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With Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium; Dr. Adam Bodnar, Elected Senator of the Polish Senate; Erica Gerretsen, Director at the European Commission; H.E Anders H.
BRUSSELS – With increasing pressure on democracy globally, and the new security context in Europe, the enlargement of the European Union (EU) to new members in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans is back on the agenda of European leaders. But to maintain internal coherence and ease joint decision making, all members be it aspiring or current EU Member States, should fully embrace the rule of law.
BRUSELAS – Con una presión cada vez mayor sobre la democracia a nivel mundial y el nuevo contexto de seguridad en Europa, la ampliación de la Unión Europea (UE) a nuevos miembros en Europa del Este y los Balcanes Occidentales vuelve a estar en la agenda de los líderes europeos. Pero para mantener la coherencia interna y facilitar la toma de decisiones conjunta, todos los miembros, ya sean aspirantes o actuales miembros de la UE, deberían abrazar plenamente el Estado de derecho.
Female politicians and young women aspiring to join politics from 47 counties have received a five-day training from the 5th Women in Political Participation (WPP) Academy on how to enhance their political leadership skills, promote inclusivity in political participation and inspire young women to join politics.
This Discussion Paper reviews the performance of 16 lobbying registers according to 3 interlinked dimensions: (a) transparency; (b) regulatory capacity; and (c) interoperability. Under ‘transparency’, the paper examines the scope of lobbying information collected by the register in question, as well as how that information is administered and subsequently disclosed.
The European Commission adopted its Defence of Democracy Package on Tuesday, 12 December 2023. The package encompasses a directive, two recommendations and a communication aiming at shielding European Democracy from malign foreign actors and bolstering democratic resilience from within.
International IDEA’s collaborative efforts with partners such as the European Partnership for Democracy, have significantly influenced the formulation of the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy package. This success is marked by a series of impactful joint initiatives conducted throughout 2022 and 2023:
“Democracy is our most valuable asset. Our defense against extremism, dictatorship and war. Our most precious gem that shines well in the hands of the people." – H.E.
Despite widespread claims that parliamentary systems with an indirectly elected president produce better outcomes for democratic governance, constitutional reform to move away from a directly elected president to an indirectly elected president is extremely rare.
The European Union’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) covers six countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Covid-19 pandemic put a strain on fledgling democracies in the EaP region, aggravating pre-existing concerns, such as the weak rule of law, insufficient accountability of executive branches vis-à-vis legislatures and fragile media freedoms (see International IDEA 2022).
International IDEA and the Caucasus Institute for Peace, Democracy and Development (CIPDD) organized a conference in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2005 on constitutional and political reform in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. It was dedicated to the exchange of information about the reform process in the three South Caucasus countries and the prospects for their European integration.