Conference “Detached, distrustful, disengaged?”: Rethinking democracy in today’s Europe (TEPSA)

On 5 February 2026, TEPSA will host a high-level conference in Brussels to find the answer to one crucial question: is political trust declining under the pressure of crises and growing polarisation?

The event, titled “Detached, distrustful, disengaged? Rethinking democracy in today’s Europe”, will take place at the Press Club Brussels Europe in Rue Froissart 95, 1040 and will mark the Final Conference of the Horizon Europe-funded ” Activating European Citizens’ Trust in Times of Crises and Polarization” (ActEU) project. The project, launched in 2023, has gathered experts from leading universities and research institutes across Europe, including ESPOL, to investigate persistent problems of declining trust, legitimacy and representation in Europe.

The Final Conference will comprise interactive panel discussions, encouraging questions and input from the audience. The event will feature high-level speakers from EU institutions, the media, and civil society organisations. It will also be an occasion to showcase ActEU’s numerous communications activities, including the winning video of the ActEU’s video contest “Through my eyes: Stories of democracy”, which ran in the autumn of 2025.

Commenting on what to expect from the Final Conference, ActEU coordination Prof. Dr. Michael Kaeding (University Duisburg-Essen) and Scientific Lead Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun (Saarland University) stated, “Across Europe, citizens are confronted with problems of trust between the citizens and its elites and intensifying divides over issues such as migration, climate change, and gender equality. These challenges have a clear effect on representative democracy. The ActEU project has pioneered innovative ways to measure political trust and democratic resilience. With this conference, we not only wish to share our results, but also include practitioners, policy-makers, and young citizens into the discussion and generate solutions to recapture legitimacy and reinforce political trust.”

Registrations are now open on TEPSA’s website. Click here to view the conference’s agenda.

About

ActEU is a Horizon Europe-funded, consortium project, launched in 2023 under the leadership Prof. Dr. Michael Kaeding of the University of Duisburg-Essen as Coordinator and Prof. Dr. Daniela Braun of Saarland University as Scientific Lead. Alongside the University of Duisburg-Essen and Saarland University, the ActEU consortium includes Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg (Austria), Institute of International Relations, Prague (Czechia), Åbo Akademi University (Finland), Institut Catholique de Lille (France), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), University of Trento (Italy), Uniwersytet SWPS (Poland), University of Oviedo, CSIC (Spain), and TEPSA (Belgium).

For interviews and press inquiries, please email Barbara Vanotti, TEPSA’s Communications Manager.