SEEDIG 10 – SEEDIG

Our Special Anniversary Edition

SEEDIG welcomes you to Athens, Greece, on 10-11 October 2025!

Imagine starting the day with a breathtaking sunrise over the Aegean, as we come together for a special anniversary edition of SEEDIG. Guided by the overarching theme “A Decade of Dialogue and Cooperation: What’s Next?”, SEEDIG 10 will serve as a platform for both reflection and forward-looking conversation about the future of digital governance, and our regional collaboration.

SEEDIG 10 is also a tribute to the origins of the global internet governance — 20 years ago, Athens hosted the very first IGF, paving the way for multistakeholder cooperation. Now, our region reunites to honor this legacy, celebrate our achievements, and look ahead to the next chapter.

Join us for two days of dialogue, and inspiration under the Greek sun!

Your SEEDIG 10 Starts Here

Register for SEEDIG 10

Join us for SEEDIG 10 – our special anniversary edition! Be part of a decade-long journey of dialogue and cooperation in digital governance. Register now to connect with experts, policymakers, and the regional community as we shape the next chapter together.

CLICK TO REGISTER

Become partner or sponsor

Support SEEDIG 10 and be part of our anniversary edition! Whether through strategic collaboration or sponsorship, your contribution helps strengthen regional dialogue on digital governance. We offer tailored sponsorship packages to align with your organization’s goals. Reach out to SEEDIG Board!

📩 board@seedig.net

SEEDIG 10: Program at a Glance

This is a draft version of the program. Final updates will be reflected here as confirmed.

DAY 1 – Friday, 10 October 2025

09:00–10:00

🖊️🤝🏻 Registration & Networking

10:00–10:30

📣 SEEDIG Chair Opening Talk – 10 Years of SEEDIG: From Idea to Impact

10:30–11:00

📣 Keynote

11:00–11:15

☕ Coffee Break

11:15–12:00

💬 Gov.gr and Beyond: Rethinking Public Administration in Greece Through Digital Innovation and AI Ethics

In recent years, Greece has made significant strides in public sector digital transformation. With the launch of gov.gr, the integration of digital authorisations, AI-enhanced services (such as the Land Registry), and a rapidly evolving digital wallet, the Greek public administration is moving from fragmentation to functional simplicity. But how deep is this transformation? Beyond the platforms and user interfaces, digital innovation raises important questions about organizational culture in the Greek public sector, the shift from rigid bureaucracy to agile governance, and the ethical implications of integrating AI in citizen-facing services. This session will focus exclusively on Greece as a case study — reflecting on lessons learned, persistent challenges (such as digital skills, inter-agency interoperability, and citizen trust), and how Greece’s experience can inform future strategies. Speakers will also explore how this national transformation interacts with broader European frameworks — such as the Digital Decade targets and the EU’s approach to AI regulation. Rather than presenting a success story, the session aims to open a critical and constructive dialogue about what meaningful digital governance means in the Greek context — and what comes next.

🎙️ Moderator

Dimitris Panopoulos, Head of Labour Market Research and Analysis Unit at the Ministry of Labour Greece, European Innovation Policy Expert

Speakers

🗣️ Dimitra Tomprou, Public Policy Expert, Scientific Staff at the Institute of Training, National Centre for Public Administration and Local Government (EKDDA), Greece
🗣️ Andreas Stefanidis, President, Academy of Entrepreneurship
🗣️ Georgios Karamanolis, Co-founder & CTO, Crowdpolicy
🗣️ Despoina Chalvatzi, Project Manager, SciFY

💼 Session Lead

National Centre of Public Administration and Local Governance (Greece)

11:15–12:00

🏛️ Parliamentary Dialogue: The Role of Parliaments and Parliamentary Assemblies in the Governance of Internet and Democratic Resilience

The South-Eastern European region has unique characteristics that are highly important from a strategic point of view. The proposed session aims at highlighting the centrality of parliamentary dialogue in identifying and putting into practice new tools for the governance of the internet and emerging technologies, in the framework of the strategic guidelines adopted, among others, by the United Nations, the European Union and the OECD, in order to strengthen democratic resilience. In South-Eastern Europe, one factor that contributes significantly to eroding democratic resilience is the rise of hate speech and political violence online: PAM is very committed to addressing these phenomena. In the session, the research findings of the PAM report ‘Resilience of Democratic Systems in relation to the Misuse of AI, ICT, and other Emerging Technologies’ will be presented.

