, online platforms as well as media and civil society stakeholders, equipping key actors with tools to anticipate and mitigate information threats.
Call for Applications: Participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
If you are a media professional, social media influencer, or online content creator from one of the EU enlargement countries, this is your opportunity to take part in a new cross-European dialogue on the future of information integrity.
