27/05/2026
During her State of the Union speech in 2024, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen declared, “Our democracy is under attack. The rise in information manipulation and disinformation is dividing our societies. It is not only eroding trust in the truth – but also in democracy itself. This is why we urgently need the European Democracy Shield. We need more capacity to monitor and detect information manipulation and disinformation. So, we will set up a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience. This will bring together all the expertise and capacity across Member States and neighbouring countries”.
Democracies are under internal and external pressures. While some authoritarian European governments weaken democracies by capturing media, controlling civil society, and interfering with electoral processes, other threats emerge from international and regional conflicts, with new uses of technology that create hybrid threats and tamper with information and media ecosystems.
On the other hand, functioning democracies within the EU, rely on bringing together different viewpoints to solve problems and have checks and balances. But when trust in institutions is undermined, it becomes harder for them to function effectively. According to the European Commission, these pressures are a critical concern for the European Union, its neighbourhood and other functioning democracies around the world.
To coordinate efforts, the EU introduced the European Democracy Action Plan in 2020 and the Defence of Democracy package in 2023. Building on that framework, the European Democracy Shield was presented in November 2025, including a set of new measures in three priority areas, aimed at empowering strong and resilient democracies.
With the European Democracy Shield, the Commission aims to strengthen action at both the EU and national levels. It will include enlargement countries and ensure coherence between the EU’s internal and external efforts in this field.
The Shield will also reinforce the Commission’s efforts to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) beyond EU borders. Capacities within EU Representations and Delegations abroad will be strengthened, and partnerships will be leveraged to enable coordinated responses.
Therefore, the European Democracy Shield displays unity showing a collective EU strategy to defend democracy and address potential threats.
First priority area: integrity of the information space
Under this priority area, several measures are listed to improve collective situational awareness and better anticipate, identify, and respond to threats, including information manipulation and disinformation. One important delivery is the establishment of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, which will serve as a hub for cooperation and coordination among EU institutions (it is notably supported by the European External Action Service and in close coordination with its Rapid Alert System), Member States, and EU candidate countries.
The Commission also intends to launch an independent European Network of Fact-Checkers, expanding on the work of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). This network will improve the detection and continuous monitoring of FIMI, thereby strengthening the overall resilience of media ecosystems in the EU .
Second priority area: elections and media
Within the second priority area, the Commission aims to enhance its activities in the European Cooperation Network on Elections (ECNE). This network serves as a platform where national authorities responsible for elections can exchange information and coordinate efforts to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes. The Commission will issue a Recommendation and a guide for EU member states on ensuring the safety of political actors, as well as guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence during electoral processes.
Third priority area: societal resilience and citizens’ engagement
The Commission lists measures aimed at improving citizens’ media and digital literacy skills. The Commission plans to create an EU citizenship competence framework and guidelines to strengthen citizenship education in schools. It will also use participatory and consultative tools to encourage people, especially the youth, to participate in democracy and present an EU Democracy Guide. Furthermore, the Commission will also promote evidence-based decision-making, including through the adoption of a Recommendation on supporting scientific evidence in policymaking.
The European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield
Over the last two terms, the MEPs particularly addressed the threats to democracy, such as foreign interference and disinformation, through non-legislative resolutions, public hearings, and budgetary oversight. To further these efforts, the Parliament voted in favour of the creation of a Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), which officially launched with thirty-three members on 3 February 2025.
Working side-by-side with the European Democracy Shield, the Special Committee is responsible for overseeing the Commission’s work, identifying legislative gaps, tackling disinformation campaigns, and collaborating with partners in neighbouring countries to counter foreign interference. The draft report on the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, drafted by MEP Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden) is currently being debated within the EUDS Special Committee. It addresses and evaluates how the EU can strengthen democratic resilience by assessing its vulnerabilities and response capacity against foreign interference, disinformation, hybrid attacks, election interference, cyber threats, and risks to media freedom, civil society, digital platforms, and critical infrastructures.