🎙️ Moderator

Marco Emanuele (Italy), Senior Researcher of the PAM Centre for Global Studies (CGS)

Speakers

🗣️ Hon. Abdelouahab Yagoubi (Algeria), PAM Rapporteur on Artificial Intelligence
🗣️ Hon. Klodiana Spahiu (Albania), Vice-President of the PAM Women Parliamentary Forum
🗣️ Hon. Fotini Arampatzi (Greece), Head of the Greek Delegation to PAM
🗣️ Hon. Mirela Furtuna (Romania), Head of the Romanian Delegation to PAM
🗣️ Hon. Nikola Lazic (Serbia), Member of the Serbian Delegation to PAM

💼 Session Lead

Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM)

12:00–13:00

🏛️ Public-Private Policy Dialogue: Human Rights and Digital Business

As digital transformation accelerates across the public and private sectors, addressing human rights impacts in digital business has become a growing priority. This session will examine the changing relationship between digital innovation and human rights, focusing on the challenges companies face in meeting standards, as well as the opportunities and competitive advantages of proactive engagement. The discussion will explore how digital tools — such as open data platforms and human rights tracking tools — can help implement safeguards and monitor outcomes across businesses. It will also feature examples of how governments, international organisations and civil society are using these technologies to advance global human rights efforts. Representatives of leading technology companies and associations, members of the Council of Europe Digital Partnership, will present their tools and policies on protecting human rights and democracy online, such as ethics by design principles, social corporate responsibility charts, community principle etc. The speakers will elaborate on the ongoing cooperation with the Council of Europe. A special attention will be given to initiatives in South-Eastern Europe.

🎙️ Moderator

Biljana Nikolic, Programme Manager, Council of Europe
Octavian Sofransky, Digital Governance Advisor, Council of Europe

Speakers

🗣️ Domenico Zipoli, Project Coordinator and Senior Research Fellow at Geneva Academy
🗣️ Lyra Jakulevičienė, PhD, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
🗣️ Dorothée Baumann-Pauly, PhD, Basel Institute on Governance
🗣️ Representatives of Digital Partners

💼 Session Lead

Council of Europe

12:00–13:00

💬 Caught in the Feed: Rethinking Media’s Dependency on Big Tech

As media outlets across the globe — and especially in smaller or less resourced markets — struggle with funding, visibility, and distribution, they have become increasingly dependent on the infrastructure and algorithms of Big Tech platforms like Google, Meta, and X. This session will explore the implications of that dependency: from platform-driven traffic and ad revenue models to the algorithmic shaping of news visibility, content priorities, and public discourse. In regions like the Western Balkans, where media pluralism is already fragile, the influence of Big Tech can exacerbate vulnerabilities, reinforcing monopolies and limiting local agency. The session brings together media researchers and policy experts, journalists, and tech representatives to critically assess the current media-tech dynamic and explore sustainable, independent alternatives.

🎙️ Moderator

Aida Mahmutovic, Project Manager, BIRN BiH

Speakers

🗣️ Julia Haas, Adviser to the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media
🗣️ Anida Sokol, Media researcher, Mediacentar Sarajevo
🗣️ Fedja Kulenovic, Media expert, Coalition for Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
🗣️ Google News Lab representative (TBC)

💼 Session Lead

Coalition for Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Bosnia and Herzegovina & OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina

13:00–14:00

🍽️ Lunch

14:00–15:30

💬 Countering Harmful Content and Disinformation Online

While freedom of expression remains a cornerstone of democratic societies, the proliferation of harmful content online — including disinformation, hate speech, and incitement to violence — poses serious risks to public trust, democratic institutions, and societal cohesion. This session will explore how to strengthen democratic resilience by addressing harmful online content through a human rights-based approach, grounded in Council of Europe standards. It will foster a multi-stakeholder dialogue among legal experts and media regulators from South-Eastern Europe, aiming to identify human rights-compliant solutions to address the most pressing challenges in content governance today.

