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Article written by
Daniela Vancic
Lead European Policy and Advocacy
vancic@democracy-international.org
The European Democracy Shield (EUDS) and the proposed European Centre for Democratic Resilience (CDR) represent an important and necessary step in strengthening Europe’s capacity to respond to growing democratic threats, including foreign interference, disinformation, online manipulation, attacks on civil society, and declining public trust in democratic institutions. The recognition that democracy requires resilience, preparedness, and a whole-of-society approach marks a significant evolution in EU democracy policy.
However, while the current approach strongly focuses on defending democracy, its participatory dimension remains underdeveloped. Democratic resilience cannot rely solely on institutional protection mechanisms, platform regulation, or threat detection systems. Democracies are strongest not only when they can resist attacks, but when citizens feel ownership over democratic life itself.
Participation should therefore not be treated as a secondary or symbolic component of democratic resilience, but as democratic infrastructure. Citizens, civil society organisations, local initiatives, participatory practitioners, election observers, educators, journalists, and civic tech actors often function as democratic sensors and trust-builders within society. They are frequently the first to identify democratic vulnerabilities, local distrust, manipulation patterns, intimidation, or emerging disinformation narratives before institutions do.
Direct Democracy