The fifth edition of the European Democracy Support Annual Review points to a mixed and often hesitant European response to mounting democratic challenges worldwide in 2025.
The inversion of US foreign policy from supporting democracy to backing autocracy dominated debates throughout 2025. There were many statements about the EU’s geopolitical salience as a democracy defender, but European governments were focused on bolstering their security and economic interests in this uncertain context, and in some cases, this stance led to clear-cut investment in democracy.
“Measured against the shock of an inversion in US policies, changes in European policies were significant but perhaps not as far-reaching as might have been expected or warranted.”
Key findings
While a handful of European countries stepped in after USAID funding cuts, major donors – including France, the UK, and Germany – announced reduction to development and democracy aid.
Despite turbulent geopolitical change, no major new democracy strategies were introduced in 2025.
Europe increasingly prioritised defending democratic norms at home, while scaling back ambition abroad.
The EU deepened cooperation with many autocratic regimes and declined to respond in any critical manner to many clear attacks on democratic norms.
What were the EU’s five best and worst moves for democracy?
The five clearest pro-democracy steps:
Moldova: The EU supported Moldova to uphold a democratic election.
Enlargement: Democracy concerns became more prominent in the EU enlargement process.
Democratic conditionality: The EU took steps to strengthen democratic conditionality within the union via the rule of law under the new multiyear budget.
DSA: The EU continued with application of the Digital Services Act despite pressure from US tech companies and the Trump administration.
Democracy Shield: The EU launched the European Democracy Shield, which included advances and new measures.
The five worst developments for democracy:
Palestine: The EU was equivocal in its support for Palestinian democratic self-determination and failed to rein in Israeli attacks.
MFF: The democracy budget disappeared from the proposal for the EU’s next multiyear budget.
Aid cuts: EU member states cut aid for democracy projects.
Protests: The EU gave a weak response to multiple democracy protests across the world.
Democracy Shield: The European Democracy Shield contained unaddressed weaknesses.
About the Annual Review
Published by the European Democracy Hub – a joint initiative of Carnegie Europe and the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the European Democracy Support Annual Review provides a comprehensive overview of policies and initiatives implemented by the EU and European governments.
The European Democracy Support Annual Review is the flagship publication of the European Democracy Hub – a joint initiative of Carnegie Europe and the European Partnership for Democracy.
For the first time, 38 citizens from across the country – randomly selected, representing diverse regions, socio-economic backgrounds, languages, genders, and ages – took part in a Citizens’ Assembly to jointly develop recommendations on preventing the risks of disinformation to democracy and on strengthening the rule of law. The shared proposals adopted by the Assembly reflect a broad consensus on the need for concrete action against disinformation and highlight the importance of the solutions identified by participants to protect Moldova’s democracy. Citizens’ assemblies are a widely used method of democratic participation. They enable ordinary people to be actively involved in decision-making, with authorities taking their recommendations into account.
The Assembly in action
During the Citizens’ Assembly, participants worked in groups with the support of facilitators, exploring questions such as: what does democracy mean to them; how does disinformation affect their daily lives; and how can Moldovan society become more resilient in the face of this phenomenon.
Discussions were enriched through dialogues with media and human rights experts, including the Ombudsman of the Republic of Moldova. These experts engaged with the groups by answering questions, offering practical examples, challenging assumptions, and linking the discussions to broader democratic debates within the country and international legal frameworks.
On the second day of the Assembly, citizens interacted directly with high-level representatives of key public institutions, such as the Audiovisual Council, the Presidency, MPs from parliamentary committees on national security and education, and the Centre for Strategic Communication and Countering Disinformation. Citizen groups addressed them questions which helped shape and clarify the final recommendations.
Participants explored different ways to tackle disinformation, from the critical role of education in developing responsible media consumption skills, to potential measures against those who create and spread false information. They discussed how disinformation undermines public trust and family bonds, emphasising the need to protect citizens from its risks and to support efforts to prevent disinformation.
Drafting and adopting shared recommendations
Final recommendations were adopted with the support of at least 70% of participants. This high approval threshold aligns with international standards and ensures that each recommendation benefits from strong collective backing.
