Enlargement: the European Centre for Democratic Resilience will cooperate with countries applying for EU membership

Brussels – The European Centre for Democratic Resilience – an EU initiative set up to develop approaches to democratic resilience – is opening up to cooperation with candidate countries and “potential candidates” for accession to the European Union. The European Commission announced this today (13 October) on the sidelines of the General Affairs Council held in Luxembourg. The initiative represents an “opportunity to share expertise, develop joint capabilities, and collaborate on common challenges, as envisaged by the European Democracy Shield,” the Berlaymont building emphasised in a press release. 

In Luxembourg, EU ministers discussed possible forms of cooperation with their counterparts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Kosovo. Invited by the Member States, these partners will be able to take part in various joint projects, such as crisis management simulations and the development of common methodologies to identify manipulation and interference from abroad. The activities also include projects aimed at supporting training initiatives dedicated to the protection of journalists, activists, and others. The European Centre is the operational hub of the European Shield for Democracy, a European Commission initiative designed to defend democratic processes against hybrid threats, disinformation, and foreign interference.