2025 was marked by profound shifts in democratic politics. The US retreat from democracy support and democratic values contributed to the dominance of a transactional approach in foreign policy. Rising conflicts and an increasing focus on security and rearmament further pushed democracy down the list of global priorities, with a pronounced dip in funding allocated to support it.
Transatlantic cooperation came under further duress during the Trump administration. The fear of losing the US security umbrella pushed European governments to move up a gear in their commitment to defense and security. How have these various developments impacted European democracy support policies and initiatives?
The European Partnership for Democracy and Carnegie Europe invite you to a public event to celebrate the launch of the European Democracy Support Annual Review 2025.
Programme
09:00 – 09:30 – Registration and welcome breakfast
09:30 – 09:35 – Opening address by Martin Seychell, Deputy Director-General of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) of the European Commission
09:35 – 09:45 – Keynote speech by Salome Zourabichvili, President, Georgia
09:45 – 10:45 – Panel discussion on the future of democracy support
- Salome Zourabichvili, President, Georgia
- Tim Enderlin, Ambassador, Head of the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) of Switzerland
- Thomas Carothers, Director of the Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- Nacho Sánchez Amor, Member of the European Parliament
- Chair: Rosa Balfour, Director of Carnegie Europe
10:45 – 11:00 – Coffee break
11:00 – 11:10 – Lightning talk
11:10 – 11:55 – Panel discussion on democratic resilience
- Leopoldo López, Co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, Venezuelan opposition leader
- Negin Shiraghaei, Founder of the Azadi Network, former BBC Persian news anchor
- Chair: Richard Youngs, Co-founder of the European Democracy Hub, Senior Fellow at Carnegie Europe
Speakers
European Democracy Support Annual Review
Every year, the European Democracy Hub publishes a comprehensive review of European democracy support policies. It examines contextual factors shaping these policies and the evolution of EU and national strategies. It also details changes in European fundings, democracy support in candidate countries for EU accession, the use of sanctions and conditionality, and the role of democracy initiatives within European security operations.
Highlights from the previous edition
This event is co-hosted by Carnegie Europe and the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) and takes place within the framework of two projects: the Supporting Team Europe Democracy (STED) project, which contributes to evidence-based support for democracy in the context of the European Commission’s Team Europe Democracy Initiative, and the WYDE Freedoms project, which supports young civil society actors worldwide in upholding and promoting the freedoms of assembly and association.
This event is organised with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the organiser and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