🎙️ Moderator

Alina Tatarenko, Head of Division for Cooperation on Freedom of Expression, Council of Europe

Speakers

🗣️ Paolo Cavaliere, Council of Europe Expert, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and IT Law, University of Edinburgh Law School
🗣️ Azra Maslo, Programme Standards Coordinator at Communications Regulatory Agency (CRA), Bosnia and Herzegovina
🗣️ Maria Donde, Director at Coimisiún na Meán, Media and Online Safety Regulatory Authority of Ireland
🗣️ Persa Lampropoulou, Legal Advisor to the National Council for Radio and Television of Greece
🗣️ Robert Gajda, Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination of Albania
🗣️ Other Representatives of National Regulators (TBC)

💼 Session Lead

Council of Europe

14:00–15:30

🧩 Co-Creation Workshop: Shaping Digital Futures – Youth as Catalysts for Change

This hands-on workshop will bring together participants to explore key digital challenges in South-Eastern Europe through four thematic groups. The discussions will focus on: ensuring AI systems are inclusive and rights-based; fostering multi-stakeholder cooperation for cybersecurity; addressing brain drain and youth employment in the digital economy; and moving from tokenistic to meaningful youth participation in digital governance. Participants will co-create ideas and recommendations, with youth perspectives at the center.

💼 Session Lead

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

15:30–16:15

💬 Securing the Internet Routing in the SEE Region

Internet security can be strengthened across multiple layers. In this session, speakers will focus on securing a critical part of the infrastructure: the IP routing layer, which sits just above the physical and transport layers. Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) is a security framework that enables cryptographic validation of BGP route announcements. It plays a key role in preventing route hijacking and misoriginations. However, the successful deployment of RPKI depends on collaboration between the technical community, the private sector, and policymakers. During the session, experts will present the current state of RPKI adoption among network operators in the South-Eastern Europe region. The panel will bring together diverse perspectives and expertise, aiming to raise awareness about secure routing and encourage broader implementation by showcasing available tools and best practices.

🎙️ Moderator

Desiree Milošević, President, ISOC Serbia

Speakers

🗣️ Alena Muravska, Programme Manager – Public Policy & Internet Governance, RIPE NCC
🗣️ Forum Standardisation, the Netherlands
🗣️ Pavle Mijuskovic, EKIP Montenegro
🗣️ Network Operator SEE (TBC)

💼 Session Lead

RIPE NCC

15:30–16:15

💬 Ensuring the Protection of the Right to Equality in the Digital Era

As societies become increasingly digital, the right to equality faces new and complex challenges. From algorithmic discrimination and digital exclusion to biases in AI and unequal access to technology, the digital era risks deepening existing inequalities and creating new forms of discrimination. National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Equality Bodies play a crucial role in safeguarding equality and non-discrimination in this rapidly evolving landscape. This panel will explore how these institutions can effectively protect and promote the right to equality in the digital context. Speakers will discuss pssibilitiess for monitoring and addressing discrimination in digital technologies, advocating for inclusive and rights-based digital policies, and ensuring that emerging technologies comply with human rights standards.

🎙️ Moderator

Bogdan Banjac, Senior Advisor, Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Serbia

Speakers

🗣️ Kalliopi Lykovardi, Deputy Ombudsperson for Equal Treatment, The Greek Ombudsman, Equinet Board Member
🗣️ Brankica Janković, Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Serbia
🗣️ Limko Bejzaroski, Chairperson, Commission for Prevention and Protection from Discrimination, North Macedonia (TBC)

💼 Session Lead

Commissioner for Protection of Equality, Serbia

16:15–16:30

☕ Coffee Break

16:30–17:30

🌐 The Future of Multistakeholder Internet Governance: WSIS+20 through South-Eastern European Lens

17:30–18:00

🎤 Open Mic – Community Reflections: SEEDIG Past, Present & Future

20:00

🎂 Cheers to 10 Years! SEEDIG Anniversary Reception

All SEEDIG 10 participants are warmly invited to join us for an evening of informal networking and celebration.
Let’s toast to 10 years of SEEDIG!

