Commission presents European Democracy Shield and EU Strategy for Civil Society
The European Commission unveiled the European Democracy Shield and an EU Strategy for Civil Society, a twin package designed to reinforce democratic resilience across the EU. The Shield focuses on safeguarding the information space, strengthening institutions, elections, and media, and boosting societal resilience and civic engagement. A new European Centre for Democratic Resilience will coordinate Member State expertise, link existing networks including the Rapid Alert System, and host a stakeholder platform connecting civil society, academia, fact-checkers, and media.
Operational measures include a DSA incidents and crisis protocol, an independent European Network of Fact-Checkers in all EU languages, and enhanced analytical capacities via the European Digital Media Observatory. The Commission will intensify cooperation under the European Cooperation Network on Elections, issue guidance on responsible AI in electoral processes, and update the DSA Elections Toolkit. It also plans recommendations to improve the safety of political actors, reinforced funding for independent and local journalism through a Media Resilience Programme, a review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive to bolster prominence of public interest media and modernize advertising rules, and an update to the Recommendation on the Safety of Journalists with further action against SLAPPs.
To strengthen societal resilience, the Commission will expand media and digital literacy initiatives, develop an EU citizenship competence framework and school guidelines, launch a civic tech hub to support participatory platforms, and publish an EU democracy guide. It will also propose a Recommendation to improve the use of scientific evidence in policymaking. Externally, the EU will bolster capabilities in Representations and Delegations to counter foreign information manipulation and interference, leveraging partnerships for coordinated responses.
The EU Strategy for Civil Society complements these efforts by deepening engagement, enhancing protection, and improving funding access for CSOs. It will establish a Civil Society Platform by 2026, create an online Knowledge Hub on Civic Space, explore urgent assistance mechanisms, and coordinate protection measures across Member States. In the new MFF proposal, the Commission foresees significantly increased support to CSOs, including €9,000,000,000 for the AgoraEU programme, alongside measures to facilitate diverse funding streams and links with private donors and pro bono legal communities.
