🇹🇷 Members of our Experts’ Jury visited Denizli to exchange with the Mayor, city representatives, councillors from governing and opposition parties, and civil society organisations. These city visits are key to assessing democratic innovation on the ground — beyond concepts, towards real impact.

🏆 The Innovation in Politics Awards 2026 are open for submissions! Do you know a political project that’s making a real difference in Europe? Or are you working on one yourself?

🏙️ As part of the European Capital of Democracy selection process, members of the our Experts' Jury spent a full day in #Brussels meeting 🏛️ city representatives, 🤝 governing & opposition councillors, 🌱 civil society organisations and 🧩 project owners.

Our Experts’ Jury visited Ankara to assess democratic projects and practices on the ground. They met with the Mayor, city representatives, opposition councillors, civil society organisations and youth initiatives.

European Capitals of Democracy are chosen through a multi-stage process. The final decision is made by a Citizens’ Jury of more than 4,500 engaged individuals from across the Council of Europe member states and Kosovo. Register now, become a Citizens’ Juror: capitalofdemocracy.eu/join-us-as-a...

After a highly successful Democracy Year in Vienna, Cascais is taking over the title of European Capital of Democracy in 2026. At the same time these four cities are competing for European Capital of Democracy 2027.

ℹ️ Did you know? Samsung has created its own Mobile Gaming Hub — a central platform to organise games, discover new titles, explore gaming trends and enjoy an outstanding mobile gaming experience. 🎮 Chek this out: www.samsung.com/at/apps/gami...

We were proud to bring Truth, Lies & Democracy to life together with a strong network of partners, including the City of Vienna, Belvedere Museum, SKILLED and Samsung Austria. Thank you for supporting high-quality gaming experiences that strengthen media literacy and democracy.

From 26 to 28 September, 62 young creatives and developers from across Europe gathered in Vienna for Truth, Lies & Democracy - a 48-hour Game Jam fighting fake news through creativity, critical thinking and play. 🎮 This highlight video captures the energy and collaboration that shaped the weekend.

What does democratic engagement and innovation look like in Vienna? ▪️ over 600 events ▪️ Vienna’s first Democracy Strategy ▪️ new spaces for participation – incl. the Office for Public Participation A strong year. A strong message: local democracy matters.

“Cities are laboratories for democratic futures.” ECoD founder @helfriedcarl.bsky.social shared this thought at the press briefing – and we couldn’t agree more. 📹 Watch the interview: www.meinbezirk.at/wien/c-polit... Thanks to everyone who helped shape this year. Cascais, it’s your turn 🇵🇹

Yesterday marked the official closing of Vienna’s year as European Capital of Democracy 24/25. At a press briefing in Vienna’s City Hall, the Mayors of #Vienna and #Cascais reflected on what it means to build democratic cities – and passed on the torch to Cascais, Portugal 🇵🇹

… day 2 in Brussels: After yesterday’s meeting in the @euparliament.bsky.social, having talks with officials from the @ec.europa.eu about @capitalofdemocracy.eu and our contribution to strengthening European Democracy.

It was a pleasure welcoming Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs, @beate.neos.eu yesterday evening at the @kreiskyforum.bsky.social for what proved to be a tour d‘horizon with @ckahlweit.bsky.social and @raimundloew.bsky.social. @capitalofdemocracy.eu @innovationinpolitics.eu

Join us online for the launch of the #ScaleDem Policy Report on “Scaling Democratic Innovations: Emerging Practices for Future Policies”. Discover insights from 100+ EU-funded projects on making democratic innovations lasting, impactful, and embedded in institutions. scaledem.eu/events/webin...

🌿 Join us Monday, 13 Oct (10:30–12:00 CEST) for our EURegionsWeek webinar “Cities for Green Transition.” Featuring the Cities of Brussels & Vienna — exploring how communities drive local climate action. 🔗 Register now: capitalofdemocracy.eu/ecn-webinar/

Great to be @ #UNForumofMayors #UNFoM at #UN in #Geneva, meeting new allies + proven partners like SG Mori of the Council of Europe‘s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as well as ED Rossbach of #UNGABITAT. Mayors prove how crucial the cities are to meet the #SDG s. @capitalofdemocracy.eu

Congrats to our team, Causa Critica! Can you believe they created a video game from scratch in 48 hours?! We'll share more on their game, President of the Universe, soon. For now, a huge thank you to our friends at @causacreations.bsky.social & to @capitalofdemocracy.eu for the great organization!

We're now presenting the games + announcing all winners live on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCfk...

The jury is testing games right now 👀 Exciting ideas coming to life at #TruthLiesDemocracy

Day 2 of the #TruthLiesDemocracy Game Jam: Teams are building their games, with mentors guiding the way. Tomorrow: the big finale! #TLD25

Here we go! www.youtube.com/live/rhsDQP-... @capitalofdemocracy.eu

Gaming + Democracy = 💡 Cornelia Roider-Kubat is giving today’s keynote at #TruthLiesDemocracy. Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhsD...

#TruthLiesDemocracy Game kicks off NOW at Belvedere 21 in Vienna! Watch it live: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhsD... 🎥✨

The #TruthLiesDemocracy Game Jam is going life at 15:00 CEST! 🎮 3 days, dozens of creative minds, and one mission: fighting disinformation through gaming. Join the Livestream on Youtube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhsD...

