INVITATION: Protection of information space, free media and their role in strengthening the rule of law

We would like to invite you to a conference on the protection of information space, free media and their role in strengthening the rule of law, which will take place on 3 June at 13:45 at the European House in Prague.

Conference programme:
13:45 - 14:00 Opening remarks

• Věra Jourová, Vice-President, European Commission (online)
• David Smoljak, Senator, Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs, Senate of the Czech Republic
• Martin Vokálek, Executive Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy

14:00 - 15:45 Session 1: The role of media in the current turbulent environment
The Media Freedom Act is based on the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive and thus completes the triad with the European Commission's Digital Services and Digital Market Acts. It is therefore necessary to prepare ourselves for the changes and for what the European legislative space in the field of media provides and will introduce. What do these acts mean for the media and information space in our country? In what areas do the imperfections of these efforts or the flaws of the current arrangements remain? What is the role of free media in promoting the rule of law and active citizenship? And what are the biggest challenges facing independent media?

• Petr Fleischmann, political scientist and philosopher
• Michal Klíma, Government Commissioner for Media and Disinformation, Office of the Government of the Czech Republic
• David Smoljak, Senator and Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs, Senate of the Czech Republic
• Josef Šlerka, media expert and educator
• Libuše Šmuclerová, Chairman of the Board, Czech News Center
• Moderator: Ivo Kaplán, Chairman of the Board, European Renaissance Institute

15:45 - 16:15 Coffee break 
16:15 - 18:00 Session 2: Protection of information and cyberspace and the fight against disinformation versus civil liberties
Public service media have an important position in the new environment of wide online coverage of different social media, as their funding should fully ensure their activities without being influenced by special political or economic interests. Recently, the current information environment has increasingly become a vehicle for the dissemination of misinformation and citizens are often enclosed in information bubbles. Last but not least, some efforts to combat disinformation can be perceived as attempts to limit freedom of speech or other values. How to protect information and cyberspace while continuing to ensure pluralism of opinion and an open media environment? How to effectively combat disinformation efforts? Where is the line between freedoms and efforts to protect citizens and other values of our society?

• Alexandra Alvarová, journalist, writer and disinformation expert (online)
• Markéta Gregorová, Member of the European Parliament and member of the Special Committee on Foreign Interference in All Democratic Processes in the European Union, including Disinformation, Pirates, Greens/ESA
• Jakub Kalenský, Senior Analyst, The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (online)
• Bohumil Kartous, Director, Prague Innovation Institute
• Václav Moravec, editor, presenter and educator, Czech Television
• Jiří Přibáň, lawyer, professor, Cardiff University
• Moderator: Martin Vokálek, Executive Director, EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy

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The conference is organised by the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy under the auspices of the Committee on EU Affairs of the Senate of the Czech Republic and in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic.

When: 30 May 2022, 13:45 - 18:00
Where: the European House, Jungmannova 24, Prague 1

The capacity of the hall is limited and it is therefore necessary to register here: https://bit.ly/3LOu9NI

The conference will be in Czech language.

Martin Vokálek
Executive Director

Expertise: Economic issues, European security and NATO, war crimes and international law problematic