The European Commission officially published the European Democracy Shield on November 12, 2025, as a strategy to strengthen democratic resilience across the EU and candidate countries.
Early outcomes show limited but encouraging progress with clearer crisis protocols, influencer market transparency, and support for election integrity programs.
The focus on enforcing already existing frameworks instead of new regulations might be a good thing – but a question remains whether there will be real change in enforcement quality amidst strong external pressures and dismantling parts of digital regulations via Omnibus or “stop the clock” effort on AI Act – says Jakub Szymik, Founder of CEE Digital Democracy Watch.
Other note-worthy points include setting up an expert-focused Centre for Democratic Resilience, cautious mention of attempts to organise a common influencer market and clear budget declarations from the Commission.
CEE Digital Democracy Watch continues its work within related coalitions, such as European Democratic Shield and the Code of Conduct on Disinformation framework.