How can democratic socities defend themselves against external and internal pressures? The European Commission (2025) presents the European Democracy Shield to reinforce democratic institutions and resist authoritarian regimes agressive tactics.
Democracy serves as the foundation of the European Union, underpinning peace, security, economic competitiveness, prosperity, and social cohesion. Grounded in free individuals, fair elections, independent media, and strong institutions, democracy functions as a way of life that protects fundamental rights, ensures equality under the law, fosters open societies, and keeps leaders accountable. European citizens identity democracy, human rights, and the rule of law as the Union’s greatest strengths.
However, in a period marked by regional conflicts, geopolitical friction, and technological shifts, democratic systems face intensifying strain. Authoritarian powers view democracy as a direct threat and employ aggressive methods, often through state or non-state proxies, to weaken it. While democratic systems work by uniting diverse voices to find shared solutions, authoritarian actors deliberately widen societal divisions, exploit conflicts, undermine elections, and target free media and civil society to destroy public trust in democratic governance.
The European Commission (2025) highlights this as an urgent challenge for the EU, neighboring regions, and democracies across the globe. Protecting candidate and potential candidate nations from destabilization and foreign interference is especially critical. Alongside its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia continues to escalate hybrid operations accross Europe, using deceitful narratives and falsified history to weaken trust in democratic systems over the long term.
Learn more about this policy here:
European Commission. (2025b). European Democracy Shield: Empowering strong and resilient democracies (JOIN(2025) 791 final) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025JC0791