Around 200 young media professionals, online media influencers, civil society activists, and EU officials met in Helsinki, Finland, on 11-12 December for the “Stronger Together – Eastern Partnership Media Conference” organised by the Finnish Presidency, with the support of the European Commission.
The Conference was an opportunity for participants from both the European Union and Eastern Partnership countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine) to exchange on each other’s media landscape, and to discuss how best to strengthen societal resilience through strategic communication in their respective environments.
Key themes discussed throughout the conference included the freedom of expression, responsible communication and mutual trust. The role of digital technologies and tackling disinformation were also highlighted. Participants reflected on concrete measures to further foster a secure, trustworthy and accountable online ecosystem; promote awareness raising and media literacy; as well as support to independent media and quality of journalism.
The event followed up on the Eastern Partnership Media Conference held on 13-14 November in Riga, which focused on the economic sustainability of independent media in Eastern Partnership countries.