The diversity of views brought added value to the deliberative process and led to broad consensus on the recommendations, demonstrating the power of dialogue and shared reflection in finding solutions to strengthen democratic resilience. At the end of the two days of work, these were the adopted recommendations:
State institutions should ensure transparency in decision-making processes, keeping citizens well-informed and actively engaged in national political life, supported by robust fact-checking mechanisms and consistent communication at local, regional, and national levels. (38 votes in favour – unanimity)
Participants stressed the urgent need for greater transparency and trustworthy information to rebuild public trust and counter the rapid spread of disinformation. They emphasised that a proactive approach from state institutions is vital to respond to the threats that disinformation poses to democratic stability.
The Ministry of Education and Research should introduce a dedicated module on disinformation within social studies classes and information technology education, as part of the national curriculum, targeting both lower and upper secondary education pupils. (36 in favour, 1 abstention, 1 against)
The panel agreed on the essential need to provide children and young people with opportunities, through education, to develop skills to identify, resist, and report disinformation.
The Parliamentary Committee for Media, in partnership with civil society, should support the creation of a specialised department within the Audiovisual Council dedicated to countering online disinformation. This department should be responsible for monitoring digital content and coordinating with social media platforms to implement appropriate measures — such as issuing warnings, fines, and recommendations to suspend accounts where necessary. It should also serve as a channel for receiving and processing citizen complaints via themed filters, while promoting accurate information and raising public awareness of the risks and impacts of disinformation. (30 in favour, 4 abstentions, 4 against)
Participants stressed the need for an independent, specialised body capable of delivering a rapid and coordinated response to online disinformation, combining enforcement responsibilities with citizen engagement, especially given the lack of social media regulation in Moldova.
State institutions should support the efforts of experts and journalists in tackling the spread of false information online.(34 in favour, 4 abstentions, 0 against)
The Assembly highlighted the essential role of experts and journalists in urgently addressing disinformation, underscoring their vital mission in preserving a truthful and resilient information environment.
These recommendations will be submitted to the relevant institutions, including Moldovan authorities, Parliament, and other national and international organisations.
An innovative mechanism for inclusive public dialogue
Citizens’ assemblies are a form of participatory democracy that bring together a diverse and representative segment of society to address complex issues through thoughtful deliberation. Rooted in the principles of inclusion, informed dialogue, and consensus-based deliberation, these assemblies create a unique space where citizens engage with each other and with experts to formulate practical recommendations to address public challenges. This model has already proven effective in countries like Ireland, Spain, and Belgium – influencing decisions on climate action, urban planning, or social policies, for instance – and is increasingly being adopted worldwide as a means of revitalising democracy.
Testing this method in Moldova offers a fresh perspective on a complex issue by piloting consultations and consensus-based decision-making, while encouraging constructive dialogue. At a time when trust in political and social institutions is declining globally, Moldova’s first Citizens’ Assembly aims to promote mutual understanding and to rebuild trust in the power of collective action.
The Assembly was organised as part of the INSPIRED Moldova project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), the National Assistance and Information Centre for NGOs in Moldova CONTACT, the Centre for Policies and Reforms (CPR Moldova), Democracy Reporting International (DRI), and People in Need (PIN). The views expressed during the event do not necessarily reflect the official position of the European Union.
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For media inquiries, please contact the organisers from the European Partnership for Democracy ([email protected] , +373 69 280 1455) or CPR Moldova ([email protected])
The final conference on Combating Disinformation in the Western Balkans brought together experts, civil society, and institutional representatives to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time.
This conference marked the conclusion of the ‘Combatting Disinformation in the Western Balkans (CDWB)‘ project, which has been tackling the rising influence of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Serbia. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, disinformation in the region surged, fueled by polarisation, skepticism towards EU integration, and state-controlled media. The project aimed to counter this through citizen engagement, media education, and strengthening fact-checking, while promoting regional cooperation to address these systemic challenges.
The panels engaged indiscussions on manipulative narratives, the role of legislation, the potential of AI, and innovative tools like citizen assemblies to foster democratic resilience. While significant progress has been made, it’s clear that sustained political will and collaboration are essential to truly combat disinformation and protect democratic values in the region.
