The New Democratic Pact: Europe’s Ambitious but Fragmented Democratic Reset

Europe’s democratic landscape is under mounting strain. External threats such as Russia’s war of aggression and internal pressures including declining trust, civic frustration, and the rise of anti‑system actors have exposed deep vulnerabilities across the continent. As the Council of Europe warned “Europe’s democratic environment and democratic institutions are in mutually reinforcing decline.”

In response, the Council of Europe has launched the New Democratic Pact (NDP), a political and institutional reset first mandated at the 2023 Reykjavík Summit. The Pact aims to transform the Reykjavík Principles of Democracy into a comprehensive, organisation‑wide agenda designed to strengthen democratic resilience and renew the Council’s visibility.

The report highlights that the NDP is both a substantive reform initiative and a strategic rebranding effort. On one hand, it seeks to address structural weaknesses in European democracies through new standards, self‑assessment tools, and multi‑level governance mechanisms. On the other, it offers the Council of Europe an opportunity to reclaim its role as Europe’s leading democracy institution—after years of being overshadowed by the EU.

As the report notes, “for the first time in many years, the Council of Europe is acting ahead of the European Union by launching a forward‑looking political project of its own.”

The Pact’s governance structure spans multiple bodies:

• The Committee of Ministers validates standards and provides political authority.
• The CDDEM (Steering Committee on Democracy) develops methodologies, tools, and the core democratic parameters.
• PACE’s Special Committee is tasked with political dialogue and parliamentary coordination.
• The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities ensures local‑level democratic engagement.

However, ASSEDEL’s observations reveal significant asymmetry. While the CDDEM and the Congress are already producing concrete outputs, the Special Committee remains in an early stage of internal consolidation, lacking clear priorities, methods, or coordination structures. The report notes that committee members could not yet articulate “a clear understanding of how the Committee’s role fits into the broader governance architecture of the Pact.”

The report identifies three major governance challenges:

1. Fragmentation – Parallel processes and overlapping mandates risk undermining coherence.
2. Temporal misalignment – The Special Committee’s two‑year mandate overlaps with the end of the conceptual phase, limiting its influence.
3. Lack of strategic direction – No unified framework links the work of PACE, the CDDEM, the Congress, and the Committee of Ministers.

These gaps also hinder civil society participation, despite the Pact’s stated commitment to inclusiveness.

Despite these weaknesses, the report sees the NDP as a promising opportunity. It can strengthen democratic resilience, improve coordination within the Council of Europe, and enhance public communication about democratic values. The Pact’s symbolic dimension—its ability to reposition the Council as a democracy leader—is considered a strategic asset.

Ultimately, the report concludes that the Pact’s success will depend on institutional clarity and coordination: “What will determine the Pact’s long-term impact is whether the Council of Europe can align mandates, clarify roles, strengthen coordination, and establish transparent mechanisms for civil society engagement.”

You can find here the full report.