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An assembly is a group of members of an organization who meet periodically to make decisions about a specific area or scope of the organization.
Assemblies hold meetings, some are private and some are open. If they are open, it is possible to participate in them (for example: attending if the capacity allows it, adding points to the agenda, or commenting on the proposals and decisions taken by this organ).
Examples: A general assembly (which meets once a year to define the organisation's main lines of action as well as its executive bodies by vote), an equality advisory council (which meets every two months to make proposals on how to improve gender relations in the organisation), an evaluation commission (which meets every month to monitor a process) or a guarantee body (which collects incidents, abuses or proposals to improve decision-making procedures) are all examples of assemblies.
OpenEU Festival: The Open Canvas of Democracy
About the OpenEU Democracy Festival 2026
What to Expect
Forget everything you know about online academic events. No hour-long lectures. No muted microphones. No watching seven people on a panel talk to each other while you stare at your screen wondering if it is too early to check your email.
The OpenEU Democracy Festival is three days of conversations, provocations, and surprises — and you are not just invited to watch. You are invited to participate.
Here is how it works. A speaker takes the floor — but not for long. Talks are short, sharp, and designed to make you feel something: curious, challenged, maybe a little uncomfortable. Think the best TED talk you have ever seen, but live, unfiltered, and ready to go off-script the moment the conversation demands it. Because it will.
"You are invited to participate. Not as an afterthought — as the point."
Our hosts — think less "conference moderator", more "talk show presenter who has actually done their homework" — are in the room with you the whole time. They are reading the chat, following the energy, and ready to interrupt a speaker mid-sentence because you just asked exactly the right question and everyone needs to hear the answer.
Every session leaves room for you. Through live polls, shared digital canvases, open Q&As, and small group breakouts where you get to argue something out with strangers from across Europe, your voice is part of what happens. Not as an afterthought — as the point.
The programme is deliberately varied. One moment you might be deep in a philosophical debate about whether democracy can survive the internet. The next, something makes the whole room laugh. Between sessions, there is music, unexpected moments, and breathing space to process what you just heard before the next conversation pulls you somewhere new.
You do not need to be an expert to be here. You just need to be curious about the world you live in and willing to talk honestly about it with people who feel the same way — even when, especially when, you disagree.
"Democracy is at its best when everyone shows up. So show up!"
The Festival Also Celebrates 🎉
Democracy is also joy. Between the sessions, our artists bring poetry, laughter, image and music to the Open Canvas. Tap anyone to read their story.
Meet the Speakers
Nil Homedes Busquets
Director of the Decidim Association and President of the Decidim Free Software Association
Spain
Decidim is a free and open-source participatory democracy platform used by cities and organizations across Europe.
Athina Karatzogianni
Professor of Technology and Society
University of Leicester
United Kingdom
Athina Karatzogianni is Professor of Technology and Society at the University of Leicester, specialising in digital activism and the politics of technology.
Loukas Tsoukalis
President of the Board of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
Greece
Loukas Tsoukalis is President of the Board of the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, and one of Europe's leading voices on political economy and European integration.
Masato Sezawa
Documentary Filmmaker • Creative Director
IDEAS FOR GOOD
Japan
Masato Sezawa is a Japanese documentary filmmaker based in Amsterdam and a volunteer at Repair Café Amsterdam. He took a gap year at Krogerup Højskole in Denmark, a folk high school built on the idea of democracy as a way of life. He directed a film, "The Repair Café", a portrait of the people behind the movement, which has been screened more than 300 times worldwide, and works with governments, companies and citizen groups in the Netherlands, Japan and the UK.
Sandra Márjá West
Chair of the Plenary
The Sámi Parliament
Norway
Speaker bio to be announced.
Vlad Vexler
Philosopher & Political Analyst
United Kingdom
Speaker bio to be announced.
Ólína Kjerúlf Þorvarðardóttir
Rector
Bifröst University
Iceland
Speaker bio to be announced.