Underscoring key takeaways
During the panel on election disinformation, Jelena Danilović (Analyst, Atlantic Council of Montenegro) emphasised how “manipulative narratives significantly distort public opinion during elections in the Western Balkans.”Teodora Ćurčić, Data journalist and investigative reporter at CINS, stressed the importance of not just establishing regulations but ensuring they are enforced effectively. This reflects the ongoing challenge of addressing disinformation in the region, where strong laws exist but are often inadequately applied. Finally, citizens assemblies were presented as a key innovative tool to support democracy and combat disinformation in the Western Balkans. While assemblies blend direct and representative democracy, transparency is crucial to ensure they don’t backfire. Adriana Buchiu, representative of the Parliamentary Support and Capacity Building Unit at the European Parliament stressed the importance of managing expectations when it comes to these assemblies: “We must explain to citizens why not all of their recommendations can be implemented” as they ultimately depend on parliament and government.
A Roadmap to combat disinformation
Following 4 national citizen assemblies organised in the framework of the CDWB project, 16 national level policy dialogues and 2 regional policy dialogues, theproject has developed a comprehensive roadmap for regional cooperation on combatting disinformation.
This roadmap identifies 9 key challenges, with a total of 36 actionable points:
Challenge 1: Strengthening the regulatory and institutional framework in which media operate.
Challenge 2: Enhancing media and information literacy among citizens in the Western Balkans region.
Challenge 3: Incorporating approaches to countering disinformation in education systems.
Challenge 4: Building resilience against Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), including the media sphere and election campaigns.
Challenge 5: Strengthening self-regulatory mechanisms of the media.
Challenge 6: Addressing declining trust in public institutions through citizen participation.
Challenge 7: Reducing polarising public narratives, including hate speech.
Challenge 8: Strengthening funding mechanisms for public broadcasters and public interest media.
Challenge 9: Improving the veracity of information of public interest and countering the dissemination of (intentionally) false narratives in the form of mis- or disinformation.
The Roadmap is currently being finalised to incorporate the valuable feedback received during the conference and will be shared with national policy-makers in tailored in-person discussions in each capital.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
In the last couple of years, the end of June has marked the start of the EPD’s Annual Conference. In a year full of dynamics, the doors were open to discuss the most prominent topic: elections.
After digesting election results across the continent, and a few cookies from the permanent coffee corners from the venues’ elegant main hall, speakers, moderators and EPD’s session leads found their way to stimulating breakout sessions, including the discussion on disinformation and elections in the Western Balkans and the EU, which gave a taste of the challenges faced across the continent.
The rapid spread of disinformation distorts people’s perception of truth, devouring our identities, values and sense of place in the world, Omri Preiss, Alliance4Europe’s Executive Director, pointed out after RasKRIKavanje’s journalist Milica Ljubičić shared examples of the 1150 manipulations of information identified by RasKRIKavanje in monitoring the front pages of Serbia’s six largest newspapers in 2023. Unconstrained by geographic boundaries, the information space is susceptible to internal and external influences. Even though we do not have complete control over our own information space, we must do what is within our control, which is strengthening our institutional capacity. Therefore, ‘‘support should be given to information space actors, such as journalists, by reinforcing their capacities, supporting investigative journalism, and improving media literacy.’’ – Irène Mingasson, Head of Unit, Rapid Response Europe, Asia and America at the European Commission, added to the discussion.
Ending with a pinch of optimism as soon as tips, tools, and best practices began to be shared, many of these supported by the EU funded project ‘Combatting Disinformation in the Western Balkans (CDWB), the panel could not have ended with a better flourish than with the Ethical Journalism Awards closing ceremony. Four journalists from the Western Balkans were awarded for their work on truthful reporting and for embracing ethical journalism principles and leading by example in media reporting in the region.
The awards were part of the #CheckitFirst campaign, run by ARTICLE 19 within the framework of the EU funded project ‘‘Combatting Disinformation in the Western Balkans (CDWB)’’ in which EPD is a partner. This project aims to tackle foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro and Serbia by:
Engaging citizens in awareness campaigns and media literacy,
Analysing disinformation patterns and media ethics for advocacy,
Improving national and regional regulations while safeguarding freedom of expression, and
Building fact-checking skills to enhance media accountability and reliability.
This article is an investigation into a vote buying scheme in Serbia. It entails first hand solid evidence of the role of call center’s agencies in vote buying processes as well as it tries to raise awareness that such methods and schemes exist in Serbia.
