Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – in cooperation with the Bertelsmann Foundation – issued an invitation to a further event in the series Forum Bellevue on the Future of Democracy at Schloss Bellevue on 1 March.

The 11th event in the series was entitled Democracy and the digital public sphere – a transatlantic challenge? Together with his guests, the Federal President focused on one of the most pressing questions for our democratic future, namely how to deal with the digital structural change of our public sphere. The discussion focused on the opportunities offered by a new transatlantic cooperation for strengthening the democratic public sphere in the age of digital communication platforms.

The Federal President's guests brought together the transatlantic, European as well as the national perspectives. Margrethe Vestager from Denmark has been European Commissioner for Competition since 2014 and also Executive Vice-President – Europe fit for the digital age since 2019. Armin Nassehi is Professor of Sociology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich and published his book Muster. Theorie der digitalen Gesellschaft (Patterns. Theory of the digital society) in 2019. Ben Scott from the US is Policy and Advocacy Advisor at the think tank Luminate and develops concepts for addressing the challenges of digital structural change.

A functioning democracy depends on public discourse as well as the exchange of arguments, information and opinions. The Federal President and his guests therefore addressed a fundamental question for the future of democracy when they discussed the importance and challenges of the digital structural transformation of the public sphere.

In this context, they considered the responsibility of platforms, regulation and policy, as well as the question as to how existing platforms can be more strongly committed to the ethical principles of diverse and informed exchange. The Federal President and his guests explored such questions as the framework conditions that are needed in order for new platforms to emerge that promote a pluralistic democratic public sphere. What approaches must be taken to shape digital structural change in such a way that it strengthens the democratic public sphere?

The internet calls for cross-border, European and transatlantic responses. Can the European Union – as it is credited with doing with the General Data Protection Regulation – set standards once again that have a global impact? And how can a new chapter of cooperation between Europe and the US on digital issues be opened?

The event took place without an audience due to the current social distancing and hygiene rules. It could be followed via livestream.