Ioannis Kalantzakis
Co-founder
Urban Policy Lab ΑΜΚΕ
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Nina Paley
Animator · Director · Artist
United States of America
Speaker bio to be announced.
Kosta Karakashyan
Director · Writer · Choreographer
Bulgaria
Speaker bio to be announced.
Giuseppe Porcaro
Science Fiction Author · Policy Advisor
Policy Planning and Strategic Foresight division of the European External Action Service (EEAS)
Belgium/Italy
Speaker bio to be announced.
Julieta Arancio
Senior Advisor, Open Research Community Accelerator
Germany
Speaker bio to be announced.
Elena Maculan
Tenured Professor
Department of Criminal Law and Criminology
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Mariano Melendo Pardos
Tenured University Professor in Criminal Law and Criminology
Faculty of Law
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Francesc Xavier Coller Porta
Coordinator of the PhD Program in Political Science & Full professor
Political science and public administration
Faculty of political science and sociology
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Salvador Parrado Diez
Full professor of Political science and public administration
Faculty of political science and sociology
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Odón Elorza
Former Member of Parliament of Guipuzkoa
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Efraín Foglia Romero
Scientific coordinator
Design & Maker Lab and the Audiovisual & Sound Lab
UOC
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Atli Þór Fanndal Guðlaugsson
Project Manager at the Rector's Office
Bifröst University
Iceland
Speaker bio to be announced.
Sævar Ari Finnbogason
Adjunct professor
Faculty of Social Sciences
University of Bifröst
Iceland
Speaker bio to be announced.
Erla Rún Guðmundsdóttir
Director of the Research Center for Creative Industries
University of Bifröst
Iceland
Speaker bio to be announced.
Margarita Mavrodieva Kaleynska
Assoc.Prof.
Faculty of Education
University of Veliko-Tarnovo
Bulgaria
Speaker bio to be announced.
Julius E. O. Fintelmann
Co-founder and Editor-in-chief
The European Correspondent
Speaker bio to be announced.
Ana Brochado
Full Professor
Management & Social Sciences Department
Universidade Aberta
Portugal
Speaker bio to be announced.
André Pereira Matos
Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities
Universidade Aberta
Portugal
Speaker bio to be announced.
Angela Machado
Assistant Professor
Management & Social Sciences Department
Universidade Aberta
Portugal
Speaker bio to be announced.
Patrícia Palma
Associate Professor
Management & Social Sciences Department
Universidade Aberta
Portugal
Speaker bio to be announced.
Séfora Silva
Head of the Local Learning Centre (CLA)
Universidade Aberta
Porto de Mós
Portugal
Speaker bio to be announced.
Piro Baxherri
Greek National G-Cloud
MSc in Information Systems Student
Hellenic Open University (HOU)
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Anastasia Floraki
PhD Student in Folklore
Hellenic Open University (HOU) / EAP
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Thanos Pappas
Graphic Designer, Owner & Student
Program in European Studies: History, Society, Culture
Hellenic Open University (HOU)
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Antonio Koronios
System Analyst · Technologist · Researcher
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Ifigeneia Xaidara
Educator, Researcher, & Certified Tourist Guide
Hellenic Open University (HOU)
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Athina Skotara
Empowering Learning Communities through Higher Education, Coaching & International Collaboration
Cyprus
Speaker bio to be announced.
Evangelos Tsavalopoulos
Artificial Intelligence & Digital Transformation Expert
M.Sc. Student
Hellenic Open University (HOU)
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Nadja Gmelch
Founder & director, U-teal
Systemic higher education consultant & coach
Germany
Speaker bio to be announced.
Sara Maria Münnich-Schlotter
Architect of Participatory Dialogue
Germany
Speaker bio to be announced.
Stavroula Bagia
Final-year student in European Studies
English Language Teacher and ELT Professional
Hellenic Open University (HOU)
Greece
Speaker bio to be announced.
Jeremías Micha Abanga Mia
Hispanic Philology Professor
UNED Malabo
Equatorial Guinea
Speaker bio to be announced.