The importance of media literacy within the Democracy Shield
The Commission places a strong emphasis on media literacy and citizens’ democratic participation within the European Democracy Shield. The EU Democracy Guide aims to increase public awareness of democratic rights under EU laws and policies and explain how individuals can exercise those rights, with a particular focus on young people.
To ensure that citizens are involved in shaping initiatives related to democracy, citizenship, and media and digital literacy, the Commission will also organise a European Citizens’ Panel on democratic resilience.
Furthermore, the Commission plans to expand media and digital literacy efforts across the EU to reach people of all ages and social backgrounds, especially those outside formal education. With the Media Resilience Programme, it will introduce initiatives that improve media and digital literacy among the youth, adults, and seniors in both rural and urban areas, while addressing challenges related to information integrity and changing media consumption habits.
The Commission will also support Member States in developing or implementing national and regional media literacy action plans. In addition, it aims to strengthen coordination among media literacy actors by reinforcing the Media Literacy Expert Group (MLEG) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) to share best practices and expand successful initiatives, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups.
The European Democracy Shield’s remaining gaps
Though praised by many as an important geopolitical tool and an investment in democracy, the Democracy Shield is building largely on existing initiatives, continuing the Commission’s focus on disinformation rather than introducing significantly new approaches. Moreover, it mainly functions as an umbrella that brings together existing regulatory frameworks and policy initiatives to display unity and strength. The efficiency of this umbrella will ultimately depend on consistent implementation at both EU and national levels. Therefore, to maximise impact, EAVI encourages the Commission to support the development of clear implementation mechanisms in cooperation with Member States and civil society organisations. Additionally, the effectiveness of the European Democracy Shield could be significantly improved by equipping the Shield with dedicated funding and establishing it as a standalone instrument capable of a concrete, sustained impact.
Next steps for the European Democracy Shield
The Democracy Shield builds on a whole-of-society approach which implies for the EU to regularly update and reinforce its regulatory framework to avoid grey areas and ensure satisfactory legal interactions between key acts such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the European Media Freedom Act.
The European Union’s priorities should be reflected in the elaboration of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (the MFF). Democracy will notably be supported through the programme AgoraEU, designed to promote shared values such as democracy, while supporting the audiovisual and creative sectors, media freedom, and civil society. Other programmes include Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the Global Europe Instrument, and defence-related expenses will also cover the protection of democracy and fight against hybrid threats.
Looking ahead, the European Democracy Shield is moving from a theoretical framework into an operational phase. A milestone was reached on 24 February 2026, with the official launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. In this policy context, the revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which addresses directly media literacy, and should take place after the reviewing the results of public consultations, will also be part of the EU’s efforts to address new build democratic resilience, tackle disinformation, and improve the media and information ecosystems.
References:
Burke, Heather (2025). European Democracy Shield Explored. Institute of International and European Affairs. https://www.iiea.com/images/uploads/resources/Democracy_shield_explainer_final.pdf
Dolan, Carl (2025). Democracy shield: Defense or distraction? European Policy Centre. https://www.epc.eu/publication/democracy-shield-defense-or-distraction/
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield and EU Strategy for Civil Society pave the way for stronger and more resilient democracies. https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/european-democracy-shield-and-eu-strategy-civil-society-pave-way-stronger-and-more-resilient-2025-11-12_en
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield: Empowering Strong and Resilient Democracies. https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/2539eb53-9485-4199-bfdc-97166893ff45_en?filename=JUST_template_comingsoon_standard_1.pdf
European Parliament (2026). Consideration of Amendments on EUDS draft report. Europarl. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/consideration-of-amendments-on-euds-draf/product-details/20260310CAN76884
European Parliamentary Research Service (2026). The European Democracy Shield: An overview.https://epthinktank.eu/2026/01/15/the-european-democracy-shield-an-overview/
Quaritsch, Luise (2025). The European Democracy Shield – Papering over the cracks. Jacques Delors Centre. https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/the-european-democracy-shield-papering-over-the-cracks
Related Posts
27/05/2026
During her State of the Union speech in 2024, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen declared, “Our democracy is under attack. The rise in information manipulation and disinformation is dividing our societies. It is not only eroding trust in the truth – but also in democracy itself. This is why we urgently need the European Democracy Shield. We need more capacity to monitor and detect information manipulation and disinformation. So, we will set up a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience. This will bring together all the expertise and capacity across Member States and neighbouring countries”.
