Around the world, diverse approaches to governing digital society are evolving. From Brazil and California to the UK, Australia, the US, and China - each reflects different traditions, values, and visions. In Brussels, meanwhile, landmark legislation—ranging from the General Data Protection Regulation to new rules on digital services, markets, data, and artificial intelligence—has helped set global standards. Together, these efforts illustrate how different visions can compete, overlap, and converge—shaping both national strategies and international debates. 

2026 is a moment of reflection for CPDP. Marking the tenth anniversary of the GDPR, it invites stock-taking of its achievements and limitations, amid growing calls for “simplification” in the name of innovation and competitiveness. At the same time, the stakes extend far beyond legislation. They surface in questions of digital sovereignty, in trade disputes, and in the governance of infrastructures that structure everyday life. They are visible in the datafication of war as much as in the design of public services, and they affect how individuals experience rights, risks, and resilience in a digital society. 

These tensions provide the backdrop for CPDP 2026. True to its tradition, the conference will not seek to eliminate disagreement but to harness competing visions as a democratic strength for facing the future. CPDP’s global approach ensures it resonates within the Brussels ecosystem without being reduced to it: its international scope makes it a platform where law, policy, technology, markets, and civil society can engage across borders. Panels will be designed to surface diverse perspectives—not as obstacles to consensus, but as vital to shared understanding and democratic resilience, to create a space where expertise and experience from different fields can engage directly, critically, and constructively.