Dominique de Buman, President of the National Council, attended the international conference entitled ‘Past, Present and Future of Direct Democracy. History, models and challenges of direct democracy in the digital era’ organised by the Swiss Institute in Rome in conjunction with the Swiss Embassy in Italy. The event brought together a large number of people from the worlds of academia and politics in Switzerland and Italy, to address the topic of direct democracy and the challenges it faces in the age of digitalisation and new media.
The Swiss Institute invited the Swiss and Italian speakers to discuss both the challenges and the opportunities presented by direct democracy in the digital age, as well as the impact of the technological and digital revolution on political communication and information and on democratic processes and instruments.
While the Swiss experience provides an essential point of reference for the supporters of direct democracy, in recent years the debate on the latter’s development and potential has received significant impetus, in Italy in particular. This is thanks to the spread of the internet and new channels of communication and political socialisation, and the possibility of creating a ‘virtual space’ where citizens can participate in debates and discussions to a greater extent, rekindling a political mobilisation that has waned in recent decades.
One of several speakers, Mr de Buman highlighted the importance of education at this historic moment for the world of communication, which is marked by a multitude of information channels and by several new risks, for example the phenomenon of fake news.
Founded in 1947 with the support of the Confederation, the Swiss Institute in Rome promotes cultural and scientific exchange between Switzerland and Italy and is supported by numerous institutional partners, including the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and the Federal Office of Culture.