“Elections are a cornerstone of security” – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s keynote at FURIC2024
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus and Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, delivered the opening keynote at the FURIC2024 conference ‘From Ballots to Security.’ In her address, she underscored the critical link between democratic elections and national as well as international security. Drawing on Belarus’s experience, she highlighted the dire consequences of […]
Save the Date: FURIC 2024 “From Ballots to Security: Advancing Resilience Through Electoral Reforms”, December 11-12, Brussels
The Follow-Up on Recommendations’ Implementation Conference (FURIC 2024) returns for its second edition in Brussels on December 11-12, 2024. This year’s conference will focus on the crucial intersection of electoral reforms and security, exploring how the implementation of recommendations can contribute to countering hybrid threats to democracy. Key topics include: Please save the date, and we look forward […]
In troubled waters. The OSCE in times of war
In troubled waters. The OSCE in times of war The core idea of the CSCE, to achieve security in Europe through confidence-building and cooperation among all States, has been shaken. Russia is waging war against Ukraine and sees itself in conflict with the “collective West”. The OSCE and its contractual foundations have been weakened, trust […]
WHDC Side Event: Implementing Electoral Recommendations: How to Improve the Follow-up Framework for OSCE Participating States
Panel Recap: Electoral Reform – Turning Recommendations into Action On October 1, EPDE hosted a side event at the Warsaw 2024 Human Dimension Conference on improving the framework of the implementation of electoral reform recommendations in the OSCE region. The conversation centered on the pivotal role that election observation missions play in strengthening electoral integrity […]
European Civil Society Call Upon New Secretary General of Council of Europe to Prioritise Human Rights in Azerbaijan
A wide group of European civil society organisations wrote to Alain Berset, new Secretary General of the Council of Europe, on his first day in office, calling upon him to prioritise the human rights crisis in Azerbaijan, marked by the detention of Vaclav Havel Award winner Anar Mammadli alongside over 300 other political prisoners. Alain […]
Call to PACE Bureau to prioritise release of Anar Mammadli
In a context of a notable intensification of repression occurring in Azerbaijan in the aftermath of the presidential election on 7 February 2024 and the parliamentary election on 1 September 2024, we call upon PACE to prioritise the release of Anar Mammadli ahead of COP29. In their letter to the Bureau members of the Parliamentary Assembly of […]
“Governments, Tech companies, Civil Society must foster collaboration to harness AI Potential and protect liberal democracy”
The panel discussion “The AI moment in the Transatlantic Super-Election Year” explored the potential opportunities and threats of artificial intelligence in the context of the upcoming elections in the transatlantic world and globally. Moderated by Tanit Koch, Ginny Badanes, Christiane Hoffmann, Ben Brake, and Lukasz Kondraciuk (EPDE) discussed how deepfakes can threaten election campaigns, the […]
EPDE elects new board
On November 28th, EPDE members gathered in Brussels to shape a common strategy, discuss upcoming elections, and address challenges anticipated in the years ahead. The European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) is pleased to announce the newly elected board, representing three organizations from the network. The new members, hailing from Poland, Georgia, and Germany, will […]
FURIC 2023 Conference in Brussels
First Follow-up on Recommendations’ Implementation Conference took place in Brussels On 28-29 November 2023, the first annual Follow-up on Recommendations’ Implementation Conference (FURIC) organized by the European Platform for Democratic Elections (EPDE) took place in Brussels. The conference featured a high-level public session as well as closed expert sessions. The recording of the high-level public […]
Public trust in democracy – how did we lose it and what can we do to get it back
In commemorating EPDE’s 10th anniversary, EPDE conducted a Political Accountability Foundation (Poland) Olga Aivazovska, Chairperson of the Board, Civil Network OPORA (Ukraine) Zsofia Banuta, Co-founder, Unhack Democracy (Hungary) Levan Natroshvili, Deputy Director, International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (Georgia) Moderation: Krzysztof Izdebski, Expert on transparency in public life and elections, Stefan Batory Foundation Opening remarks: Stefanie Schiffer, Chair of the Board, […]