From Hosting to Co-Creating Europe’s Digital Future
13–18 June 2026 | Paphos, Limassol & Nicosia
Longer version of this press release here.
Ελληνικά εδώ.
NICOSIA, CYPRUS – June 9, 2026 – As the Republic of Cyprus consolidates its work on the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Cyprus Free/Libre and Open Source Software Association (ELLAK) is delighted to announce the Cyprus Open Digital Futures Week.
The initiative ensures that EU-level conversations on digital policy are not merely hosted by Cyprus, but actively co-created by its citizens and local ecosystems. The Open Digital Futures Week (ODFW) creates a parallel, civic-minded process to answer multiple critical questions. Who shapes our technological future? How do we build public digital infrastructure that serves democracy, education, culture, and the common good?
Technology impacting daily life
While official agendas prioritize high-level AI and sovereignty, the Week addresses the urgent “implementation gap” where digital transformation meets public life—specifically in transparent procurement, protecting children’s rights, and interoperable public code. “Technology can start to sound like something developed for states and markets, rather than something that is already shaping childhood, education, culture, and everyday life”, said Chrystalleni Loizidou, organizer and ELLAK Cyprus representative. “We need to connect the scattered technical capacity that exists locally and ask what digital transformation would look like if guided by public value and the common good”.
A societal bridge to European policy
The event series bridges the local Cypriot ecosystem with the European policy landscape, culminating in direct civic contributions to the official EU Presidency event, Shaping the Next Digital Frontier (17–18 June). The Week operates on the conviction that digital policy cannot belong only to politicians and vendors; it requires the scattered but real civic, artistic, and technical capacity of Cyprus to be brought into the room.
From a community BBQ in Paphos through a high-level policy forum at The Cyprus Institute, the Week invites developers, educators, researchers, public servants, and active citizens to shape the most responsible digital future possible.
Saturday 13 June, from 11:00
Cyprus Open Digital Futures Week Kick-off BBQ
Pykni picnic site, Peyia, Paphos
https://ellak.org.cy/el/2026/06/08/odfkickoff/
Sunday 14 June, 19:00
Libre Arts @ NeMe
NeMe Arts Centre, Limassol
https://ellak.org.cy/el/2026/06/03/libreartneme/
https://www.neme.org/projects/hosted/libre-arts
Monday 15 June, 11:00–18:00
101.CY Unconference: Freedom Democracy Internet – Cyprus EU Presidency edition
CYENS Centre of Excellence, Nicosia
https://ellak.org.cy/en/2026/05/05/unconference26/
https://101.cy/actions/unconf_eu.html
Tuesday 16 June, 12:00–18:00
Capital Series Cyprus: Open Source and the European Union
The Cyprus Institute, Nicosia
Participation is free, subject to registration.
https://openforumeurope.org/events/open-source-and-the-european-union-cyprus-ofe-capital-series/
Wednesday 17 June and Thursday 18 June
Shaping the Next Digital Frontier
Cyprus EU Presidency, Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
https://cy26digitalconference.com/
Background reflection
From Hosting to Co-Creating Tech Policy
https://allonan.com/2026/06/08/from-hosting-to-co-creating-tech-policy/
Suggested hashtags
#OpenSource #DigitalSovereignty #CyprusOpenDigitalFutures #ELLAKCyprus #EUPolicy #DigitalCommons #Cybersecurity #PublicMoneyPublicCode
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