Democracy Remains Under Pressure But the Majority Voted Europe

This Article is published in the context of JEF Europe’s Democracy Under Pressure (DUP) Action Week

Democracy Under Pressure, taking place every year between March 18th-25th, is a time for reflection. Initiated by JEF Europe in 2006, the campaign has been leading the way in mapping the threats to democracy in Europe and the world. Undoubtedly, today, the threats to democracy are more severe than in 2006, as well as the stakes. As the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and the following hybrid war against the EU have shown, any democratic deficits will be swiftly exploited by pro-Russian, authoritarian forces, which will stop at nothing to achieve self-gain. We can see this today through the thinly veiled attempts to suppress democratic movements in Georgia, Serbia and Slovakia, and the interference aimed at toppling democratic liberal governments across the EU.

Nevertheless, in what has become a personal tradition, and for the third DUP in a row, I am happy to highlight another side of the European fight for democracy. Notably, the significant victories, achievements, and brave stands which European have achieved in the past year across the continent.

Without a doubt, a significant milestone was passed in June 2024. The European elections have returned a clear pro-European and pro-democratic majority of approximately 60% of the sits, with opposition forces ranging from the populist left to the conservative right and the far-right remaining split and broadly disorganized. This is not aimed at understating the threat but rather to encourage those fighting for democracy on the web, the streets and the courtrooms. Know that the majority of European are with you, not those seeking to subvert our democracy.

And indeed, while the EU as a whole keeps having important, tense, and passionate arguments on topics ranging from the banning of the internal combustion engine, to the green new deal, to how the economy should be structured, the role of the EU as the leading democratic force in the world appears cemented with the American slide towards brazen, rule-of-law defying authoritarianism. The EU keeps supporting Ukraine and its democratic partners and even contributes to reconstruction and human rights efforts around the world, with 6 billion Euros pledged to new Syria just this week.

Even diving into national perspectives, democratic forces had successes. A cordon-sanitaire, established by unlikely allies among French politicians, successfully blocked the advance of the RN. The far-right separatist Belgian Vlaams Belang surprisingly lost the 2024 Belgian national elections. A tenuous yet successful coalition has emerged in Austria despite the FPÖ achieving first place in the elections. In Moldova, Maia Sandu remained in power despite unprecedented Russian interference, and even in Türkiye, opposition parties scored an unlikely win against the Erdogan dictatorship in the local elections.

These achievements would not have happened without ordinary citizens standing up to fight for democracy, and as we can see, the work is far from done. People in countries with threatened or dismantled democratic systems are going out in force. In Georgia, Slovakia, Serbia and Hungary, people are braving tear gas and baton beatings to make their voices heard. These protests are happening not only in capitals and among academic circles, but are also spreading to towns and villages, erasing artificial urban-rural and class divides which are often stoked by authoritarian minded rulers.

In recent days, European action days have also mobilized tens of thousands of citizens. Federalists understand that even in countries where democracy appears safe at the moment, constitutional guarantees are fragile absent strong institutions. And in a continent which is increasingly interconnected, such institutions and guarantees should also exist in the pan-European level.

In other words, European democracy in and outside the EU is indivisible. And it is our duty as federalists to assist our sisters in brothers whose democratic rights are under immediate threats. However, as I have tried to show above, these battles can and will be won.