{"id":163149,"date":"2025-11-13T03:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T02:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cde.ual.es\/?p=163149"},"modified":"2025-11-12T13:50:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T12:50:24","slug":"european-democracy-shield-and-eu-strategy-for-civil-society-strengthen-resilient-democracies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cde.ual.es\/en\/european-democracy-shield-and-eu-strategy-for-civil-society-strengthen-resilient-democracies\/","title":{"rendered":"European Democracy Shield and EU Strategy for Civil Society strengthen resilient democracies"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Commission has presented last November 12 the European Democracy Shield<\/strong>, setting out a\u00a0series of concrete measures to empower, protect, and promote strong and resilient democracies<\/strong>\u00a0across the EU. An open civic space is at the core of our democracies, and this is why the Commission has also put forward an\u00a0EU Strategy for Civil Society<\/strong>, for stronger engagement, protection and support\u00a0<\/strong>to civil society organisations who play essential roles in our societies. Both initiatives had been outlined in the\u00a0political guidelines\u00a0and this year’s\u00a0State of the Union address\u00a0by President\u00a0von der Leyen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0European Democracy Shield\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0the EU Strategy for Civil Society\u00a0<\/strong>present measures to protect the key pillars of our democratic systems: free people, free and fair elections, free and independent media, a vibrant civil society and strong democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

President\u00a0von der Leyen<\/strong>\u00a0said: \u201cDemocracy is the foundation of our freedom, prosperity, and security. The European Democracy Shield will reinforce the core elements that allow citizens to live our shared democratic values every day – free speech, independent media, resilient institutions, and a vibrant civil society. This is Europe’s strength and we must increase our collective capacity to protect it at all times.<\/em>\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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European Democracy Shield<\/strong><\/p>\n

The actions under the European Democracy Shield will further boost our collective capacity to counter information manipulation and disinformation and strengthen our resilience through a whole-of-society approach. The European Democracy Shield will present actions across three main pillars: 1) safeguarding the integrity of the information space; 2) strengthening our institutions, fair and free elections, and free and independent media; and 3) boosting societal resilience and citizens’ engagement.<\/p>\n

An important deliverable from the European Democracy Shield will be a new\u00a0European Centre for Democratic Resilience<\/strong>\u00a0to bring together EU and Member States’ expertise and resources to increase our collective capacity to anticipate, detect and respond to threats and build democratic resilience. With Member States at its core, the Centre will act as a framework to facilitate information sharing and support capacity building to withstand evolving common threats,\u00a0in particular foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) and disinformation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Supported by and in close coordination with the Rapid Alert System run by the European External Action Service, the Centre will link together existing networks and structures.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0Stakeholder<\/strong>\u00a0Platform\u00a0<\/strong>will be established within the Centre to facilitate dialogue with trusted stakeholders such as civil society organisations, researchers and academia, fact-checkers and media providers.<\/p>\n

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  1. Safeguarding the integrity of the information space<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Strengthening the integrity of the information space is essential for people to exercise their rights and engage in democracy. The Commission will further work with signatories under the Code of Conduct on Disinformation and prepare\u00a0a Digital Services Act incidents and crisis protocol to<\/strong>\u00a0facilitate coordination among relevant authorities and ensure swift reactions to large-scale and potentially transnational information operations. An independent\u00a0European Network of Fact-Checkers<\/strong>\u00a0will be set up to boost fact-checking capacity in all EU official languages and the\u00a0European Digital Media Observatory<\/strong>\u00a0will develop new independent monitoring and analytical capabilities for situational awareness on elections or in situations of crises.<\/p>\n

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    1. Strengthening our institutions, fair and free elections, and free and independent media<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      While the organisation and conduct of elections are the competence of the Member States, strengthened cooperation at EU level is necessary to address common challenges in this field. The Commission will therefore reinforce the work under the\u00a0European Cooperation Network on Elections<\/strong>, organising systematic exchanges on key topics for the integrity of electoral processes. The Commission will also present a\u00a0guidance on the responsible use of AI in electoral processes<\/strong>\u00a0and update the\u00a0Digital Services Act (DSA) Elections Toolkit<\/p>\n

      To help address growing violence against political candidates and elected representatives, the Commission will present a\u00a0Recommendation and a guide of best practices in the Member States on the safety of political actors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Reinforced\u00a0financial support for independent and local journalism<\/strong>\u00a0will be provided under the\u00a0new Media Resilience Programme<\/strong>, which will bridge current support to media with funding programmes proposed in the new Multiannual Financial Framework. In the upcoming\u00a0review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive<\/strong>, the Commission will assess ways to strengthen the prominence of media services of general interest and modernise advertising rules to foster the sustainability of EU media.<\/p>\n

      The Commission will present an\u00a0update of the\u00a0<\/strong>Commission’s Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists<\/strong>\u00a0and will step up action to support the EU’s existing framework to combat\u00a0abusive lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).<\/strong><\/p>\n

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      1. Boosting societal resilience and citizens’ engagement<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        To help recognise and counter information manipulation, the Commission will roll out measures to foster\u00a0media and digital literacy for all ages<\/strong>. The Commission will develop an EU citizenship competence framework along with guidelines to strengthen\u00a0citizenship education<\/strong>\u00a0in schools.<\/p>\n

        It will also support citizens’ engagement in democratic life through\u00a0participatory and consultative tools<\/strong>,\u00a0with a focus on local levels and youth,<\/strong>\u00a0and it will stimulate innovation in online platforms that enable participation in democracy via a new\u00a0civic tech<\/strong>\u00a0hub. To promote awareness of citizens’ democratic rights under EU law, the Commission will present an\u00a0EU democracy guide<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        The Commission will also help further promote evidence-based decision-making, including through the adoption of a\u00a0Recommendation on supporting scientific evidence in policymaking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

        The EU Strategy for Civil Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Civil society plays an essential role in our societies contributing to policymaking, delivering social and community services, raising awareness about important social issues, and representing diverse groups in vulnerable situations.<\/p>\n

        With the EU Strategy for Civil Society, the Commission is stepping up its engagement with civil society, and will further support and protect civil society organisations in their work. The Strategy proposes concrete actions at EU and national level.<\/p>\n

        The strategy covers\u00a0three key objectives:<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n