Democracies are under internal and external pressures. While some authoritarian European governments weaken democracies by capturing media, controlling civil society, and interfering with electoral processes, other threats emerge from international and regional conflicts, with new uses of technology that create hybrid threats and tamper with information and media ecosystems.
On the other hand, functioning democracies within the EU, rely on bringing together different viewpoints to solve problems and have checks and balances. But when trust in institutions is undermined, it becomes harder for them to function effectively. According to the European Commission, these pressures are a critical concern for the European Union, its neighbourhood and other functioning democracies around the world.
To coordinate efforts, the EU introduced the European Democracy Action Plan in 2020 and the Defence of Democracy package in 2023. Building on that framework, the European Democracy Shield was presented in November 2025, including a set of new measures in three priority areas, aimed at empowering strong and resilient democracies.
With the European Democracy Shield, the Commission aims to strengthen action at both the EU and national levels. It will include enlargement countries and ensure coherence between the EU’s internal and external efforts in this field.
The Shield will also reinforce the Commission’s efforts to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) beyond EU borders. Capacities within EU Representations and Delegations abroad will be strengthened, and partnerships will be leveraged to enable coordinated responses.
Therefore, the European Democracy Shield displays unity showing a collective EU strategy to defend democracy and address potential threats.
First priority area: integrity of the information space
Under this priority area, several measures are listed to improve collective situational awareness and better anticipate, identify, and respond to threats, including information manipulation and disinformation. One important delivery is the establishment of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, which will serve as a hub for cooperation and coordination among EU institutions (it is notably supported by the European External Action Service and in close coordination with its Rapid Alert System), Member States, and EU candidate countries.
The Commission also intends to launch an independent European Network of Fact-Checkers, expanding on the work of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). This network will improve the detection and continuous monitoring of FIMI, thereby strengthening the overall resilience of media ecosystems in the EU .
Second priority area: elections and media
Within the second priority area, the Commission aims to enhance its activities in the European Cooperation Network on Elections (ECNE). This network serves as a platform where national authorities responsible for elections can exchange information and coordinate efforts to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes. The Commission will issue a Recommendation and a guide for EU member states on ensuring the safety of political actors, as well as guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence during electoral processes.
Third priority area: societal resilience and citizens’ engagement
The Commission lists measures aimed at improving citizens’ media and digital literacy skills. The Commission plans to create an EU citizenship competence framework and guidelines to strengthen citizenship education in schools. It will also use participatory and consultative tools to encourage people, especially the youth, to participate in democracy and present an EU Democracy Guide. Furthermore, the Commission will also promote evidence-based decision-making, including through the adoption of a Recommendation on supporting scientific evidence in policymaking.
The European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield
Over the last two terms, the MEPs particularly addressed the threats to democracy, such as foreign interference and disinformation, through non-legislative resolutions, public hearings, and budgetary oversight. To further these efforts, the Parliament voted in favour of the creation of a Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), which officially launched with thirty-three members on 3 February 2025.
Working side-by-side with the European Democracy Shield, the Special Committee is responsible for overseeing the Commission’s work, identifying legislative gaps, tackling disinformation campaigns, and collaborating with partners in neighbouring countries to counter foreign interference. The draft report on the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, drafted by MEP Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden) is currently being debated within the EUDS Special Committee. It addresses and evaluates how the EU can strengthen democratic resilience by assessing its vulnerabilities and response capacity against foreign interference, disinformation, hybrid attacks, election interference, cyber threats, and risks to media freedom, civil society, digital platforms, and critical infrastructures.
The importance of media literacy within the Democracy Shield
The Commission places a strong emphasis on media literacy and citizens’ democratic participation within the European Democracy Shield. The EU Democracy Guide aims to increase public awareness of democratic rights under EU laws and policies and explain how individuals can exercise those rights, with a particular focus on young people.