DAY 2 – Saturday, 11 October 2025

09:00–10:00

💬 Digital IDs and Wallets in the Balkans: Progress, Challenges, and Human-Centric Approaches

This session explores the implementation of digital ID systems and digital wallets across the Balkan region, highlighting national approaches, regional coordination, and emerging challenges around privacy, inclusion, and trust.

🎙️ Moderator

Asim Adeel

Speakers

🗣️ Cara Vollrath-Roediger
🗣️ Gabriella Marcelja

💼 Session Lead

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

09:00–10:00

💬 Platform Bans on the Rise: Trends and Human Rights Implications in SEE

This panel focuses on the growing trend of platform bans in South-Eastern Europe, highlighting their negative impact on freedom of expression, political participation, and privacy. Based on BIRN’s regular monitoring of digital rights violations, the session will explore the strategic timing of bans, their legal implications, and how they undermine democratic processes and civic space.

🎙️ Moderator

Azra Milić, BIRN Digital Rights Programme Coordinator (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Speakers

🗣️ Megi Reçi, Digital Rights Research Lead at BIRN, Legal Expert (Albania)
🗣️ Snežana Nikčević, Program Manager/Digital Rights Advocate, NVO “35mm” (Montenegro)
🗣️ Besmir Semanaj, Cybersecurity Expert (Albania/Austria)

💼 Session Lead

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)

10:00–11:00

💬 Beyond ASCII: Navigating the Internet in Local Languages

💼 Session Lead

EURid & CODI

10:00–11:00

💬 Investigating Online Harassment and Abuse Against Women Journalists in the Western Balkans

Online harassment and abuse against women journalists are a worrying trend in the Western Balkans and across Europe. Evidence indicates that various forms of harassment, resulting from backlash to women’s journalistic activities, escalate and manifest in offline spheres. However, the impacts of this form of abuse are often minimised or dismissed in comparison to offline attacks, despite it having similar chilling impacts on expression and often having uniquely gendered components. Authorities have failed to investigate online harassment and guarantee effective remedies for those targeted by these serious attacks.

States have an obligation to address harassment and abuse, including online abuse, and to conduct effective investigations into its gendered impact on the exercise of the right to freedom of expression through an intersectional lens. Recognising and monitoring the intersectional impacts of online harassment against women journalists are a key step to ending impunity for harassment, intimidation or threats of violence – online and offline – directed against them and moving toward a framework for accountability.

🎙️ Moderator

Paulina Gutiérrez, Head of Protection, ARTICLE 19

Speakers

🗣️ Tajana Broz, Journalist and Deputy Director, Faktograf
🗣️ Rade Djurić, Lawyer, Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS)
🗣️ Maja Ćalović, Digital Media Expert, Media Center Sarajevo and Coordinator of the Coalition for Freedom of Expression and Content Moderation in Bosnia and Herzegovina

💼 Session Lead

ARTICLE 19

11:00–11:15

☕ Coffee Break

11:15–12:00

💬 Highlights and Challenges of SEE ccTLDs During the Decade

The session aims to tackle the progress of regional ccTLDs in the past 10 years illustrating the digital development of local markets. We are to observe aspects of infrastructure improvement, market strength, but also the policies ccTLD registries needed to implement and adjust minding the EU regulation and local legislation. From the perspective of a provider of a key service of the Internet, we are to deliberate our own voice and positions in the complex ecosystem, relevance, growth, challenges faced, and lessons learned, minding the trends that could easily become a game changer.