This article aims to raise awareness about harmful traditional practices like hymenoplasty. Unnecessary and harmful medical procedures undermine basic ethical principles and the health of female patients, and hymenoplasty is even advertised on the websites of some clinics.
This article conducts a thorough investigation of potential high-level corruption of coal exploitation in Bosnia and Herzegovina which has increased several times compared to previous years.
This article investigates the consequences of revenge porn, while also addressing Balkan systemic patriarchal traditions. The article urges the immediate need to take action in raising awareness as well as creating a legal framework to protect victims of revenge porn.
The Ethical Journalism Awards ceremony was part of a study visit to Brussels and London where the awarded journalists had the opportunity to exchange views and experiences with each other and experts in the media field, and discuss how to improve ethical journalism in their countries. But, safeguarding truth in a digital age is not an easy task, in fact ”being a fact checker is not easy especially during political campaigns as there is constant propaganda”, as Milica Ljubičić highlighted during the conference session, especially because it’s not just about truth, it’s about the ability to discern if the sources are legitimate or bots, Omri Preiss concluded in his final remarks.
With the proliferation of FIMI in the Western Balkans due to the rise of digital technologies, and amidst increasing challenges in fact-checking, the CDWB project aims to contribute to tackling disinformation in the Western Balkans through citizen recommendations, media monitoring, policy dialogue and awareness raising. The project will present a conference on the 1sth of October 2024 during its final conference ‘‘Democracy in an Age of Disinformation: Insights and Responses from the Western Balkans’’ in Montenegro.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
The EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE) programme seeks to support civil society to thrive by preventing efforts to restrict civic space and shut down civil society organisations.
Agreement signed by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships in the European Commission together with civil society leaders
The programme named the EU System for an Enabling Environment (EU SEE) will be implemented by 9 civil society organisations with a global outreach across 4 continents
EU SEE seeks to anticipate and address threats to civil society in 86 countries across the globe, providing timely information to networks and the EU to facilitate advocacy actions
It provides financial support mechanisms to civil society organisations including those most marginalised in decision making processes
A new partnership between the European Union and a consortium of 9 civil society organisations (CSOs) has been signed today by EU Commissioner for International Partnerships in the European Commission, Jutta Urpilainen, alongside several leaders of civil society organisations.
Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen said: “Civil society is a key partner for the European Union in delivering sustainable impact for communities through Global Gateway.I am proud to launch with our partners the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society, an innovative global programme to monitor potential threats to civic space and strengthen the ability of local actors to respond proactively, through solidarity, advocacy and dialogue with state authorities.”
EU SEE aims to promote an enabling environment for civil society in 86 countries across the globe. Led by civil society, this innovative mechanism brings together national, regional and global networks to monitor the laws and administrative practices as well as the digital and media environments which provide the context for civil society operations.
In countries where participating monitors issue alerts on restrictive actions, EU SEE will aim to provide funds and solidarity networks to local organisations to mount campaigns, or strengthen their internal systems to withstand threats to their operations.
EU SEE began its work in 2024 as an innovative response to the ever increasing restrictions on civic space. Across the world, in both authoritarian states and established democracies, citizens engaged collectively in policy, advocacy and community work frequently face diverse restrictions on their rights to form associations and organise, or are prevented from freely expressing their views. Through repressive NGO laws and administrative red tape, civil society organisations find their expertise and knowledge ignored and their doors closed as they are excluded from decision-making processes.
Through a chain of actions encompassing monitoring at the national level, resulting in early warnings, which in turn provide timely assistance to groups in need, EU SEE aims to support civil society in preventing and proactively responding to legal and policy developments that may impact their ability to operate.
The project has been designed with the broad participation of partner NGOs, and it aims to reach a diverse set of groups such as those outside of main capitals and those representing marginalised communities including civil society organisations headed by women, youth and other vulnerable groups.
The EU SEE speaks to the commitment of the European Union to support civil society organisations, including those at the forefront of human rights violations, to push back against civic space restrictions and create a more enabling environment.
At a time when restrictions seem to be on the increase even in established democracies, the legacy of the EU SEE Programme will help prevent repressive tactics and strengthen solidarity, advocacy and dialogue with state authorities.
