The new European Centre for Democratic Resilience begins its work

At the meeting of the General Affairs Council on February 24, the Commission and the Council Presidency invited EU ministers to celebrate the launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. The aim of the Centre, a flagship initiative of the European Democracy Shield, is to facilitate a consolidated approach involving the whole of society to raise awareness and strengthen the response to threats facing democracies today, as well as to strengthen democratic resilience.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said:“In a world where information is increasingly used as a weapon to undermine our democracies, we are taking action. With the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, we will strengthen our collective capacity to counter foreign information manipulation and disinformation. This will strengthen our resilience, ensure that European public debate remains open and fair, and empower citizens to participate in democratic life.”

The Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath, will discuss with EU ministers how the Centre can facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience, as well as support the development of effective responses to common threats, to deliver tangible results for our citizens. The interest shown by all Member States in the creation of the Centre demonstrates that the initiative responds to a clear need and will be implemented in a flexible manner, with practical capacity-building projects reflecting Member States’ priorities. The Centre will help to avoid fragmentation of existing efforts by connecting networks and structures already working on prevention, detection, analysis and response options to threat patterns in the information space, helping each to reach its full potential and avoiding duplication.

 Emerging priority areas for the first year include:

• Developing tools to support resilient elections, including bringing together existing EU rules, soft measures and tools for Member States to help address foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation campaigns targeting electoral processes in Member States.
• An EU plan to counter FIMI and disinformation aimed at supporting preparedness and helping to build capacity across the Union.
• Launch a Stakeholder Platform dedicated to bringing together independent actors such as civil society organisations, expert groups, researchers, academics, fact-checkers and media organisations to support the dissemination of research and other outputs and foster exchange between different stakeholders, providing insights and perspectives to work with Member States at the Centre.
• Foster capacity building and mutual learning, including the exchange of expertise and best practices, enabling Member States with advanced experience in combating ILIB and strengthening democratic resilience to support others, raising the overall level of preparedness across the EU.
• Identify appropriate modalities for cooperation with EU candidate countriesand potential candidates within the framework of the Centre, to ensure mutually beneficial cooperation.
• Explore various models for involving citizens in our efforts to protect democracy, drawing on the valuable experience gained in many Member States. The Commission will support this reflection by organising two citizen panels on preparedness and democratic resilience developmentthis year.

The Commission, with the involvement of the European External Action Service, will support the Centre’s activities by leveraging existing tools and expertise and strengthening coordination between relevant EU instruments and networks.

With the launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, we are taking a further step towards strengthening democratic resilience, protecting the integrity of public debate and bolstering trust in Europe’s democratic systems.

Background

The European Centre for Democratic Resilience is a flagship initiative ofthe European Democracy Shield,presented in the Joint Communication of 12 November 2025, as outlined in thepolitical guidelines and the2025State of the Union addressby Presidentvon der Leyen. The European Democracy Shield set out a series of concrete measures to empower, protect and promote strong and resilient democracies across the EU.

In an era of growing political confrontation, regional and international conflicts, and rapid technological disruption, democracies face internal and external pressures. Authoritarian regimes seek to exploit divisions, sow mistrust and restrict democratic actors such as free media and civil society. In doing so, they erode trust in democratic institutions, undermine free and fair elections and challenge the fundamental values of the European Union. These threats are unfolding against the backdrop of a profound digital transformation that brings new opportunities and new vulnerabilities. At the same time, declining public trust and participation, together with the unprecedented risks faced by civil society organisations, further jeopardise the promotion of fundamental rights across the EU.

Through the external dimension of the European Democracy Shield, the European External Action Service (EEAS), in coordination with the Commission, will step up its work to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FII) beyond our borders. The EEAS is strengthening the capacities of EU Delegations and Representations abroad, leveraging partnerships to deliver collective responses against FIIN.

The European Centre for Democratic Resilience will serve as a voluntary strategic hub for cooperation between Member States. With the support of relevant EU institutions and bodies, it will operate in full respect of national and institutional competences, while promoting fundamental rights and democratic values.

The Commission provides administrative and operational support to the Centre through a Secretariat. With the support of and in close coordination with the Early Warning System managed by the European External Action Service, the Centre will connect existing networks and structures.

A high-level technical meeting was held in Brussels on 29 January with the full participation of all EU Member States, as well as the European Commission, the EEAS, the European Parliament and the Council Presidency. Participants discussed the Centre’s mission and framework and agreed on the need for coordinated and collaborative action to support democratic resilience.

Respondents to thespecial Eurobarometer survey on ‘Protecting and promoting democracy’cited growing public distrust of democratic institutions and processes (49%), foreign information manipulation, interference and disinformation, including in the context of elections (42%), and lack of transparency regarding whether political content online is promoted through new technologies such as artificial intelligence (32%).

More information: European Council.