Only 1 day left! 🎮 #TruthLiesDemocracy kicks off this Friday in Vienna – 14 teams from 7 countries tackling democracy, disinformation & manipulation. 👉 Register for the livestream here: forms.gle/EzJMxXT9QYgz...

We are marking this #DemocracyDay with a brand new article about #ScaleDem. From local initiatives to transnational cities assemblies and research projects, Europe is testing new paths to counter its democracy crisis. Read the article scaledem.eu/news/reinven...

Campus Rural ha sido premiado como mejor iniciativa de desarrollo local en Europa por @capitalofdemocracy.eu y The Innovation in Politics Institute. Por la promoción de prácticas que conectan a estudiantes con el territorio. Trabajamos para impulsar el desarrollo rural y combatir la despoblación 🏡

📰 Yesterday’s press conference in Vienna for the Innovation in Politics Awards 2025 gained media attention: We are featured in Heute, one of Austria‘s largest daily newspapers. Read the full article here:

🌍 Over 1,000 citizens from 26 countries served as the international jury – ensuring legitimacy, diversity & trust in the innovation in #politicsawards

Vienna – the 2025 European Capital of Democracy – hosted the Innovation in Politics Awards and Gala with 500+ leaders & guests. A true celebration of democratic innovation in the heart of Europe. 🇪🇺✨ #politicsawards

Eight outstanding political projects have won the Innovation in Politics Awards 2025 in Vienna! 🎉 Selected by 1,000+ citizens from 26 countries, these projects set new standards for democracy in Europe. #politicsawards

Opening of European Resilience Summit on Climate Crisis and Resilience at Local and Regional Levels by our Member of Advisory Council Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook and Mayor of @capitalofdemocracy.eu #Vienna Michael Ludwig at magnificent @oeaw.bsky.social in cooperation with Papal Academy of Sciences.

Last chance to share your emotions >> crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores We’re part of the EU-funded #MORES project researching how moral emotions influence political decisions. Take the survey and don’t forget to mention European Capital of Democracy in Section 7!

Ich freue mich, dass die @diepressecom.bsky.social eine gekürzte Version meiner Rede beim Salzburger Stadtfest abdruckt. @capitalofdemocracy.eu @innovationinpolitics.eu www.diepresse.com/19948688/die...

Ready to shape the future of democracy through gaming? Join Truth, Lies & Democracy — our international Game Jam tackling disinformation and democratic resilience. Here’s how to apply in just 3 easy steps. capitalofdemocracy.eu/truth-lies-d...

It was an honour and a joy to be back at the OSCE, where I used to work as an Attaché at @bmeia.gv.at's Permanent Mission almost 30 years ago, this time invited to give a presentation on @capitalofdemocracy.eu in the context of OSCE's work on Smart and Resilient Cities. @innovationinpolitics.eu

OSCE meets ECoD. Our founder @helfriedcarl.bsky.social had the honour of presenting the European Capital of Democracy at the OSCE’s first thematic meeting on Smart & Resilient Cities.

“I’m tired. Not of the Stadtfest – but of the constant stream of alarming, fear-driven news flooding our timelines every day.” Instead of resignation, Helfried Carl proposed Zuversicht at Salzburger Stadtfest I 📸 : Stadt Salzburg

🏛️ Today is the International Day of Parliamentarism. Democracy needs places where voices clash and compromise happens. Parliaments aren’t perfect. But they matter.

33+ countries. 1,941 local changemakers. 20.5 hours of honest conversation. The European City Network Webinar Series shows how cities are building democracy from the ground up – together. Full recap here: capitalofdemocracy.eu/ecn-webinars

A classroom full of questions. Five hands-on stations. One day dedicated to democracy. Together with Foster Europe, we brought civic learning to Neusiedl am See — from fake news to AI to role-playing democratic decisions.

A full team day in #Bratislava → Boat ride across borders → Visit to the Austrian Embassy → Talks on Slovakia’s political landscape → Art, sunlight, and excellent broccoli soup Our founder once served as ambassador here – so this trip was more than symbolic.

Barcelona. Vienna. Cascais. These cities didn’t just lead — they made democracy visible. Now we’re looking for the next one. Think your city has what it takes?📍 Apply now: capitalofdemocracy.eu/how-to-apply

Truth. Lies. Democracy. And now: Games. TLD is back — this time in Vienna. 48 hours. Teams from across Europe. Game on. 🗓️ 26–28 Sept #TLD25

What do EU policies make you feel? We’re teaming up with @ecas-europe.bsky.social for the @mores-project.bsky.social to explore how emotions shape our views on Europe’s big decisions. Share yours in the survey: crowdsourcing.ecas.org/en/Mores ✏️ Don’t forget to mention ECoD in Section 7!

“New threats like election interference and fake news are becoming more serious.” That’s why young reporters at #ANMC25 spoke with experts from the Council of Europe - to learn how we can protect democracy now. #ECoD

If you were mayor, what would you do? 🌿 Increase green spaces 🚌 Expand accessible transport 🧠 Promote education & inclusion That’s what young Europeans proposed at #ANMC25. What would you add? #Europe #ECoD

“I was surprised by how much work is needed to keep democracy strong.” That was the honest reflection of a young participant at the ACT NOW Mayors’ Conference in Vienna. A reminder: democracy needs us — all of us. #ANMC25 #ECoD

Last chance to sign up for our last European City Network Webinar before our summer break! 📅 Tuesday, 10 June ⏰ 10:30–12:00 CEST Register now: capitalofdemocracy.eu/ecn-webinars/