To ensure that citizens are involved in shaping initiatives related to democracy, citizenship, and media and digital literacy, the Commission will also organise a European Citizens’ Panel on democratic resilience.
Furthermore, the Commission plans to expand media and digital literacy efforts across the EU to reach people of all ages and social backgrounds, especially those outside formal education. With the Media Resilience Programme, it will introduce initiatives that improve media and digital literacy among the youth, adults, and seniors in both rural and urban areas, while addressing challenges related to information integrity and changing media consumption habits.
The Commission will also support Member States in developing or implementing national and regional media literacy action plans. In addition, it aims to strengthen coordination among media literacy actors by reinforcing the Media Literacy Expert Group (MLEG) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) to share best practices and expand successful initiatives, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups.
The European Democracy Shield’s remaining gaps
Though praised by many as an important geopolitical tool and an investment in democracy, the Democracy Shield is building largely on existing initiatives, continuing the Commission’s focus on disinformation rather than introducing significantly new approaches. Moreover, it mainly functions as an umbrella that brings together existing regulatory frameworks and policy initiatives to display unity and strength. The efficiency of this umbrella will ultimately depend on consistent implementation at both EU and national levels. Therefore, to maximise impact, EAVI encourages the Commission to support the development of clear implementation mechanisms in cooperation with Member States and civil society organisations. Additionally, the effectiveness of the European Democracy Shield could be significantly improved by equipping the Shield with dedicated funding and establishing it as a standalone instrument capable of a concrete, sustained impact.
Next steps for the European Democracy Shield
The Democracy Shield builds on a whole-of-society approach which implies for the EU to regularly update and reinforce its regulatory framework to avoid grey areas and ensure satisfactory legal interactions between key acts such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the European Media Freedom Act.
The European Union’s priorities should be reflected in the elaboration of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (the MFF). Democracy will notably be supported through the programme AgoraEU, designed to promote shared values such as democracy, while supporting the audiovisual and creative sectors, media freedom, and civil society. Other programmes include Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the Global Europe Instrument, and defence-related expenses will also cover the protection of democracy and fight against hybrid threats.
Looking ahead, the European Democracy Shield is moving from a theoretical framework into an operational phase. A milestone was reached on 24 February 2026, with the official launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. In this policy context, the revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which addresses directly media literacy, and should take place after the reviewing the results of public consultations, will also be part of the EU’s efforts to address new build democratic resilience, tackle disinformation, and improve the media and information ecosystems.
References:
Burke, Heather (2025). European Democracy Shield Explored. Institute of International and European Affairs. https://www.iiea.com/images/uploads/resources/Democracy_shield_explainer_final.pdf
Dolan, Carl (2025). Democracy shield: Defense or distraction? European Policy Centre. https://www.epc.eu/publication/democracy-shield-defense-or-distraction/
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield and EU Strategy for Civil Society pave the way for stronger and more resilient democracies. https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/european-democracy-shield-and-eu-strategy-civil-society-pave-way-stronger-and-more-resilient-2025-11-12_en
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield: Empowering Strong and Resilient Democracies. https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/2539eb53-9485-4199-bfdc-97166893ff45_en?filename=JUST_template_comingsoon_standard_1.pdf
European Parliament (2026). Consideration of Amendments on EUDS draft report. Europarl. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/consideration-of-amendments-on-euds-draf/product-details/20260310CAN76884
European Parliamentary Research Service (2026). The European Democracy Shield: An overview.https://epthinktank.eu/2026/01/15/the-european-democracy-shield-an-overview/
Quaritsch, Luise (2025). The European Democracy Shield – Papering over the cracks. Jacques Delors Centre. https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/the-european-democracy-shield-papering-over-the-cracks
Related Posts
27/05/2026
During her State of the Union speech in 2024, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen declared, “Our democracy is under attack. The rise in information manipulation and disinformation is dividing our societies. It is not only eroding trust in the truth – but also in democracy itself. This is why we urgently need the European Democracy Shield. We need more capacity to monitor and detect information manipulation and disinformation. So, we will set up a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience. This will bring together all the expertise and capacity across Member States and neighbouring countries”.
