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What a strange year it has been in Europe. On the one hand, we have been closer together than ever before. From Finland to France, Poland to Germany: in one fell swoop, Citizens of countries across the Continent experienced how drastically a pandemic can change day-to-day life. Almost everyone in Europe now knows somebody who has had COVID-19, and many have lost family members or friends to the virus. Almost everyone knows how social distancing measures affect the spread of the virus; almost everyone is aware of the difficulties school closures can cause for families. 

And yet, this pandemic has also estranged us from each other. The important, sometimes controversial decisions made in the effort to slow the spread of the Coronavirus were made in EU member-state capitals and not in Brussels. Meanwhile, travel restrictions and border controls have divided us to a degree we haven’t experienced in a very long time. Even during the summer holidays, it wasn’t easy or sometimes even possible to meet up to talk about life in the midst of the global pandemic. 

When, if not now, should Europe come together for a conversation?

To get that conversation going, ZEIT ONLINE, in cooperation with media partners from 15 other countries, devised Europe Talks, a platform where people from around Europe, with varying and often polar political views, can come together for a virtual face-to-face discussion. Starting today, a small box will appear on the pages of ZEIT ONLINE and those of our partner outlets around Europe. In this box, readers will find seven controversial yes-or-no questions about issues that are being discussed in most European countries: Should protecting people from the Coronavirus be the first priority, even if the economy suffers? Should masks be mandatory in all public spaces? Should all European cities be car-free?

Once you have answered the seven questions and registered, you will then be matched by the Europe Talks algorithm with another European citizen who has a completely different view of these seven questions. In November, we will then introduce you to your discussion partner. As soon as both of you have agreed to the discussion, you can establish email contact with each other and set up your video chat, timed to take place at 3 p.m. on Dec. 13. We are happy to provide suggestions when it comes to choosing an appropriate platform. Europe Talks will take place simultaneously in several different European countries, so it may be necessary for you to speak English with the person you have been matched up with.

If everything goes according to plan, perfect strangers from France and Italy, Greece and Slovakia, Germany and Sweden will meet up for a virtual face-to-face meeting in mid-December. For many, it will be their first ever opportunity to speak with someone from another country about the problems of our time: How should we live in and with the pandemic in the long term? What might a European response to this crisis look like?

Europe Talks is based on a ZEIT ONLINE project that was launched three years ago called Germany Talks, a platform that brings people with competing political views together for a one-on-one discussion. A small idea initially, it has since grown into an international platform that has been deployed in an ever-growing number of countries around the world, including Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy and the United Kingdom. More than 100,000 people have since taken part in a political tête-à-tête, with more than 6,000 people registering for this year's Germany Talks event.

For Europe Talks, we adjusted our algorithm last year to enable face-to-face debates between people from different countries. More than 16,000 people from 33 countries registered in 2019 to discuss stricter border controls, climate protection and migration policy in Europe with another European citizen. Thousands of people traveled to meet their debate partner for the event, with around 500 gathering in Brussels at the kick-off extravaganza.

Joanna Popiołek, for example, a university employee from Gdansk, Poland, traveled more than 1,000 kilometers to meet Christoph, an account manager in Germany. They had never met before, but during Europe Talks, they spoke for almost an entire day about migration policy and the EU's relationship with Russia.

Tom Ross from Britain and Nils Nehring from Germany were also strangers before they met as part of the event. Given their shared love of football, they chose to meet at the historic pitch in Cambridge where the modern rules of football were established. Their debate focused overwhelmingly on Brexit, and they later reported that their discussion had been "fantastic."

Most participants last year, though, chose to meet up virtually via video chat. As such, we are confident that we will be able to initiate contentious and interesting conversations again this year, despite the limitations imposed on us by the coronavirus.

To ensure that thousands of discussions will again be possible this year, ZEIT ONLINE is cooperating with a large network of European media outlets: bTV Media Group in Bulgaria, Calea Europeana in Romania, Delfi in Latvia, De Volkskrant in the Netherlands, der Standard in Austria, Efimerida Ton Syntakton in Greece, Expresso in Portugal, France24 in France, Gazeta Wyborcza in Poland, HotNews in Romania, Kapital in Slovakia, La Repubblica in Italy, LRT.lt in Lithuania, Mirror in Britain, Phoenix in Germany, Politiken in Denmark, Republik in Switzerland.All of these media outlets will be asking their readers the same seven questions in the hope of matching them with interesting partners from around Europe.

A broader exchange of views and more opportunities for debate are vital for Europe - especially in light of the fact that we have no shared public forum for such discourse. But during this pandemic, a debate about the right way forward is more important than ever. Decisions will have to be made about how to get Europe through this pandemic and how life on the Continent will look in the future.

Be part of this debate! Register for Europe Talks!