STED | Supporting Team Europe Democracy

The Supporting Team Europe Democracy project, supported by the DG INTPA-European Commission, aims to enhance the effectiveness of evidence-based and coordinated democracy support within the framework of the Commission’s Team Europe Democracy initiative. STED provides practical support to Member States and EU Delegations, helping to ensure that governance priorities are effectively addressed in Team Europe Democracy partner countries. STED works with its partners- International IDEA, European Democracy Hub and Reporters sans Frontières, to provide qualitative and current research on democracy-related issues, such as assessing the state the democracy and media freedom globally.

Providing Practical Support and Strategic Analysis

Within this initiative, International IDEA plays a key role in supporting the European Commission and the Team Europe Democracy (TED) by offering demand driven and applied research.  With this project, International IDEA helps the EU and its Member States access the information they need to make well-informed, research-based decisions that strengthen democratic governance.

Moreover, the STED team actively supports the Team Europe Democracy in bringing together Member States and key partners to facilitate discussions on democracy-related topics. These engagements help align policy actions with democratic principles and foster a more unified and effective approach to democracy support across regions. 

Interpreting Democracy in a Regional Context

Recognizing the importance of regional dynamics, STED provides insights into how democracy can be interpreted and implemented in different contexts. The research and convenings are tailored their approaches to specific country needs, ensuring that democracy promotion efforts are both relevant and impactful.  

The STED team furthermore maintained the Summit for Democracy News and Resources Portal. The Portal includes a dashboard of the verbal and written commitments and the implementation progress made by the participating countries in the first and second Summits. It  also provided an easy overview of all the 16 democracy cohorts and their work.  

To learn more about STED’s work, reach out to Julia Keutgen, Programme Manager at International IDEA.