Defending Democracy: Recommendations and Policies – Building Cross-Party and Societal Alliances

Recommendations and Policies (Part One)

International conference Defending Democracy and Human Rights in the Face of War, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism, and the teams of the partner organizations that carried out the initiative present these recommendations based on guiding premises that include:

• Rebuilding political culture to clearly demonstrate commitment to democratic values across political divides.
• Reinforcing democratic institutions through transparency, accountability, and – above all – flexible models of citizen control and civic engagement.
• Countering authoritarian and far-right tendencies, nationalist radicalism, and extremism through strategic policymaking, civic engagement, international cooperation, and proactive media and educational initiatives.
• Strengthening and protecting independent media and civil society in their efforts to combat disinformation, hybrid threats, and attacks on democracy and human rights.
• Rebuilding and strengthening international alliances to foster cooperation and resilience in defending democratic values.
• Developing and advocating for strategies to decisively halt Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, secure a lasting and just peace, and prevent further imperialistic expansion and aggression.
• Developing and advocating for strategies to bring an end to conflicts in other affected regions, such as the Middle East, Africa, and beyond, through diplomatic efforts, legal frameworks, international solidarity, and tangible support.

Building cross-political and societal alliances: Adopting coordinated strategies to counter authoritarianism and strengthen democratic institutions

Context

The rise of authoritarianism, radical nationalism, and warmongering has not only impacted the functioning of democratic institutions but also shaped people’s perceptions, attitudes and expectations of democracy. The onslaught of propaganda presents a radical version of reality, and a simplified version of the “other,” making it seem impossible to resolve conflicts through a democratic and legal framework.

Despite these challenges, people across different political and cultural backgrounds often share common goals—such as support for market economies, mobility, security, and, significantly, European integration. In EU-aspiring countries, despite setbacks, the majority of citizens still endorse the European integration process.

This presents an opportunity to rebuild trust in democratic values and institutions, both within and outside the EU, by fostering meaningful exchanges and cooperation programs. These could include joint policy initiatives focused on strengthening democratic institutions, cross-border dialogues to address shared political challenges, and collaborative efforts – at regional level and beyond – in areas such as media literacy, democratic education, and citizen participation, including joint public advocacy actions to protect democracy and human rights, regional conferences, workshops, training programs, and digital campaigns aimed at fostering freedom of speech, while countering disinformation, hate speech, and hostile propaganda operations. These actions and programs, while commencing in Europe, may well serve as a positive example globally.  

Recommendations

To address hybrid threats, democratic societies and their responsible political structures and democratic institutions must enhance their ability to identify and respond to vulnerabilities, from electoral interference to disinformation.

This requires concrete actions, including legislative measures and targeted technical and financial support. Strengthening electoral integrity frameworks, empowering civil society organizations (CSOs) and media to implement monitoring systems that detect and expose disinformation and malign influence operations, and supporting local citizen election observation through financial and institutional backing are essential steps.

Developing joint counter-propaganda campaigns by independent media and civil society can help combat disinformation and reinforce democratic resilience.

Pro-democracy movements, civic initiatives, independent media, and moderates across the political spectrum must adopt coordinated strategies to resist authoritarianism and protect fundamental rights. This should include the creation of cross-party action working groups, joint advocacy platforms, and international partnerships aimed at defending democratic values.

Now is not the time for rivalry and division; it is a moment for cooperation, solidarity, and the unification of efforts to safeguard democracy.

Concrete steps, measures, and actions

1. Legislative and policy measures

• Introduce and enforce laws that protect democratic institutions, public discourse, and electoral integrity, while penalizing foreign and domestic interference.
• Establish independent regulatory bodies to monitor disinformation, hybrid threats, and political influence operations.
• Develop legal mechanisms to counter malign foreign funding in media, political campaigns, and CSOs.

2. Strengthening electoral integrity

• Implement comprehensive election monitoring systems to detect and expose manipulation, interference, and fraud.
• Provide financial and logistical support for independent citizen election observation initiatives.
• Enhance cybersecurity measures for election infrastructure to prevent hacking and foreign influence.

3. Empowering civil society and independent media

• Support CSOs and independent media in developing effective fact-checking networks and real-time disinformation tracking.
• Provide funding for CSO-based monitoring and media platforms focused on investigations and countering far-right and malign influence operations.
• Foster collaboration between media, CSOs, and academic institutions to improve media literacy programs.

4. Countering disinformation and propaganda

• Develop counter-propaganda initiatives in partnership with trusted and committed independent media and civil society.
• Launch large-scale public awareness campaigns on the risks and impact of disinformation.
• Encourage social media platforms to implement stricter content moderation policies on state-sponsored disinformation.

5. Building cross-sector cooperation

• Establish cross-party action working groups to promote democracy and counter authoritarian influence.
• Strengthen international partnerships among democratic governments, organizations, and institutions.
• Facilitate knowledge-sharing platforms between journalists, researchers, and policymakers.

6. Ensuring financial and institutional support

• Secure long-term funding mechanisms for democracy-promotion initiatives and hybrid threat monitoring.
• Allocate resources for training programs that equip civic actors, journalists, and policymakers with the skills to combat disinformation.
• Provide direct support to individuals and organizations facing legal and financial threats due to their pro-democracy work.

Authoritarian tendencies are on the rise – the time to act is now: Introduction to the key policy document of the global initiative “Defending Democracy”