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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.
Join our online roundtable that aims to contribute to a better understanding of the current and likely future effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on democracies in Armenia, Georgia and Moldova. In addition, the discussion will aim to distill recommendations on how national and international democracy assistance providers should revise their actions in response to this crisis.
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.
Popular uprisings, protests and unconstitutional regime changes are common characteristics of political change and political life in Africa. The decade 2011–2021 has seen a wave of popular uprisings slamming against the bedrock of long-established autocratic regimes.
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).
Armenia, Georgia and Moldova continue to strengthen their democratic systems. Achievements, albeit with many challenges, include improvements to the conduct of elections, increasing the transparency and accountability of government institutions, and maintaining an open civic space for citizens and media to openly debate, question, or challenge their governments.
On the evening of 15 February 2022, reports emerged that key police and military officials in Djibouti were put under house arrest, reportedly amid fears of a coup d’état. This was the latest in the string of successful and attempted coups in Africa—from Mali to M
Political parties are the centrepiece of political representation in democratic systems.
Post-conflict democratization has always been regarded as an ordeal, and democracy-building in the South Caucasus countries is no exception.
The countries of the region—Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia—are telling examples of the fact that elections are insufficient for the establishment of democracy.
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.