About: Democracy
Autocracies outdo democracies on public trust – survey
Public trust in governments running the world's democracies has fallen to new lows over their handling of the pandemic and amid a widespread sense of economic pessimism, a global survey has found.
History education can put democracies back on track
The backsliding of democracy in Europe is also driven by the distortion of historical facts and facilitated by a lack of the will and ability to identify disinformation. History education is a key element in providing future generations with the...
Democratization of Democracy: The Conference on the Future of Europe as a Role Model?
In the recent years there has been much talk about the erosion of liberal democracy, which has been manifested in various disturbing developments: from decreasing trust of citizens in the institutions of representative democracy and decreasing voter turnout (in particularly...OpinionPromoted content
Our time to shape Europe
The CoFoE brings European citizens closer to the EU. For this reason, JEF Europe and its sections could not be more active in promoting this initiative. Hence, JEF Athens-Piraeus aims to motivate citizens to make their voice heard and express their proposals for a better European Union.
How participation and digitalisation can help implement EU democracy
The ongoing sanitary crisis has highlighted the urgency of improving EU democracy through the implementation of new tools to boost participation. Digitalisation can give a decisive contribution. In this special report, EURACTIV will look at the empowerment of citizens through...
‘We need to know what happened in Europe in order to understand the Europe of today’
Despite the importance of history teaching to understand our past and present, Matjaž Gruden, director of democratic participation at the Observatory for History Teaching in Europe, worries that it is falling down the list of priorities in education across Europe.
CoFoE could cause disquiet in Commission over citizens’ wishes to change treaties
Changing the names of institutions, forming transnational lists, and questioning the unanimity vote are among 39 recommendations approved by the citizens' panel on democracy at a Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) panel in Florence last weekend.
Future of Europe conference ‘not a listening exercise without consequences’, says leading MEP
“Governments are obliged to react, they cannot bypass citizens’ proposals”, Italian socialist MEP Brando Benifei told EURACTIV in an interview on the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Renewing democracy is ‘defining challenge of our time,’ Biden tells summit
US President Joe Biden gathered over 100 world leaders at a summit and made a plea to bolster democracies around the world, calling safeguarding rights and freedoms in the face of rising authoritarianism the "defining challenge" of the current era.
French press agency and Google team up to fight disinformation in French elections
Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Google France launched on Monday (6 December) a programme to fight disinformation in the run-up to the French presidential elections. EURACTIV France reports.InterviewPromoted content
An ever closer union can be a multi-speed one
The proposals made at the Conference on the Future of Europe for a fiscal union, veto-free EU decision making in foreign affairs, and transnational lists will need backing by civil society if they are to succeed, according to the newly elected president of the Young European Federalists.
Democracy expert: CoFoE at risk of being PR exercise
The Conference for the Future of Europe is well underway. Still, concerns have been raised from the get-go that citizens' proposals might not be taken seriously or implemented fully by European lawmakers for various reasons.OpinionPromoted content
Let’s make the Conference too big to ignore
Europeans must mobilise in demanding a better EU as part of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE). However, a more united and democratic Union is not in everyone’s interest, and some political actors are consistently striving to make the consultation process meaningless.
Biden invites around 110 countries to virtual summit on democracy
President Joe Biden has invited around 110 countries to a virtual summit on democracy in December, including most of Western allies but not Hungary and Turkey, according to a list posted on the State Department website on Tuesday (23 November)....
CoFoE: Participants numbers are encouraging but member states should do more
Organisers of the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) are “encouraged by the number of visits to the platform and endorsements”, a spokesperson for the conference told EURACTIV. This comes following concerns from some participants that the event was not getting enough attention.
The future of Europe jeopardised by inaction of ‘pro-Europeans’
The Conference on the Future of Europe is underway but there is a great risk that it will turn out to be a lost opportunity. This is due mainly to the inaction of “pro-European” governments and parties and the European institutions, writes Roberto Castaldi.
Cities’ empowerment initiatives risk being ‘paper exercises’, experts warn
Projects meant to give power to EU city dwellers risk being reduced to a 'box-ticking' exercise unless municipal leaders can convince as many of their constituents as possible to participate.
How the Conference on the Future of Europe can still be saved
The Conference on the future of Europe is faltering, but EU institutions and member states can still save it. And they should, as it could be a key tool to re-engage the citizens, writes Nicoletta Pirozzi.
We can strengthen European democracy by giving the European Parliament more powers
The past year’s crisis underscored the need for a more united Europe. We must seize this opportunity to make the Conference on the Future of Europe a true forum with citizens to work together to achieve a more sovereign and democratic Europe, says UEF President and Renew MEP Sandro Gozi.
Opposition-led Hungarian capital holds democracy conference in sign of defiance
As Hungarian opposition parties are preparing to elect a single challenger to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Budapest's green mayor, one of the prime ministerial hopefuls, is holding a conference on sustainable democracy together with an exiled liberal university and opposition think tank.
America may be ‘back’ at G7, but allies’ doubts about US democracy linger
After the tumultuous years for the transatlantic relationship under Donald Trump, Joe Biden's promise that "America is back" as he meets Western allies are a welcome relief. But they're not enough, diplomats and foreign policy experts say.
Hungary may see takeovers of last free media, experts warn
Recent reports have confirmed the negative trend for media freedom in Hungary but also pointed to Budapest's negative impact on press freedom in neighbouring countries. On World Press Freedom Day (3 May), EURACTIV talked to two of the main experts on Hungarian media.
Democracy ‘loses currency’ in Europe, warns Freedom House
In its latest report published on Wednesday (28 April) the NGO Freedom House warns of an "antidemocratic turn" throughout Europe, “fuelling a deterioration in human freedom with global implications”.