From November 19 to 21, 2025, the association In the Name of the Family held a conference titled How to DECIDE on Future Policies in the European Parliament in Brussels. The conference was the seventh activity within the two-year project DECIDE – Democratic Engagement through Critical Information Discernment and Education, which the association has been implementing since 2024.
The conference addressed topics related to shaping European policies in the post-truth era, discussing disinformation as a threat to the European democratic process, the DSA, the importance of recognizing disinformation and media literacy education, censorship and freedom of speech, media discourse in relation to civil society, human rights and freedoms, and the importance of citizens’ media education. Concrete examples from the fields of art, culture, and journalism were presented.
It was emphasized that mainstream media shape public perception of what is happening in the world and what is considered true. They often use disinformation or partial information that can lead to a distorted picture of reality. The conference highlighted that media freedom and freedom of expression are increasingly under pressure, with censorship on the rise. Participants cautioned that new regulatory frameworks and legislative initiatives by the European Union, including the Digital Services Act (DSA), may further restrict space for free and independent activity. The need for stronger cooperation between institutions, experts, and civil society organizations to address these issues was also underscored.
The conference brought together more than 30 participants, who actively engaged in the panels — Members of the European Parliament, media literacy experts, civil society representatives, and project partners from Croatia, Lithuania, Austria, Belgium, and Slovenia. Over the three days, presentations, proposals, and strategies on the aforementioned topics were delivered by Croatian MEPs Stjepo Bartulica and Tomislav Sokol; university professor and columnist Boris Beck; journalist and editor Vlatka Polšak Palatinuš; film director and screenwriter Bruno Pavić; and civil society representatives: Željka Markić, Executive Director of In the Name of the Family, and Thomas O’Reilly, advocacy officer of the Christian legal advocacy organization ADF International. Participants from Croatia, Slovenia, and Lithuania had the opportunity to learn about the organization and visit the European Parliament, as well as the House of European History.
Od 19. do 21. studenoga 2025. udruga U ime obitelji je u Europskom parlamentu u Bruxellesu održala konferenciju „Kako ODLUČITI o budućim politikama/How to DECIDE on future policies“. Konferencija je bila sedma aktivnost u okviru dvogodišnjeg projekta DECIDE – Democratic Engagement through Critical Information Discernment and Education koju udruga provodi od 2024. godine.
Na konferenciji se govorilo o temama povezanima s kreiranjem europskih politika u eri post-istine, raspravljalo o dezinformacijama kao prijetnji europskom demokratskom procesu, DSA, važnosti prepoznavanja dezinformacija i obrazovanja za medijsku pismenost, cenzuri i slobodi govora, medijskom diskursu u odnosu na civilno društvo, ljudska prava i slobode, važnosti medijskog obrazovanja građana, uz iznošenje konkretnih primjera iz područja umjetnosti, kulture i novinarstva.
Naglašeno je kako mainstream mediji oblikuju percepciju javnosti o tome što se događa u svijetu i što je istina. Pritom se nerijetko koriste dezinformacijama ili poluinformacijama koje mogu dovesti do iskrivljene slike stvarnosti. Istaknuto je kako su medijske slobode i sloboda izražavanja danas pod sve većim pritiscima i cenzurom. Sudionici su upozorili da novi regulatorni okviri i zakonodavne inicijative Europske unije, uključujući i Digital Services Act (DSA), mogu rezultirati dodatnim ograničavanjem prostora za slobodno i neovisno djelovanje. Naglašena je dodatna potreba za jačanjem suradnje između institucija, stručnjaka i organizacija civilnog društva kako bi radile na rješavanju navedenih problema.
Konferencija je okupila više od 30 sudionika koji su bili aktivno uključeni u panele – zastupnike Europskog parlamenta, stručnjake za medijsku pismenost, predstavnike civilnog društva i partnera u projektu iz Hrvatske, Litve, Austrije, Belgije i Slovenije. O spomenutim temama izlaganja, prijedloge i strategije su tijekom tri dana izlagali hrvatski zastupnici u Europskom parlamentu Stjepo Bartulica i Tomislav Sokol, sveučilišni profesor i kolumnist Boris Beck, novinarka i urednica Vlatka Polšak Palatinuš, filmski redatelj i scenarist Bruno Pavić te predstavnici civilnog društva: izvršna direktorica udruge U ime obitelji Željka Markić i službenik za zastupanje kršćanske pravne organizacije ADF International Thomas O’Reilly. Sudionici iz Hrvatske, Slovenije i Litve su imali priliku upoznati organizaciju i obići Europski parlament te posjetiti Kuću europske kulture.
Funded by the European Union. The views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
