Beyond Borders: Applying DSA Article 21 & 22 to EU Candidate Countries

• Florence School of Transnational Governance

The STG Talks, held weekly at the Florence School of Transnational Governance, serve as a space for discussion for the entire EUI community. Led by the Policy Leader Fellows, the Talks are a place for informal learning and exchange on global issues affecting different areas of policymaking.

This Talk will explore how Articles 21 (Out-of-court dispute settlement) and 22 (Trusted Flaggers) of the EU Digital Services Act could be applied beyond the EU, specifically in EU candidacy countries like Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. These nations often grapple with high levels of illegal content, disinformation, and limited options for users affected by platform decisions.

The Talk will present a model for extending DSA protections to these countries, emphasizing the legal, infrastructural, and civic elements needed to bridge the digital rights gap. It will argue that ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability online is crucial for the democratic development of candidate states and their integration with European values.

Speakers:

• Nina Shengelia, Policy Leader Fellow, STG
• Anna Colaps, European Commission DSA Officer for Italy, EUI Visiting Fellow
• Iva Nenadic, Research Fellow, RSC
• Arianna Stech, MA Student, STG