REDEMOS: Reconfiguring EU Democracy Support. Towards a Sustained Demos in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood.
REDEMOS brings together a consortium of eleven research-oriented and academic institutions, including six universities, four independent think tanks, and one small and medium-sized enterprise from all across Europe, to address the fragile state of democracy in Eastern Europe and provide ways forward for EU democracy support in its eastern neighbourhood. The project will take a deep dive into the full array of political and governance regimes in the EU's eastern neighbourhood, from flawed democratization in some countries to democratic regression and even repressive authoritarianism in others.
REDEMOS aims to break new ground and propose a wholesale, transformative reset in conceptualising, policy-making, and implementing democracy in the EU's eastern neighbourhood and to ensure the voices of marginalized groups are heard.
The project is led by an all-female team, sending a crucial message in support of empowerment and inclusivity. When democracy is being forced out in these parts of Eastern Europe, the voices of marginalized groups, including women's voices, are also silenced. This is why it is so powerful to have an all-female-led team exploring these existential issues for liberal democracy.
The research will be conducted over a period of three years (2023-2025), with the goal of understanding and addressing the main challenges to democracy in the EU's eastern neighbourhood, and providing ways forward for EU democracy support in the region. REDEMOS aspires to generate an alternative vision for EU democracy collaboration based on active, deliberative approaches, and to inform policy-making at the EU level by developing an innovative policy toolkit enabling the EU to contribute to lasting democratic change and greater resilience in its neighbourhood.
