Disinformation and influence campaigns from domestic and international actors have thrived during the pandemic. European policies that build public trust in democratic institutions should be accompanied by regulation of online platforms that focuses on transparency and accountability.
The fate of Serbia’s democracy is in the hands of its citizens. If the country is to move toward democratic accountability, it will be through bottom-up action, not the EU’s membership conditionality.
The EU’s Eastern Partnership has brought tangible benefits to its member countries but does not reflect today’s geopolitical realities. The approaching summit is a chance to tailor the initiative to partners’ diverging needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis have deepened existing gender inequities. The EU should strengthen its efforts to address the barriers to gender equality by promoting and supporting women’s political empowerment.
Together, the United States and Europe can modernize the post–1945 international order. This requires a strong commitment to democracy and the defense of the norms and values that define the West.
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers has voted to refer the Kavala v. Turkey case to the European Court of Human Rights. By doing so, the Council of Europe upheld European values and principles, namely the rule of law.
Diplomatic relations between the EU and Turkey have been strained since 2019. To improve them, the EU will have to overcome Ankara's self-contradicting foreign policy by managing its own internal conflicts and coordinating more closely with the United States.
Alongside its traditional external democracy support, the EU needs to begin drawing on lessons and influences from other countries to help address Europe’s own democracy problems.
To avoid an open rule-of-law dialogue with the EU, Turkey is being selective in its areas of engagement with the bloc. The union must make clear that compartmentalizing EU-Turkey relations to suit Ankara’s domestic political convenience is not acceptable.
The United States bears a great deal of the responsibility for the situation in Afghanistan, but the EU should also reflect on how its overly narrow conception of democracy contributed to the shortcomings of Afghan reconstruction efforts.