European Economic
and Social Committee
CURRENT AFFAIRS: Europe’s Democracy Shield
Promise or paper armour?
Brussels is once again sharpening its tools to defend democracy. On 12 November 2025, the European Commission unveiled the European Democracy Shield – a strategy designed to protect the EU from foreign interference, disinformation and creeping authoritarianism. Yet the question echoing through the institutions is whether this shield will become a living instrument or simply another polished communiqué.
The shield contains some strong proposals: the creation of a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience to coordinate responses to hybrid threats; a fact-checking network and a voluntary influencer network; and tougher enforcement of the Digital Services Act and the Artificial Intelligence Act to combat deepfakes, algorithmic manipulation and foreign information interference. It also links these measures to broader goals such as improving media literacy, supporting independent journalism and safeguarding electoral integrity. These are welcome steps in a fraught geopolitical environment.
But a nagging doubt remains: do we truly need more new structures when several EU bodies already have relevant mandates? Instead of multiplying entities, the EU could strengthen those that already exist. The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is well-placed to support democratic resilience and civic space, if properly resourced. Europol could be empowered to take the lead on foreign interference in democratic processes rather than seeing responsibilities split again. And the European External Action Service, already experienced in countering disinformation through its existing task forces, could absorb an expanded role more efficiently than a brand-new centre.
This same logic applies to civic participation. The shield correctly stresses the importance of civil society, yet it underplays the fact that the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) already form the EU’s institutionalised bridge to organised civil society and regional actors. They are built for structured dialogue – so why create parallel platforms instead of reinforcing the ones designed precisely for this purpose? Ignoring them risks repeating old patterns: strong ideas, weak implementation.
In essence, the European Democracy Shield could become Europe’s democratic backbone, linking digital resilience, civic participation and rule-of-law enforcement into a coherent whole. But if it settles for symbolism, creating bodies without real ‘teeth’, while sidelining those that already exist, it will become the very thing Europe cannot afford: armour that gleams, but does not hold. The Commission has taken an important step; now it must ensure the shield strengthens what is already there, avoids duplication and becomes a tool Europe actually uses – not just displays.
Christian MOOS (Germany)
Member, EESC Civil Society Organisations' Group
EESC rapporteur, SOC/835 The European Democracy Shield (Adoption: September 2025)
Divisional Director (European and International Affairs), German Civil Service Association (dbb)
© EU/EESC