Democracy and our values

Overview

Europe’s future in a fractured world will depend on having a strong democracy and on defending the values that give Europeans the freedoms and rights that they cherish. Building on what has been achieved already, in this new mandate the EU will do more to protect democracy and its citizens from rising threats posed by internal and foreign actors, while strengthening the rule of law that serves as its foundation and which is fundamental for prosperity, competitiveness and a well functioning single market. The vision of a continent united by democracy, the rule of law and respect of fundamental freedoms, and having its citizens at its heart, will always drive our work.

What Europeans think

86%

of Europeans agree that the rapid spread of disinformation is a major problem for democracy

81%

of Europeans believe that foreign interference in our democratic systems is a serious problem that needs to be addressed

90%

of EU citizens recognise the importance of the respect for EU values, including the rule of law

Objectives

Democracy and our rights cannot be taken for granted. They must be promoted and vindicated every day. Moreover, citizens must play a central role in the democratic process. They must be included in the functioning of institutions they trust. This is why the EU commits to

Protect and defend democracy
and increase societal resilience and preparedness
Strengthen the rule of law
for a fair and well-functioning society
Champion civic engagement and participation
to bring citizens’ ideas at the heart of policy-making

How we will achieve our objectives

In the next few years, we will work on

Protecting our democracy

Participation of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, in the plenary session of the European Parliament

Europe’s democratic systems and institutions are under attack. To protect our democracy, we will

propose a new European democracy shield to counter foreign information manipulation and interference online, by detecting, analysing and proactively countering disinformation and information manipulation as well as hybrid threats
work to increase digital and media literacy to improve societal resilience and preparedness
create a European network of fact-checkers which will be available in all EU languages
continue to step up digital enforcement, including of the Digital Services Act and AI Act, to ensure a fair and open online platform environment, prevent dissemination of misinformation and deepfakes and protect civic discourse and electoral processes
address emerging threats to the integrity of elections across Europe, including by ensuring that transparency requirements in the AI Act, the Digital Services Act and the transparency of political advertising regulation are implemented and strengthening our approach to AI-produced content

Strengthening the rule of law

The statuette of Themis, goddess of divine justice

In today’s world, where the resilience of our democracies, societies and economies are constantly put to the test, our values are what bind us together and make us stronger. Rule of law makes our society and economies work and ensures that fundamental rights are protected, corruption is tackled, and contracts are enforced. That is why we will

consolidate the Rule of Law Report and ensure it looks at all issues across Europe, including by adding the single market dimension to the report
continue to improve our monitoring and reporting on the rule of law, and to strengthen checks and balances, notably by tracking the implementation of recommendations
invest in upholding the rule of law through EU funding for national measures, for example on fighting corruption
ensure that respect for the rule of law is a must for EU funds, by building a closer link between the recommendations in the Rule of Law Report and financial support
make sure that the general regime of conditionality is applied to all EU funds in the future long-term budget
support free media across the Union by implementing the European Media Freedom Act and increasing our support for and protection of independent media and journalists

Putting citizens at the heart of our democracy

To integrate citizens’ participation in policymaking, we will

regularly choose policy areas where recommendations from a European Citizens’ Panel would have the greatest value, and follow up on the citizens’ recommendations
step up our engagement with civil society organisations that have expertise and an important role to play in defending specific societal issues and upholding human rights
strengthen the network of more than 3,000 local councillors to get a better understanding of how the EU impacts everyday life

Progress to date

Monitor, follow, and stay updated on the progress of new initiatives, proposed laws and legislative changes under this priority

October 2025
The Commission adopts the LGBTIQ+ equality strategy for 2026-2030
March 2025
The Commission sets out its roadmap for women's rights
May 2024
Entry into force of the European Media Freedom Act
April 2024
The EU approves new rules on improving the transparency of political advertising in elections
December 2023
Defence of democracy: the Commission proposes to shed light on covert foreign influence

In the spotlight

Young girl posts vote in transparent voting box

Stronger measures to protect our democracy and civil society

The European Commission has presented a new European Democracy Shield that provides concrete measures to empower, protect, and promote strong and resilient democracies. It will focus, in particular, on safeguarding the integrity of the information space; strengthening institutions, fair and free elections, and free and independent media; and boosting societal resilience and citizens' engagement. The Commission has also rolled out a new EU Strategy for Civil Society that will help it further engage with civil society organisations as well as support and protect their work. These new series of measures will help the EU counter the increasing threat of foreign interference in elections and disinformation and protect its key values: free people, free and fair elections, free and independent media, a vibrant civil society and strong democratic institutions.