The English-taught seminar on the topic of the regulation of digital services and sustainable democracy will include workshops, forums and cultural opportunities. As we learned from the founder of the programme, Dr Péter Smuk, Dean of the Deák Ferenc Faculty of Law and Political Sciences at Széchenyi István University, the programme has been extremely popular for years. Over the past ten years, it has attracted around 200 participants from all over the world, many of whom start their academic year again and again with intensive workshops at Széchenyi University.

Winter Seminar participants with their certificates of completion in 2022.

"The people of Europe face a number of local and global challenges that are closely linked to ever-changing technological trends. In other contexts, this interconnection defines the framework for democratic functioning and influences the quality of democracy. The aim of this year's seminar is to discuss the new rules adopted by the European Union's Regulation on Advanced Digital Services (DSA), in particular on 21st century digital services, social media issues, disinformation, the information society and digital gatekeepers, data protection, big data, copyright, cybersecurity and e-governance," said Peter Smuk, previewing the event to be held from 20 to 24 February.

The Dean stressed that the various aspects of the new challenges of democracy and the internet will be explored and discussed by renowned experts, speakers and professors from European universities.

Associate Professor Gábor Hulkó, the coordinator of the seminar, said that his presentation will also focus on the relationship between social media and freedom of expression, as the EU's forthcoming regulatory package on digital services is a complex and ambitious undertaking that will have a significant impact on many areas of our lives, including freedom of expression. "This issue is of particular importance because it is the most important basis for the functioning of European states, without which the democratic fabric of society cannot exist. The moderation of content on social media is particularly important in this context, and it is vital to take a critical view of it, while respecting the rules of transparency and accountability," he stressed.

In addition to interactive workshops, this year's Winter Seminar will also offer an exciting cultural programme, including presentations from the participating countries on national identity, gastronomy and arts.

A snapshot of last year's workshop