European Endowment for Democracy - an effective tool for countering anti-European propaganda

By adopting Andrzej Grzyb MEP’s Report today, assessing two years of activity of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) which was created to promote the European values of freedom and democracy, MEPs have acknowledged that despite its short period of activity and limited funds and the inherent challenges in assessing the impact of democracy support actions, it fully delivers added value to existing EU democracy support.

"I am satisfied that the European Parliament has overwhelmingly recognised the success of the Endowment. The EED complies with tasks enshrined in its statutes and introduces significant added value to EU instruments that promote democracy in the world", said Grzyb who is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Endowment.

Since its establishment in 2013, the EED has supported 186 initiatives in all EU neighbouring countries from Belarus and Ukraine to Syria and Egypt. It has provided more than €5.2m in support for the Southern neighbourhood countries and more than €5.3m for the Eastern Partnership countries. In July, the European Commission granted €12m for the next budget period, doubling the Endowment's current funds. A further €25m is expected until the end of 2015 from EU Member States and non-EU countries for its further activities.

In Ukraine, for example the EED helped Donetsk Hromadske TV, an independent television in the Donbas region. In Morocco, more than 3 million users watched a YouTube video which was a social campaign urging voters to register, thanks to which more than 250,000 young people went to the polls. The EED also supports civic projects in Gagauzia, Tunisia, Palestine and has recently published recommendations for the media in Russian and has launched a media support programme.

"There is a growing restrictiveness of legislation in the countries on the Eastern and Southern EU borders, preventing activities and international cooperation of civil societies and the area of open armed conflicts is constantly expanding. This proves that a more flexible, dynamic and innovative way to promote democracy, such as the EED, is needed and those who are fighting for the right to democratic self-determination need our support more than ever. Such support will demand long-term active engagement and consistency but we are ready to do it and we know how to respond to their calls", concluded Andrzej Grzyb.