On Monday 26 May, at 3 p.m., the Capitular Hall of the Senate of the Republic will host the initiative Democratic Shield – Defending Democracies from Foreign Interference, promoted by Action Senator Marco Lombardo. The event aims to bring together diplomacy, politics, law and information on a crucial issue for the resilience of contemporary democracies: the growing pressure exerted by foreign actors – institutional or informal – on the democratic processes of European countries.

The programme, divided into four panels, will feature leading figures from the international and national scene.

The diplomacy of resistance

The first panel, with a diplomatic slant, will be moderated by Sky TG24’s Lavinia Spingardi and will feature among the speakers Sviatlana Cichanouskaja, President of the Coordination Council of the Belarusian opposition in exile, a symbol of the struggle for freedom against the Lukashenko regime. She will be joined by Salomé Zourabichvili, President of Georgia, and Gabriela Dancău, Ambassador of Romania, together with Oleg Nica, Ambassador of Moldova, and Beniamino Irdi, an expert from the think tank Atlantic Council.

Italian politics in comparison

This will be followed by a political panel, again moderated by Lavinia Spingardi, which will compare exponents from different parliamentary camps. Among them: Carlo Calenda and Marco Lombardo himself for Azione, Francesco Boccia for the Democratic Party, Riccardo Magi for +Europa, Luigi Marattin for the Liberal Democrats, Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata for Fratelli d’Italia, and Pierantonio Zanettin for Forza Italia. An open and transversal debate aimed at finding common ground on the need to protect the autonomy of democratic processes from external conditioning.

The constitutional framework

At 4.45 p.m. there will be a constitutional panel, moderated by Carmelo Palma (Linkiesta and Public Policy), with the participation of authoritative jurists such as Stefano Ceccanti, Alfonso Celotto and Cesare Pinelli, who will address the topic from the perspective of Italian and European constitutional law, with a focus on the regulatory and institutional tools available for the defence of democratic sovereignty.

The crucial role of information

Closing the initiative, at 5.30 p.m., will be the panel dedicated to the media, moderated by Aldo Torchiaro of Il Riformista. Speakers will include Piercamillo Falasca, editor-in-chief of L’Europeista, Marco Fattorini of Mediaset and Antonio Talia of Radio 24, for a reflection on the role of free and aware information in combating disinformation and foreign influence campaigns.

An open event, but registration required

The event is open to the public while places last, with compulsory registration at this link. As per the regulations, a jacket and tie for men are required for access to the Chapter House.

Democratic Shield presents itself as a moment of broad and necessary confrontation, in a context where hybrid threats and influence operations are no longer just a matter for specialists, but an emergency for democracies worldwide.