🎙️ Moderator

Dijana Milutinović, Communications Manager, RNIDS

Speakers

🗣️ Barbara Povše, Arnes, Slovenia
🗣️ Zoran Perović, SoX, Serbia
🗣️ Goce Naumovski, North Macedonia

💼 Session Lead

RNIDS

11:15–12:00

💬 Cyber Interference With Democracy

The session will explore how information and communication technologies are misused to manipulate democratic institutions, electoral processes, and public trust in governance. The focus would be on recent cases of cyber interference in elections through malicious activities, outlining various forms of such interference, and discussing preventative and responsive measures grounded in the principles of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

🎙️ Moderator

Octavian Sofransky, Digital Governance Advisor, Council of Europe

Speakers

🗣️ Paul Radu, Co-founder, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)
🗣️ Nienke Palstra, Senior Campaigner, Global Witness
🗣️ TBC

💼 Session Lead

Council of Europe – Cybercrime Programme Office (C-PROC)

12:00–13:00

💬 From Vision to Action: Advancing National AI Strategies in South-Eastern Europe

Building on the momentum of the CEE AI Action Plan launched during the EU Digital Summit in Gdańsk, this session explores how South-Eastern European countries can localize and implement its key pillars. It will examine opportunities to develop national AI strategies aligned with regional priorities, bridge capacity gaps, and ensure AI development supports economic growth, public sector innovation, and human rights across the SEE region.

💼 Session Lead

AI Chamber

12:00–13:00

💬 Digital Policy and Enlargement: A Regional Roadmap for the Western Balkans

The session would explore how regional cooperation and the EU integration process can be utilized for ensuring a safer, more functional and trustworthy online environment for users in the Western Balkans. The EU enlargement process offers a timely opportunity for the region to embed the principles of the EU digital regulatory framework—particularly the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA)—into national legislation. Digital policy alignment is of strategic importance, supporting both regional and EU-wide goals related to democracy, economic integration, and security. However, progress across the region is slow and fragmented. To address this, digital policy must be recognized as a core pillar of the enlargement agenda. Given the shared and interconnected nature of digital ecosystems, markets, and risks in the Western Balkans, a unified regional approach is essential. This perspective aligns with the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, which identifies the digital single market as a priority segment for economic integration. Yet, achieving region-wide political consensus will be challenging. Regional cooperation frameworks, such as the Common Regional Market, offer a valuable basis for promoting coordinated digital alignment across the region. This session would explore practical pathways for harmonizing digital rules and regulatory approaches, and ensuring operational readiness for implementing the EU digital rulebook. Additionally, the panel would address the institutional and capacity-building needs of regulators in the region.

🎙️ Moderator

Maida Ćulahović, Policy Coordinator, “Zašto ne”

Speakers

🗣️ European Commission: DG Connect or DG ENEST
🗣️ Vojislav Popović, Senior Expert on Digital Connectivity, Regional Cooperation Council (RCC)
🗣️ Representative of regulatory authority of Montenegro or Bosnia and Herzegovina
🗣️ Emma Quaedvlieg, Policy Manager, Expert on the EU and Western Balkans, European Partnership for Democracy

💼 Session Lead

Udruženje građana “Zašto ne” / Citizens’ Association “Why Not”

13:00–13:30

🎤 Closing Reflections – See You at SEEDIG 11

16:00–21:00 (by invitation only)

🤝🏻 Strategy & Networking Meeting

Informal closed-door gathering for long-standing SEEDIG partners, sponsors, and supporters to reflect on SEEDIG’s evolution and discuss future strategic directions and collaboration modalities. An opportunity to thank our core community and shape the next chapter of SEEDIG together.

Submit session proposal

Have a great session idea for SEEDIG 10? Submit your proposal by 30 June and help shape the agenda for our special anniversary edition, highlighting key digital governance topics in SEE region. Selected proposals will be announced by 15 July – don’t miss your chance to contribute!

SESSION SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED

Apply for Youth School 2025

Youth School 2025 is a two-phase program combining a moderated online Internet Governance course, powered by Internet Society, with an in-person one-day event on 9 October in Athens. Designed for students and young professionals, it offers a unique opportunity to explore digital governance and connect with experts from across SEE.

CLICK TO SEE WHO WAS SELECTED