Democracy Tour: The Eleventh Hour to strengthen democracy in the EU?

On February 28, the Vice President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, embarked on a strategic initiative known as the Democracy Tour, commencing in Helsinki. Since the launch, she visited several EU member states and met with the representatives of governments, business, and civil society to discuss achievements and remaining gaps in building resilience against foreign malign influence and autocratisation in EU member states, especially in the lead up to the European parliamentary elections. 

The quest for robust democratic resilience necessitates an integrated approach, incorporating a wide range of defensive mechanisms. These must address both digital and traditional challenges our countries face today, including tackling information manipulation, strategic corruption, undue influence over media ownership, and cybersecurity threats. Despite significant progress in strengthening the EU'sand its member states’ resilience through legislative measures, direct confrontation of adversaries, media literacy campaigns, and various national initiatives, the degree of resilience remains uneven across the Union.

How do the existing arsenal of tools at the EU’s and its member states’ disposal fare to safeguard democracy? What are the key achievements of the outgoing Commission in reinforcing the democratic foundations of the European Union? What are the remaining weak spots and how can we tackle them in the future? 

At this event Vice President Věra Jourová shared preliminary reflections from her Democracy Tour in the ongoing effort to strengthen democratic resilience amidst the complex challenges that confront us today.