Clingendael expert Jan Melissen participated in a panel at the Web Summit 2015 (which was held in Dublin, 3-5 November). This event is  one of the largest events for tech leaders, with 30,000 participants from all over the world. He was part of a panel on “Diplomacy in the Digital Age: How Technology Changes the Rules”.

The panel discussed how diplomacy is changing under the impact of digitalization, with no lack of pertinent questions. Are the changes merely cosmetic, or are the rules of the game changing fundamentally? Are Foreign Ministries doing well and adapting quickly to digital change, or is it proving a more lengthy process? Does it help to look at Foreign Ministries' adaptation to the digital age by looking at different functions of diplomacy, such as negotiation, public diplomacy, service delivery? Do some policy areas offer more opportunities for the application of digital tools than others? Is the impact of social media platforms overestimated, are they a game-changer? And in the midst of all these changes, how can a sense of perspective be maintained?

The visit to the Web Summit was combined with a "Diplomacy in the Digital Age" Q&A discussion at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin, Ireland. In this discussion Jan Melissen was joined by Matteo Arisci, Social Media, Information and Communication Officer with the European External Action Service. 

For more on digitale diplomacy visit the Diplomacy in the digital age page.