Evropský štít pro demokracii

- reiterates emphatically that democracy remains the cornerstone of the European project; notes that democratic backsliding and challenges to the rules-based international order can also emerge within countries long regarded as pillars of the democratic community;

- calls on the European Commission to explicitly recognise LRAs as core operational partners in the implementation of the European Democracy Shield;

- endorses the European Parliament’s call to strengthen the annual Rule of Law Report; calls for local and regional authorities to be systematically involved in preparing the Report;

- proposes the development of a European Local Democracy Pulse, enabling local and regional authorities to signal concrete developments observed on the ground, including changes in participation, emerging disinformation patterns, pressure on local media and shifts in public trust;

- welcomes the creation of the European Centre for Democratic Resilience; expresses its readiness to join the pool of voluntarily participating EU institutions and bodies; proposes broadening its scope and mandate to include civil preparedness and societal resilience to escalating hybrid threats;

- highlights that democratic resilience depends not only on institutional safeguards, but also on the conditions enabling citizens to form opinions freely and participate in informed public debate;

- stresses that the decline of independent local journalism removes an essential democratic safeguard; stresses the need to effectively protect journalists and media actors from legal actions against public participation (SLAPPs), intimidation and legal harassment;

- calls on the European Commission to further develop the EU Local Councillors Network, strengthen cooperation with the Young Elected Politicians programme and integrate these networks more systematically into the Shield’s civic engagement pillar;

- stresses that rising harassment, intimidation and violence against local politicians and public officials represent a growing threat to local democracy; stresses that initiatives such as the CoR’s Mayor Paweł Adamowicz Award contribute to strengthening democratic resilience at local level.