Europe Talks is part of My Country Talks, an initiative started in 2017 by the German media outlet ZEIT ONLINE. In an age of fragmented discourse, the goal is to bring strangers together to discuss different views on common issues. Europe Talks started in 2019, and this year is the program's fourth edition. In the past, more than 59,000 people from 37 countries have signed up for a Europe Talks conversation across borders.
Europe Talks is open to anyone who considers themselves European. Whether you have lived in Europe all your life or just part of it, whether you have lived in one country or many, Europe Talks is a space for you to share your ideas.
You will be paired with someone with a different political view, in another European country. The My Country Talks software automatically matches you based on the way you answer the registration survey, and based on the location you give when you sign up.
It may take some time to find you the perfect match, so we ask you to be patient. In rare cases, there will not be a good match for you based on either your opinion or your location. When that happens you will be offered a partner who might agree with you but is based in another country, or someone in your own country who has different opinions.
Within one week of registering for Europe Talks you will be introduced to your discussion partner via email. If you and your partner both agree to meet each other, your email address will be exchanged. It's up to you both to find a conversation date that works for both of your schedules.
Ready for more? You can register for another conversation any time before the end of May, 2024! Within two weeks of being introduced to your discussion partner, you will automatically receive an email to reactivate your participation and receive a new match.
Unless you arrange otherwise, you and your partner will have an unmoderated and private conversation. This can seem intimidating, but don’t feel pressured - you don’t have to solve Europe’s big issues. The goal is simply to create an open conversation between two people who would probably never meet otherwise.
If you'd like some guidance for your conversation, take a look at the Europe Talks 2024 discussion guide for some tips and helpful resources.
You are free to use any digital service you like, either video conference or just an old-fashioned phone call. If you are having technical difficulties or need help setting up a call, you can refer directly to your service provider.
For help, read our tips for a great video call
We know that signing up to meet a stranger, especially one with different political views, can be daunting. That’s why we require both conversation partners to confirm they would like to meet their match. Once you have been paired with a conversation partner, both you and your partner will need to agree for the meeting to move forward.
If you do not want to meet your suggested match, simply do nothing. If you or your partner do not agree to meet each other within five days, you will automatically receive a link to register for a new discussion partner in the next matching round.
For a number of reasons, your match may also not agree to meet with you after you have confirmed to meet them. In this case, you will also receive an email to reactivate your participation and receive a new match in the next round.
Europe Talks 2024 is an experiment. A lot of things can happen when two
people with opposing views agree to meet. There can be many reasons why your meeting might not work out, but we hope you don't get discouraged!
Within two weeks of being introduced to your discussion partner, you will automatically receive an email to reactivate your participation and receive a new match. Please be patient, or get in touch with us at support@mycountrytalks.org if you need assistance.
When you sign up, your personal data as well as the answers to the survey questions, are processed and stored by My Country Talks. If you sign up via one of our media partners, they will also have access to your name and answers, as well as the name of your conversation partner.
After Europe Talks ends, your information will be permanently erased from all databases. Some of your information may be used to report on trends from the event, but only as a small part of a large, anonymous aggregate. We never store personal or identifiable data given by participants. You can learn more by reading our full privacy policy.