Marta Becerra, co-secretary of the Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) of the Council of Europe, led a training session presenting the Committee’s mandate and ongoing work. She outlined its mission to strengthen democratic participation at all levels while promoting equality, safeguarding fundamental freedoms, combating corruption, ensuring effective and independent judiciary systems, and fostering long-term democratic resilience across member states.
The CDDEM was established following the Reykjavík Summit, reflecting a renewed political commitment to place democracy at the centre of the Council of Europe’s priorities. For the current two-year cycle, the Committee is structured around two dedicated working groups. The first, the Working Group on Democratic Principles (GT-P2), builds on the work of its predecessor and focuses on developing practical parameters for implementing the Reykjavík Principles. The second, the Working Group on Multilevel Governance (GT-GPN), formerly the Civil Participation Working Group (GT-CS), concentrates on strengthening democratic governance across local, regional, national and European levels.
A central task of GT-P2 is developing a framework capable of reflecting the diverse democratic realities across member states. Measuring democracy presents two major challenges: first, defining democracy itself requires moving beyond institutional structures to include participation, equality, non-discrimination, public trust, and evolving governance models; second, the Committee seeks to design practical tools that countries can use to identify risks and implement policies that reinforce democratic resilience.
The CDDEM cooperates closely with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Congress and other intergovernmental committees to ensure that an intersectional perspective on democracy is integrated across all governance levels, transversally representing the needs and aspirations of all citizens regardless of their background. The 50th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, held from 31 March to 2 April, stood as a clear expression of the Council of Europe’s continued commitment to multilevel democratic dialogue.
Bringing People Together and Their Reality to Institutions
The discussion also highlighted the particularly vulnerable position of civil society organisations within current democratic dynamics. European societies are facing a growing deficit of trust in political participation, with citizens increasingly questioning the effectiveness of traditional democratic channels. At the same time, public institutions at both local and European levels often prioritise immediate or operational responses to political dissatisfaction, engaging civil society actors only superficially and limiting their capacity to contribute meaningfully to democratic decision-making.
Strengthening democracy therefore requires moving beyond symbolic consultation toward genuine and sustained participation. Civil society organisations are recognised by the Council of Europe for playing a fundamental democratic role as both guardians and defenders of human rights and democratic values. Reinforcing their role not only helps rebuild public trust but also enhances the legitimacy, inclusiveness and resilience of democratic institutions.
The CDDEM’s ongoing work seeks to address this challenge by promoting participatory governance models that recognise civil society as a fundamental partner, rather than a peripheral stakeholder, in democratic renewal. An example of this collaborative approach is the public consultation conducted by the former GT-CS during the summer of 2025 concerning Recommendation CM/Rec(2007)14 of the Committee of Ministers on the legal status of non-governmental organisations in Europe. The consultation engaged a wide range of civil society stakeholders, including NGOs, universities and other institutional actors, resulting in a set of final amendments adopted in September 2025 which illustrates the Committee’s commitment to participatory and inclusive democratic dialogue.
NGOs play a crucial role as the “eyes and ears” of the Committee, given their proximity to citizens and local realities. They are often the first to identify emerging symptoms of democratic backsliding, such as declining participation, social exclusion, or institutional distrust. Many NGOs participate in the work of the CDDEM as observers, a role that should enable them to actively highlight the main issues affecting democratic governance. This cooperation must not be passive: the input should come from NGOs themselves, as the Committee relies on civil society to provide timely information, innovative ideas, and practical feedback on how democratic standards are implemented on the ground. Only through information drawn from the grassroots level can policies be not only theoretically sound but also effective in practice.
A key area of collaboration in this regard is youth participation: NGOs working with young people contribute by promoting civic engagement and supporting participatory initiatives such as youth councils and assemblies, helping make democracy more inclusive and reinforcing the overall future impact of the CDDEM’s work.
The Challenges Posed by Democratic Decline
Nevertheless, the Committee does not operate formal monitoring mechanisms, unlike other Council of Europe bodies, and relies primarily on pilot projects and cooperative dialogue as tools for engagement.
This approach reflects a delicate balance: the ambition to evaluate democracy through a comprehensive framework encompassing more than 200 governance parameters must be reconciled with the need to design a model that remains practical, inclusive and acceptable toall 46 member states. National sovereignty is always a complex topic to handle, and to balance, especially.
States normally do wish to be part of international and intergovernmental bodies, but when it comes to the concept of “internal affairs” – strictly linked to sovereignty – they get defensive and reluctant to be held accountable to a common standard or practices. The notion of internal affairs, rooted in the principle of non-interference, has long served as a shield against external scrutiny, even within consensual institutional frameworks. Member states may formally subscribe to shared democratic values while simultaneously resisting any mechanism that could translate those values into binding assessments of their domestic governance. National peculiarities and cultural nuances are among the most common defensive techniques —invoked not merely as legitimate expressions of diversity, but often as strategic objections to deflect comparative evaluation.
Reluctance among some countries to be assessed against common European democratic standards is noted and not unexpected. The CDDEM remains aware of these sensitivities; maintaining open dialogue is therefore considered essential to ensuring continued participation and shared ownership of democratic standards.
Enriching the Concept of Democracy in Contemporary Politics
At the close of the training session, the central message conveyed by Marta Becerra concerned the opportunity to redefine democracy by rebuilding trust in its institutions. This process entails learning and practising democracy in depth, as well as protecting and innovating it.
Modern democracies must go beyond periodic voting to enable continuous citizen engagement: mechanisms such as citizens’ assemblies, participatory budgeting and community consultations allow individuals to directly influence policymaking, strengthening democratic legitimacy and fostering a sense of ownership among citizens.
Public trust in democratic institutions depends on their openness and responsiveness. Strengthening accountability mechanisms, including independent oversight bodies, anti-corruption frameworks, and a free media, is therefore essential. Transparency initiatives such as open data policies further allow citizens and civil society organisations to monitor government actions effectively.
Digital platforms have transformed political communication and participation, offering new opportunities for engagement and mobilisation while simultaneously posing risks such as misinformation and manipulation. Some of the potential benefits of electronic democracy include increasing transparency in political processes, promoting online civic participation, and contributing to a more informed formation of public opinion. Democratic enrichment accordingly requires regulatory frameworks and digital literacy initiatives to ensure that technology supports rather than undermines democratic value.
Contemporary challenges, such as climate change, populist upheavals and a renewed attention towards mass migration increase the need for international cooperation and participation in international bodies, but also poses questions about how democracies should adapt to these changes.
It is only by building an approach to democracy that is sensitive to civil participation, social inequalities, and fundamental rights and freedoms that it becomes possible to build genuine political momentum, sustain a public dialogue on institutional trust, and convert consultation into concrete policy outcomes.
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