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EPD in the media

Discover a comprehensive collection of all EPD citations in media outlets and other mentions. For media inquiries, reach out to EPD’s Communications and Events Coordinator at [email protected].

ADRN

  • The third Summit for Democracy (S4D) in Seoul from March 18 to 20 was better than previous versions of S4D in many ways. However, it still inherited some of the challenges. Ken Godfrey and Anthony Smith take stock of the concrete impact of the summit itself and the goals of the S4D process in the future.

ARD Mediathek

  • EPD’s Carolin Johnson, reflects on the Defence of Democracy Package, stressing the need for tools to counter external influence and addressing internal challenges within EU organs. Particularly in elections, as conveying the value of the European project and democracy to citizens is essential.

CONCORD Sverige

  • Recently, the European Commission presented a bill to protect the Union from foreign influence. Now fears are being raised that civil society organisations will be made suspect and that the EU’s work for democracy outside the Union will lose credibility.

Congressional Research Service

  • U.S. democracy efforts are challenged by authoritarian governments. As a result, the United States has had to adjust its democracy assistance activities to more hostile environments.

Contexte

  • While the European Commission is developing a post-Qatargate directive to expose foreign funding in the EU, EPD’s Carolin Johnson laments that for NGOs, this “risks creating a climate of suspicion around them,” as this legislation could “become a tool of stigmatization in the hands of illiberal regimes”.

Directorate General for International Partnerships (European Commission)

  • 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.

Encompass

  • Ursula von der Leyen promised a European Democracy Shield if she is re-appointed after the EU elections in June, in a move reflecting a deepening fear that external interference is destabilizing European democracy. Von der Leyen pledged absolute priority to protecting democracy in her second term. 

EU Neighbours East

  • The EU-funded ‘EQUAL – EU 4 Women Empowerment in Armenia’ project, implemented by the OxYGen Foundation and its partners, published a call for a subgrant for civil society organisations in Armenia.

European External Action Service

  • In line with the EU’s dedication to human rights and democracy, the Team Europe global initiative on Democracy (TED) contributes to amplifying the impact of the EU’s democracy support. This involves research conducted by the European Partnership for Democracy and Carnegie International through the European Democracy Hub on the democracy support extended by the EU and its Member States.

EUObserver

  • The European Union adopted a Regulation on Targeting and Transparency of Political Advertising and is already enforcing the Digital Services Act. If implemented appropriately, these mechanisms could be an invaluable tool in supporting European democracies. However, some of the risks of microtargeting of online ads are still being overlooked.

Euractiv

  • In 2023, the generative AI boom dominated tech policy discussions, overshadowing the urgent need to overhaul social media’s recommender systems. This shift in focus is not surprising as policymakers’ interest has waned since a peak in 2021 after Meta’s internal documents were leaked. Yet, with elections looming in 2024, fixing these algorithms becomes crucial for protecting democratic discourse and the future of democracy. 

  • Twitter’s potential exit from Europe due to regulatory concerns and Elon Musk’s influence could establish a precedent for tech firms under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). EPD’s former digital policy adviser, Fernando Hortal Foronda, notes that Twitter Blue raises regulatory compliance issues, as allowing users to pay to boost tweet reach would classify them as advertisements under the DSA.

  • EPD and other civil society groups warn the European Commission’s draft directive on foreign agents may violate EU law, limiting expression and advocacy; they propose an EU Interest Representatives Act covering all representatives and harmonizing existing registries.

Euronews

  • As Russia wages war in Ukraine, Georgia faces its own internal struggles with government crackdowns on civil liberties and women’s rights. The reintroduction of the “foreign agent” bill has sparked public outrage, echoing events from the previous year. EPD’s Elene Panchulidze writes about the ongoing struggle for democracy in Georgia.

European Economic and Social Committee

  • Malign foreign interference is a problem in many democracies, but the proposed directive under the package will not be able to address the stated policy objectives, and will create further problems for the EU by emboldening those who want to use foreign-agent-type laws to undermine democracy.

Info Tag

  • Following the First Civic Engagement Conference in Moldova, organised in the framework of the  EU4Accountability project, EU Ambassador Janis Mazeiks emphasiaed the importance of reliable information for citizens ahead of the October referendum on European integration.

La Liberté

  • The Parliament of Georgia adopted a controversial law on foreign influence. This raises fears of a move towards Russia.

Liberian Observer

  • In the context of our WYDE civic engagement project, the Federation of Liberian Youth (FLY) has launched the Youth Impact Monitoring and Advocacy Program on “Harnessing Youth Power, Tracking Progress, and Driving Change.”

Mina News

  • At the conference on “Information Ecosystem and the Fight against Foreign Influence and Information Manipulation – Local, Regional and European Perspective”, our Emma Quaedvlieg joined the discussions on the Digital Services Act (DSA), the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and the Regulation on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Ads (TTPA).

POLITICO

  • On 27 June the EU’s 27 leaders met in Brussels to agree on whom should take the three most important positions in the EU institutions. Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, Portugal’s António Costa and Estonia’s Kaja Kallas have been chosen by negotiators for the top positions at the European Commission, European Council and foreign policy service.

  • Civil society groups warn that the Political Advertising Regulation enforcement spread out between privacy watchdogs, media regulators, digital services coordinators and electoral commissions may be complex. Furthermore, an advertising ban on non-European groups three months ahead of European elections or referendums could restrict nonprofits with foreign funding from pushing their paid messages.

  • EPD joins Transparency International EU in our position on the foreign-agent act: Brussels is enabling Orbán with their new registry plan, rather than tying his hands.

  • The European Commission wants to censure Hungary for a law allegedly wanting to silence government opposition. Last year, the Commission also brought forward the proposal for a Directive requiring all foreign-funded interest representatives to enter details in national registries. The European Partnership for Democracy’s position, together with Transparency International and Civil Society Europe, is that the Directive would actually legitimate Orbán’s efforts.

  • The first POLITICO’s EU Influence of the months mentions that Emma Achilli has joined the team of EPD’s Strategic Advisors.

  • In an effort to counter influence from China, Russia, and Gulf States, the European Commission has proposed a directive mandating foreign lobbyists to register, a key element of the Defense of Democracy package. EPD’s Executive Director, Ken Godfrey, expresses concerns that the Commission’s initiative might give Budapest the “political green light” for its fresh push against foreign-backed groups.

  • In a last-ditch effort, EPD and other CSOs are pushing back against the European Commission’s registry of third-country interest representatives, fearing it may stigmatize NGOs with foreign funding. Besides CSOs’ hopes for the idea to lose steam after the 2024 EU elections, EPD’s Executive Director, Ken Godfrey, claims, even “The Commission is not one uniform voice.”

  • The European Commission’s plan to enhance transparency in funding and influence by third countries has raised tensions among transparency-focused NGOs during a breakfast organised by the European Partnership for Democracy. CSO’s argue that focusing solely on foreign interference may overlook internal threats to democracy.

Strategic Europe (Carnegie Europe)

  • A stronger far-right presence in the European Parliament risks hindering some EU policies. However, at a closer look, the bloc’s stability and global role could be mainly challenged by the rise of nationalist politics in France and Germany.

  • European democracy faces threats from both within and outside. To counter them, Europe needs leaders who are serious about upholding democratic values and addressing citizens’ grievances.

Tagesspiegel Background

  • People in the EU fear that disinformation and cyberattacks will affect next year’s European elections. The EU Commission has presented a package to defend democracy.

UNDP

  • EPD, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Liberia and with support from the European Union, facilitated the capacity-building of officials from Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC). The workshops comprised several modules addressing various election topics and components of democracy.