NB. This event was by invitation only.
The fifth edition of our Nets4Dem Democracy Retreat brought together EU and national policy-makers, researchers and democracy practitioners for a closed-door lunch debate on democracy support in enlargement countries, with a focus on civil society.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has plunged Europe into a period of heightened instability, bringing EU enlargement to the forefront of the political agenda. As external authoritarian inroads become stronger, actively supporting democracy in the Neighbourhood is crucial, including supporting local civil society and independent media.
However, civil society faces different challenges across the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership countries. Confronted with a spectrum of volatile situations, the EU should tailor its approach to the specific political contexts of candidate countries, aligning it better with the needs on the ground as well as its own democracy and security objectives. This concept of ‘differentiated democratic enlargement’, coined by Professor Richard Youngs, could reinvigorate the EU’s Enlargement policy and, once again, bring it to the forefront of the EU’s democracy promotion toolbox, while at the same time addressing the Union’s compelling geopolitical and security challenges.
Hosted in an intimate, off-the-record setting, the retreat offered a space for participants to explore avenues and declinations of country-specific strategies of democracy support in EU candidate countries with unique security concerns.
Moderated by TEPSA Executive Director Mariam Khotenashvili, discussants included:
Paul Zoubkov, Programme Manager Europe, Democracy Reporting International; Giulio Venneri, Deputy Head of Unit, DG ENEST, European Commission; Alexandra Kirby, Senior Programme Manager, European Endowment for Democracy; Elene Panchulidze, Research Coordinator, European Partnership for Democracy; Natalia Hadei, Country Advisor for Moldova, European Partnership for Democracy; Uroš Jovanović, Public Policy Program Manager, Građanske Inicijative; Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow, Carnagie Europe; Lesya Tymoshenko, Senior Project Coordinator, Eurocities and Jean-Louis de Brouwer, Director, European Affairs, Egmont Institute.
What are the Democracy Retreats?
Co-organised by the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) and the Egmont Institute, this series of retreats aims to equip stakeholders with cutting-edge strategies to strengthen and renew democratic processes in Europe, promote innovative approaches to democratic governance and foster collaboration among policy-makers, practitioners, and democracy researchers.
What is Nets4Dem?
Nets4Dem, a Horizon Europe project coordinated by Democracy Reporting International, endeavours to reshape the landscape of democracy initiatives. Nets4Dem brings together more than 200 cities, over 50 think tanks and universities, and dozens of democracy-focused NGOs, covering 38 European countries. Nets4Dem aims to enhance and transform the current landscape of democracy initiatives by creating a unique European network. This network facilitates high degrees of connectedness among policy-makers, practitioners, and researchers by providing improved access to cross-cutting work on democratic innovations. It further aims to weave networks spanning various sectors, geographies and levels of governance, thereby redistributing power and resources to those who stand to gain the most from initiatives aimed at engaging citizens in civic renewal. Learn more about this event and the project on Nets4Dem’s website.
Contact information
Should you have any questions about this event or future Nets4Dem activities, do not hesitate to contact Ilaria Giustacchini, Partnership and Project Manager at TEPSA.
