Date: Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Time: 14:00 – 18:00 CET | 08:00 – 12:00 am EST
Where do human rights intersect with public interest, economics and genuine, rights-respecting and data protection-compliant innovation? How does strong EU tech regulation advance the EU’s global leadership and broader geopolitical position? Does deregulation help Europe build a sovereign technological future as some believe – or actually weaken it and take us further away from digital self-determination?
CDT Europe, together with 10 other civil society organisations, jointly announce a summit on the EU’s digital deregulation agenda. In response to dangerous proposals to “simplify” the foundations of the EU’s digital rights laws, we will lay out our bold alternative vision for tech laws, policies and practices that truly center the public interest – and how to get there.
Bringing together a selection of European lawmakers and regulators, journalists, and key civil society voices, this event will explore how we can ensure that the EU’s digital plans put people, communities, democracy and our rights at its heart – as well as the European tech products and services that truly respect those rights and provide alternatives to toxic Big Tech giants.
We are excited to share that the event will be wrapped up with a speech and interactive Q&A from Professor Shoshanna Zuboff, thought leader and author of ‘Surveillance Capitalism’. More speakers will be announced soon.
What can attendees expect?
- Lively debate about the Digital Omnibus, the Digital Fitness Check – and how to put a stop to digital deregulation;
- Real-life stories of what’s at stake – and where Europe needs to focus instead of deregulation;
- Evidence of the economic and social business case for Europe’s digital regulations, such as the GDPR;
- A showcase of public interest tech that has benefited from the EU’s global leadership in digital regulation;
- Practical examples of how we can achieve legal certainty, good compliance and foster innovation – without compromising on fundamental rights and other core social, public and environmental protections.
Event details:
- When: Tuesday 23 June 2026, 2pm-6pm CET, with a reception for in-person attendees from 6pm-7.30pm
- Where: Brussels European quarter* and online
- How: You can register to join the event online here
*Please note that in-person participation is by invitation only – please keep an eye on your inbox for your invite. If you are an EU or member state lawmaker, regulator or journalist and think we missed you off our list, please send a message at fight-for-us-event@edri.org, including your name, position and organisation/institution.
This event is co-hosted by ARTICLE19, Aspiration, BEUC, CDT Europe, Check My Ads, Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), Digitale Gesellschaft, European Digital Rights (EDRi), People vs Big Tech and Stichting Data Bescherming Nederland (SDBN).