EPIC at the 6th Siena Conference: Reclaiming the Media as a Force for Democratic Innovation
25/06/2025 · 4 min read
At the 6th Siena Conference on the Europe of the Future, held at the historic Certosa di Pontignano, EPIC contributed to a critical discussion on the role of media in rebuilding Europe’s democratic resilience. The panel, “From Polarisation to Media as a Platform for Problem Solving,” was organised by ReImagine Europe and FIEG, and brought together a group of forward-thinking experts to explore how we can shift media from deepening division to enabling solutions.
Representing EPIC, Vassilis Kessidis joined a distinguished panel alongside Dr. Francesca Traldi and Anette Novak. The session was chaired by Alexandra Borchardt and introduced by Erika Staël von Holstein.
Kessidis focused his remarks on the structural drivers of polarisation in Europe today. “Polarisation is not the result of open democratic debate,” he said. “It is the consequence of debates monopolised by the extremes — amplified by algorithms that reward conflict over comprehension. We’re seeing a breakdown of shared meaning.”
He argued that addressing polarisation requires a reinvention of the public sphere, with media as a central actor. Three key actions were proposed:
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Strengthen independent journalism as a public good. Journalism should be protected from purely commercial pressures and supported through public investment, legal safeguards, and civic trust.
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Establish observatories to track disinformation. Europe needs institutional tools to monitor the spread and impact of false narratives, with transparency and independence.
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Restore journalism’s democratic purpose. News should serve to inform and empower people — not to manipulate or merely entertain them.
For Kessidis and EPIC, this is not simply a media policy issue — it’s a matter of democratic survival. “We cannot eliminate disagreement, and we should not try. But we can create the conditions under which disagreement becomes productive, rather than destructive,” he said. “That, in my view, is the next great frontier of democratic innovation — and media must be at the centre of it.”
As part of its mission, EPIC continues to promote civic resilience, strategic foresight, and democratic reform. The Siena Conference served as another important step in building a more deliberative, informed, and resilient European public space.
For more information, visit the Siena Conference website.