The EU SEE programme comprises two main components designed to address these challenges. The first one seeks to set up and implement a civil society monitoring index and Early Warning Mechanism that would detect situations where the enabling environment is deteriorating or improving; it is led by Hivos. The second complementary component of the system responds with flexible and timely financial support for civil society organisations through its Flexible Support Mechanism; it is led by Oxfam. This mechanism supports civil society in advocating for a sustained enabling environment, developing systems of resilience, and protecting organisations and individuals. By detecting restrictions on time and responding preemptively, the system will contribute to the creation of a supportive environment for civil society to operate. The EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society is funded by the European Commission. For more information about EU activities in support of Enabling Environment see Capacity4Dev.
Photo credits: Directorate General for International Partnerships.
On 6 November, the European Parliament, Council of EU and European Commission reached a political agreementon the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. The proposal was presented by the European Commission as part of the European Democracy Action Plan to complement the Digital Services Act on the specific issue of transparency of political advertising online. The Regulation aims to address various concerns posed by the emergence of online political advertising such as a lack of transparency on individual ads and campaigns alike, the abuse of personal data and potential exploitation of these gaps by political actors.
As the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), we welcome the achievement of a political agreement and closure of a file which has the potential to bring more transparency and protection of personal data in the online political ads ecosystem. At the same time we are concerned to see that many shortcomings that we had highlighted throughout the legislative process are still present in this final text.
We went through the main elements in the final text on political advertising, highlighting what are the positive elements, the shortcomings and putting forward recommendations for improvement.
With the vote in the plenary of the European Parliament on the European Media Freedom Act just around the corner, the state advertising provision under Article 24 still remains a challenge as it does not require full and meaningful transparency from authorities when allocating public resources to media service providers. Therefore, we and other 14 organisations call for:
No reintroduction of the “1 million inhabitants” threshold for publishing information regarding state advertising.
An EU-wide online database of state advertising that is easily accessible.
Full inclusion of emergency messages in the concept of state advertising.
Regular and mandatory reporting obligations for authorities, the result of which must be available to relevant independent and accountable regulators.
Monitoring of state advertising and state aid allocation.
Today, civil society and journalists’ organisations have united to support the important role and independence of the newly established European Board for Media Services (the Board), intended to replace the European Regulators Group for Audiovisual Media Services (ERGA). However, this independence could be a double-edged sword if the Board’s competences are not precisely and unequivocally set forth in the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). Left unchecked, this would open doors to potential misuse of the independence all stakeholders want for the Board.
Therefore, rather than the Board having the ability to decide on the below-mentioned issues, we call for the EMFA itself to include:
Clear criteria on how to identify threats to editorial independence.
A definition of media services of general interest, and the criteria, assessment framework and process for determining their scope.
Furthermore, we have concerns regarding the criteria and procedures for selecting members of the proposed Non-Audiovisual Media Expert Group or other expert groups within the Board. Therefore, we urge:
A balanced representation of media, civil society organisations, and academics.
This regional case study explores how two types of democratic innovations have been implemented across Latin America, a region with a long standing tradition in using democratic innovations.
The first type of innovation, multilevel policymaking involves participatory processes with at least two levels of deliberation, which can take place simultaneously or subsequently. The second type presented, participatory planning is a type of democratic innovation whose modus operandi also resembles a process, regardless of its degree of institutionalisation and it involves one or more spaces or occasions where participants get together to deliberate on policies or policy plans. These innovations are each accompanied by four short case studies that describe how they have been implemented.
The “Exploring Worldwide Democratic Innovations” project was supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
This case study was written by Thamy Pogrebinschi.
This case study looks at democratic innovations in what was once considered as the world’s largest democracy: India.
The case study addresses two different democratic innovations. One innovation consists in the “little parliament” or Gram Sabha, which brings political participation and decision-making down to the smallest administrative unit – village level and can be considered as one of the most radical exercises in direct democracy globally. The other innovation analysed in the report is the Social Audit. This is carried out through a jan sunwai (a public hearing) and acts as a mechanism through which citizens can organise and mobilise to evaluate the government’s performance in a particular policy area.
The “Exploring Worldwide Democratic Innovations” project was supported by the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
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