Do Europeans believe in Europe?

F&P 13: Do Europeans believe in Europe?

📅 Date: Monday, September 28th, 2026

🕖 Time: 7:30 PM

📍 Location: La Tricoterie, Rue Théodore Verhaegen 158, 1060 Bruxelles

🎟️ Tickets: 12€

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Hosted by NewFrames

In collaboration with European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)

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🗣️ Panel Discussion: Do Europeans believe in Europe?

As Europe faces turbulent times, understanding public opinion requires more than measuring levels of support or opposition. Recent analysis indicates that the Europeans may have lost their sense of the future. It requires understanding the narratives through which Europeans make sense of the world - and of Europe's place within it. For that purpose, NewFrames teams up with the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) to discuss the findings of the 2026
European Sentiment Compass with EU policymakers, think tankers, culture makers and journalists.

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The discussion will be followed by a screening of ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025), Raoul Peck's acclaimed documentary — winner of two Critics Choice Documentary Awards — tracing George Orwell's enduring warnings against totalitarianism.

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The European Sentiment Compass - a joint initiative of the European Cultural Foundation (ECF) and European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) - is the result of a major qualitative and quantitative study of European public opinion. It combines for the first time about 6,000 AI-moderated interviews across six countries (France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK) with expert analysis from ECFR researchers and associates in twelve European countries. The results show not only what Europeans think but also how they explain, justify and emotionally connect to their perceptions and views about Europe in times of geopolitical pressures and culture wars. The report (to be published on 9 September 2026) identifies the dominant narratives shaping public attitudes towards Europe, assesses how these narratives differ across countries, political electorates and generations, and explores what they imply for Europe's political future.

How can EU decision-makers, public opinion leaders, media, as well as citizens transform these valuable findings into actions?

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🎙️ Speakers:

• Pawel Zerka is a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.  He is ECFR's lead analyst on public opinion.
• Roza Ismailai is a Communications Manager at the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). Drawing on her Greek-Albanian heritage and roots in journalism and European political campaigns, she works on ECF’s digital media, partnering with content creators to build authentic digital spaces where young citizens can connect, debate, and shape Europe's future.‍
• Sophia Eriksson Waterschoot, Deputy Director-General of DG Communication, European Commission

🎤  Moderator: Katy Lee is The Europeans’ editorial director as well as its co-host. She spent many years covering French politics and society as a reporter for major international news outlets. She’s reported from various European countries, from Spain to Lithuania. She used to live in Hong Kong.

More to be announced

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🎥 Film Screening: ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025)

1984. ORWELL: 2+2=5 delves deep into his final months and visionary works to explore the roots of the vital and troubling concepts he revealed to the world in his dystopian masterpiece… Doublethink, Thoughtcrime, Newspeak, the omnipresent spectre of Big Brother… disturbing sociopolitical truths which resonate ever-more powerfully today.

🕒 Evening Agenda:

• 19:00 – 19:30: Doors opening
• 19:30 – 20:30: Panel discussion & Q&A
• 20:45 - 22:30: ORWELL: 2+2=5 (2025) - (119 min)

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About Films & Politics

Films & Politics is a series by newframes designed to bring social issues to life through cinema, focusing on the challenges of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each monthly event features a film screening followed by a discussion with one or more expert panellists, fostering democratic participation and meaningful dialogue between civil society, industry, and policymakers.

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Check out our last events

We hope you’ll join us for an evening that transcends traditional film screenings, fostering dialogue and action on these critical issues.

About newframes

newframes is a purposeful platform using the art of cinema to inspire critical conversations around the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through a strategic blend of cinematic storytelling and public engagement, newframes brings together EU policymakers, NGOs, experts, and businesses to explore, debate, and raise awareness of the pressing challenges faced in achieving sustainable development and democratic resilience.

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About the European Sentiment Compass

Joint initiative of the European Cultural Foundation and the European Council on Foreign Relations since 2022. It analyses the feelings and attitudes in different EU Member States vary, under the pressures of today’s challenges, notably: Russia’s war in Ukraine, climate, migration, polarization and disinformation. In 2024, the report titled “Welcome to Barbieland”, focused on the European Parliament elections and indicated a worrying ‘under-participation’ in the European elections of groups such as non-white and Muslim Europeans, central and eastern Europeans, and young EU citizens. In 2025 with the re-election of Donal Trump as US president, the report “Reality Show” analysed how European politics and Europe’s international role are being challenged by the US President Donald Trump and his ideological allies. In a context of transatlantic culture war challenging Europe’s history, values and culture, the report urges the EU policymakers to use the prevailing positive European sentiments and take the lead in writing Europe’s story.

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