Democracies are under internal and external pressures. While some authoritarian European governments weaken democracies by capturing media, controlling civil society, and interfering with electoral processes, other threats emerge from international and regional conflicts, with new uses of technology that create hybrid threats and tamper with information and media ecosystems.
On the other hand, functioning democracies within the EU, rely on bringing together different viewpoints to solve problems and have checks and balances. But when trust in institutions is undermined, it becomes harder for them to function effectively. According to the European Commission, these pressures are a critical concern for the European Union, its neighbourhood and other functioning democracies around the world.
To coordinate efforts, the EU introduced the European Democracy Action Plan in 2020 and the Defence of Democracy package in 2023. Building on that framework, the European Democracy Shield was presented in November 2025, including a set of new measures in three priority areas, aimed at empowering strong and resilient democracies.
With the European Democracy Shield, the Commission aims to strengthen action at both the EU and national levels. It will include enlargement countries and ensure coherence between the EU’s internal and external efforts in this field.
The Shield will also reinforce the Commission’s efforts to combat foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) beyond EU borders. Capacities within EU Representations and Delegations abroad will be strengthened, and partnerships will be leveraged to enable coordinated responses.
Therefore, the European Democracy Shield displays unity showing a collective EU strategy to defend democracy and address potential threats.
First priority area: integrity of the information space
Under this priority area, several measures are listed to improve collective situational awareness and better anticipate, identify, and respond to threats, including information manipulation and disinformation. One important delivery is the establishment of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience, which will serve as a hub for cooperation and coordination among EU institutions (it is notably supported by the European External Action Service and in close coordination with its Rapid Alert System), Member States, and EU candidate countries.
The Commission also intends to launch an independent European Network of Fact-Checkers, expanding on the work of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network (EFCSN) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO). This network will improve the detection and continuous monitoring of FIMI, thereby strengthening the overall resilience of media ecosystems in the EU .
Second priority area: elections and media
Within the second priority area, the Commission aims to enhance its activities in the European Cooperation Network on Elections (ECNE). This network serves as a platform where national authorities responsible for elections can exchange information and coordinate efforts to safeguard the integrity of electoral processes. The Commission will issue a Recommendation and a guide for EU member states on ensuring the safety of political actors, as well as guidance on the responsible use of artificial intelligence during electoral processes.
Third priority area: societal resilience and citizens’ engagement
The Commission lists measures aimed at improving citizens’ media and digital literacy skills. The Commission plans to create an EU citizenship competence framework and guidelines to strengthen citizenship education in schools. It will also use participatory and consultative tools to encourage people, especially the youth, to participate in democracy and present an EU Democracy Guide. Furthermore, the Commission will also promote evidence-based decision-making, including through the adoption of a Recommendation on supporting scientific evidence in policymaking.
The European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield
Over the last two terms, the MEPs particularly addressed the threats to democracy, such as foreign interference and disinformation, through non-legislative resolutions, public hearings, and budgetary oversight. To further these efforts, the Parliament voted in favour of the creation of a Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS), which officially launched with thirty-three members on 3 February 2025.
Working side-by-side with the European Democracy Shield, the Special Committee is responsible for overseeing the Commission’s work, identifying legislative gaps, tackling disinformation campaigns, and collaborating with partners in neighbouring countries to counter foreign interference. The draft report on the findings and recommendations of the Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, drafted by MEP Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden) is currently being debated within the EUDS Special Committee. It addresses and evaluates how the EU can strengthen democratic resilience by assessing its vulnerabilities and response capacity against foreign interference, disinformation, hybrid attacks, election interference, cyber threats, and risks to media freedom, civil society, digital platforms, and critical infrastructures.
The importance of media literacy within the Democracy Shield
The Commission places a strong emphasis on media literacy and citizens’ democratic participation within the European Democracy Shield. The EU Democracy Guide aims to increase public awareness of democratic rights under EU laws and policies and explain how individuals can exercise those rights, with a particular focus on young people.