Yves Dejaeghere
Executive Director
FIDE (Federation for Innovation in Democracy - Europe)
Speaker bio to be announced.
Anna-Maria Atanasova
Chair of the OpenEU Student Council
University of Veliko-Tarnovo
Bulgaria
Speaker bio to be announced.
Vicki Prais
Human Rights Lawyer / Visiting Professor of Human Rights
Birmingham City University
United Kingdom
Speaker bio to be announced.
Tamara Diez
OpenEU Student Council Member
Disability rights activist · Board Member
ME International
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Fernando Val Garijo
Associate Vice-Rector for Projects and International Relations
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Henry Readhead
Deputy Director
Summerhill School
UK
Speaker bio to be announced.
Jorge Moreno Andrés
Associate Professor Doctor
Anthropology Department
Faculty of Philosophy
UNED
Spain
Speaker bio to be announced.
Caroll Sastro
Intersectional Disability Advocate
The Netherlands
Speaker bio to be announced.
106–43 BCE. Rome's sharpest orator and a fierce defender of the Republic, Cicero believed the welfare of the people was the highest law — and said so loudly, to anyone in power who forgot it. That conviction cost him his life, but never his voice. Consider him the festival's patron saint of good arguments.
Tracks
The OpenEU Democracy Festival is organized into six tracks, shaped by our universities and Student Council. Together they form a full picture of democratic life in 2026 — in ourselves, our institutions, our tools, and our cultures.
Track 1 —
The Democratic Self
How do we become democratic citizens?
Democracy begins in how we listen, care, and participate. This track explores the personal, psychological, and philosophical sides of democracy.
Track 2 —
Deep Democracy, Organizations & DEI
What does democracy look like in everyday work and teams?
This track explores democratic practices inside organizations, from participatory models to DEI challenges.
Track 3 —
Governance, Health & Society
Who has power and how do we rebuild trust?
Focusing on institutions, rights, and public systems, this track explores how democracy shapes health, housing, and policy.
Track 4 —
Digital Democracy & Futures
Who shapes our technological future?
This track examines the risks and potential of digital tools in democracy — from disinformation to civic tech.
Track 5 —
Education & Knowledge
Who decides what counts as knowledge?
This track looks at education as a democratic space, exploring access, power, and inequality.
Track 6 —
Culture, Language & Expression
How does culture shape democracy?
Democracy lives in language, art, and history — exploring multilingualism, cultural expression, and storytelling.
Accessibility
- Live captions in six languages
- ISL interpretation
- Event materials shared in advance if you request them
- A ChatDJ support figure for written questions & participation
- A phone number for voice messages
Do you need help?
If you have a problem or a question — when you sign up, during the festival, or on our website —
reach us at openeufestival@gmail.com, or by WhatsApp, Telegram, or Viber voice message at +34 659 89 46 81.
— OpenEU Festival Team
Be Part of Something That's Never Been Done Before
And we need you to make it happen. As a volunteer, you'll have real responsibilities: keeping tech running under pressure, producing the live chat, designing visuals, writing copy, or engineering the surprising moments that make it feel like a festival and not a webinar. Whatever your skill set, there's a role for you.
You'll work alongside students from 10 universities across Europe and gain hands-on experience in a genuinely exciting, first-of-its-kind event.
Questions? openeufestival@gmail.com
Featured Institution
Bifröst University: Our 2026 Host
We are proud to announce Bifröst University in Iceland as the host institution for this year's OpenEU Democracy Festival. Located in the striking landscape of western Iceland, Bifröst is one of the country's most distinctive universities — small enough to foster genuine community, ambitious enough to punch well above its weight on the European stage.
Bifröst offers undergraduate and graduate programmes in Business Administration, Law, and Social Sciences, and is home to a Centre for European Studies and a Jean Monnet Chair — making it a natural home for a festival dedicated to democratic innovation and European civic life.
As a proud member of the OpenEU Alliance, Bifröst has been an active partner in building bridges between European universities and their student communities. The university holds the Equal Pay Certificate and is a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), reflecting its deep commitment to values-driven education.
