Advocating for Democratic Resilience: In her speech at the International Democracy Day in Brussels on 18 September 2025, Commissioner Dubravka Šuica highlighted the contemporary challenges faced by European democracies. She outlined the growing threats of security issues, erosion of the multilateral order, geopolitical tensions, and the rise of information manipulation and disinformation from both external and internal sources. Stressing that democracy is foundational rather than merely a value, she framed these challenges as a fight for European democratic values.
Concrete Proposal: Centralising Democratic Defence
Šuica announced the establishment of a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience. This institution aims to enhance capacity for monitoring and detecting misinformation and disinformation by pooling expertise from EU Member States and neighbouring countries. This marks a concrete institutional creation with a specific mandate, designed to strengthen EU-level coordination in protecting democratic processes.
Innovation and Citizen Engagement
Further, Šuica reflected on democratic innovation, citing initiatives like the Conference on the Future of Europe and European Citizen Panels. Emphasising trust between citizens and politicians, she urged for creative engagement solutions, referencing her prior experience starting a children’s city council. These references underline policy orientation favoring inclusive participatory democracy grounded in citizen involvement.
Policy Significance and Stakeholder Impact
This proposal implies increasing EU powers through the creation of a dedicated federal body tasked with supervision over democratic integrity, potentially reducing national sovereignty in handling information threats. EU regulatory bodies will gain stronger operational roles, while Member States will need to cooperate more closely, potentially ceding some control. For EU citizens, especially youth, the focus on enhanced engagement could be empowering. However, businesses in the digital media and information sectors may face increased scrutiny and regulatory oversight.
Šuica’s speech articulates a definite policy shift towards stronger EU-level democratic protection and citizen participation, backed by concrete institutional commitments, setting a clear direction for future EU democracy policies.