This report analyses the European Union (EU)’s approach to supporting democracy as a key element of its foreign policy and problematises the extent to which and how the EU can sustain its role as a normative power amidst shifting priorities and mounting challenges. The central question concerns the following: how can the EU ensure that democracy remains a key objective in its foreign policy?

Despite its formal commitment to supporting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law across the globe—as enshrined in Article 21 of the EU Treaty—recent developments suggest a shift away from this role. This relates not only to the limited effectiveness of the EU’s democracy support, but also whether the EU can in fact remain a relevant actor in supporting democracy at all. Domestic European policy shifts and critiques from the Global South have raised doubts about both the EU’s capacity and commitment to maintaining a strong democracy agenda. For instance, the rise of populist radical right parties within the EU, along with systemic competition from powers like China and Russia, has shifted Brussels’ priorities, resulting in policy adjustments and budget cuts that diminish the EU’s willingness to support democracy abroad. This trend is visible also in the 2024 mission letters that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen prepared for the members of the next College of Commissioners. These letters omit any reference to supporting democracy in third countries, focusing instead on pursuing the EU’s strategic interests. Additionally, the EU’s strong positioning on Russia’s war in Ukraine versus its hesitant response to the war in the Middle East were perceived by some of the EU’s partners as entailing double standards and thereby eroding the EU’s legitimacy, complicating its role as a credible global democracy advocate.

This report expands the concept of democracy support to encompass a more holistic approach that acknowledges the interconnections between democracy promotion and other policy areas. We assess this broader perspective using two main criteria: the sincerity of the EU’s democratic intentions across its foreign policies and the degree to which EU foreign policy resonates with people’s lived experiences and tangible aspirations. In three chapters, we detail how the EU’s commitment to democracy support is shaped by domestic and geopolitical factors (rather than the reverse); how the EU struggles to ensure democratic coherence across its foreign policy; and how the EU’s foreign policy alignment with partner governments’ policies often risks amplifying existing power structures which hamper the development of a vibrant public sphere, thus negatively affecting the democratic fabric of the societies the EU seeks to support.

This Paper was authored by: Nathan Vandeputte, Fabienne Bossuyt, Danilo Di Mauro, Christine Hackenesch, Niels Keijzer, Julia Leininger, Evelyn Mantoiu, Stefania Panebianco, Yassin Said, Christopher Wingens.