Challenges to Freedom of Expression in Central & Eastern Europe
Watch another panel from the Freedom and Growth Summit 2025, addressing one of the most sensitive and consequential issues shaping modern democracies: the growing challenges to freedom of expression.
Across democratic societies, debates over hate speech, misinformation, and online harm have led to expanding regulatory frameworks that often blur the line between protection and restriction. For Central and Eastern Europe, the challenge is twofold: resisting disinformation and polarization without reproducing restrictive approaches that undermine fundamental freedoms.
Distinguished Panelists:
- Magdalena Zdyra – Deputy Head of the Senate Chancellery
- Boris Kalnoky – Head of MCC School of Media
- Lidia Frankowska – Philosopher, Nowy Ład
- Wojciech Dzięgiel – Director for Energy Security and Resilience, Casimir Pulaski Foundation
- Moderator: Paweł Pawłowski – Programme Director for Freedom and Growth Summit
Key Themes Explored:
- Regulation vs. Rights: Where should the line be drawn between protecting society and restricting individual speech?
- Combating Disinformation: How democracies can fight information warfare without eroding the core values of free expression.
- Global Models: Lessons CEE can draw from both liberal and authoritarian approaches to speech regulation worldwide.
- Digital Resilience: Safeguarding free expression in the digital age amid growing social and political polarization.
Funding & Support The Freedom and Growth Summit was financed by the National Institute of Freedom – Centre for the Development of Civil Society as part of the Government Programme for Civil Initiatives Fund NEWCIF for 2021-2030 and the Government Programme for Civil Society Organizations Development CSODev for 2018-2030.