Hosting the OpenEU Democracy Festival is a natural extension of everything Bifröst stands for — open dialogue, civic engagement, and the belief that education is most powerful when it connects people across borders.
Visit BifröstThe OpenEU Student Council
Daugavpils University
Daugavpils University
FernUniversität in Hagen
Hellenic Open University
Open Universiteit (NL)
Open Universiteit (NL)
Open Universiteit (NL)
U.N.E.D.
U.N.E.D.
U.O.C.
Universidade Aberta
Open University of Cyprus
Open University of Cyprus
FAQs
About the festival
Go to your festival registration email and find the pink button that says "Join". You will then arrive at the lobby, where you should choose the button next to the day you will take part — another pink "Join" button.
Make sure you check the email address you gave when registering, and your spam folder. If you still have difficulties, write to us with your name and preferred email at openeufestival@gmail.com. If you enter the lobby and are unsure, please use the lobby chat where our technical team will be helping
Organised by the OpenEU Student Council, the OpenEU Festival is a free, interactive, three-day online festival about democracy.
Open democracy is the cornerstone of the festival. Six different tracks have been arranged to approach the concept from as many angles as possible. Find out more about our tracks here.
It means that you should be ready to learn from the speakers but also to share your own piece of mind through questions, polls, breakout rooms…
"Democracy is at its best when everyone shows up. So show up!"
From Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th October. It will be fully online, live on Zoom.
Nothing. The festival is free of charge.
No. The festival is open to any curious mind. You don't need any background knowledge.
No. You choose which sessions to join. There is no need to attend everything. You can start planning your schedule here.
English, with live captions and translated captions in Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, German, and Greek.
The OpenEU Student Council. We are the student body of the OpenEU Alliance of ten European open and distance universities.
You just need to register on our website and you are in!
Taking part
The festival is fully online. You need a stable internet connection and an electronic device to log into the Zoom meetings.
In the OpenEU Festival you are not just invited to watch. You are invited to participate through live chats, Q&A's, live polls, breakout rooms, workshops… We even have our own Miro canvas.
Use the Q&A button in the Zoom toolbar. You can also raise your hand so we can give you the chance to ask a question with your voice. Use the chat for comments and conversation.
On Saturday afternoon, four sessions run at the same time in four rooms, each on a different theme. You choose a room and can move to another at any time.
A shared online whiteboard where everyone can add sticky notes, drawings, emojis, images or memes during the festival. It grows into a record of what we built together — our own Open Canvas of Democracy.
No, but if you use a mobile phone it will be good for you to download Miro to live the full experience.
The closing ceremony of the festival. On Sunday noon (Madrid time), we will all gather to see what you have built together during the festival: your questions, hopes, disagreements and ideas.
"If you don't show a result, it's a talk show. If you show a result, it's democracy!"
Yes, we will be recording the sessions to make sure we capture all of the great ideas that come up.
The Sortition
Inspired by ancient Athens, we will hold a draw to choose the 2026 festival representatives. Using our own version of the kleroterion (the stone machine used to choose public roles), all festival participants have the chance to be elected as representatives.
You need to attend at least one festival session and to follow @OpenEU and @OpenEUfestival on Instagram.
You become a 2026 festival representative and receive a Festival Token. For more information, follow us on Instagram @openeufestival.
The representatives will be announced on OpenEU's Instagram accounts (@OpenEUfestival and @OpenEU).
Accessibility
Yes. Live captions are available in every session, and you can choose translated captions in another language.
Yes, in selected sessions. You can see the ISL sign on the agenda.
Join the conversation by sending voice messages via WhatsApp, Telegram or Viber to +34 659 89 46 81. You can also ask a Chat DJ for help in the chat.
Yes. Sessions are short, there are regular breaks, and you can leave and rejoin at any time.
Help
Message @Imogen directly in the Zoom chat.
You can contact us by email at openeufestival@gmail.com.
@OpenEUfestival and @OpenEU
Reference: openeu-ASSE-2026-03-20