To ensure that citizens are involved in shaping initiatives related to democracy, citizenship, and media and digital literacy, the Commission will also organise a European Citizens’ Panel on democratic resilience.
Furthermore, the Commission plans to expand media and digital literacy efforts across the EU to reach people of all ages and social backgrounds, especially those outside formal education. With the Media Resilience Programme, it will introduce initiatives that improve media and digital literacy among the youth, adults, and seniors in both rural and urban areas, while addressing challenges related to information integrity and changing media consumption habits.
The Commission will also support Member States in developing or implementing national and regional media literacy action plans. In addition, it aims to strengthen coordination among media literacy actors by reinforcing the Media Literacy Expert Group (MLEG) and the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO) to share best practices and expand successful initiatives, particularly those targeting vulnerable groups.
The European Democracy Shield’s remaining gaps
Though praised by many as an important geopolitical tool and an investment in democracy, the Democracy Shield is building largely on existing initiatives, continuing the Commission’s focus on disinformation rather than introducing significantly new approaches. Moreover, it mainly functions as an umbrella that brings together existing regulatory frameworks and policy initiatives to display unity and strength. The efficiency of this umbrella will ultimately depend on consistent implementation at both EU and national levels. Therefore, to maximise impact, EAVI encourages the Commission to support the development of clear implementation mechanisms in cooperation with Member States and civil society organisations. Additionally, the effectiveness of the European Democracy Shield could be significantly improved by equipping the Shield with dedicated funding and establishing it as a standalone instrument capable of a concrete, sustained impact.
Next steps for the European Democracy Shield
The Democracy Shield builds on a whole-of-society approach which implies for the EU to regularly update and reinforce its regulatory framework to avoid grey areas and ensure satisfactory legal interactions between key acts such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Artificial Intelligence Act, and the European Media Freedom Act.
The European Union’s priorities should be reflected in the elaboration of the new Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 (the MFF). Democracy will notably be supported through the programme AgoraEU, designed to promote shared values such as democracy, while supporting the audiovisual and creative sectors, media freedom, and civil society. Other programmes include Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and the Global Europe Instrument, and defence-related expenses will also cover the protection of democracy and fight against hybrid threats.
Looking ahead, the European Democracy Shield is moving from a theoretical framework into an operational phase. A milestone was reached on 24 February 2026, with the official launch of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience. In this policy context, the revision of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, which addresses directly media literacy, and should take place after the reviewing the results of public consultations, will also be part of the EU’s efforts to address new build democratic resilience, tackle disinformation, and improve the media and information ecosystems.
References:
Burke, Heather (2025). European Democracy Shield Explored. Institute of International and European Affairs. https://www.iiea.com/images/uploads/resources/Democracy_shield_explainer_final.pdf
Dolan, Carl (2025). Democracy shield: Defense or distraction? European Policy Centre. https://www.epc.eu/publication/democracy-shield-defense-or-distraction/
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield and EU Strategy for Civil Society pave the way for stronger and more resilient democracies. https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/european-democracy-shield-and-eu-strategy-civil-society-pave-way-stronger-and-more-resilient-2025-11-12_en
European Commission (2025). European Democracy Shield: Empowering Strong and Resilient Democracies. https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/2539eb53-9485-4199-bfdc-97166893ff45_en?filename=JUST_template_comingsoon_standard_1.pdf
European Parliament (2026). Consideration of Amendments on EUDS draft report. Europarl. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/consideration-of-amendments-on-euds-draf/product-details/20260310CAN76884
European Parliamentary Research Service (2026). The European Democracy Shield: An overview.https://epthinktank.eu/2026/01/15/the-european-democracy-shield-an-overview/
Quaritsch, Luise (2025). The European Democracy Shield – Papering over the cracks. Jacques Delors Centre. https://www.delorscentre.eu/en/publications/detail/publication/the-european-democracy-shield-papering-over-the-cracks
