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Online event via Zoom. This event will be held in English. Register now

From the streets of North Africa to the squares of the Balkans, citizens in the European neighbourhood have risen up for freedom and democracy. But the paths that follow are never the same.

This event dives into the stories behind those struggles. It sheds light on the circumstances under which EU support can have meaningful positive impact on the trajectories of popular pro-democracy movements. Researchers from the EMBRACE project, which investigates obstacles to democratisation in the European neighbourhood and identifies ways to overcome them, will join us at this event. They will share results from their research on the role of the European Union in moments of democratic change. What kind of support makes a difference? Where does it fall short? And how do activists keep hope alive when the odds are against them?

Join us for a thought-provoking conversation on lessons from across the Middle East and North Africa, the South Caucasus, and the Western Balkans – and what they mean for the future of democracy.

Welcome remarks by Dr. Véronique Dudouet, Senior Advisor, Berghof Foundation and Coordinator of EMBRACE project

Speakers:

• Prof. Dr. David Aprasidze, Ilia State University, Tbilisi
• Lara Azzam, Senior Project Manager, Berghof Foundation (Beirut office)
• Marko Zilovic, Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
• Dr. Sarah Anne Rennick, Deputy Director, Arab Reform Initiative Moderated by Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm, Chair of International Relations,

Moderated by Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm, Chair of International Relations, Julius-Maximilians University Würzburg and Co-coordinator of EMBRACE project.

About the event

EMBRACE (EMBRACing changE: Overcoming Blockages and Advancing Democracy in the European Neighbourhood) is an EU-funded research initiative (2022–2025) that explores democratic setbacks and how to overcome them across the European neighbourhood. Through a cutting-edge combination of large-scale quantitative analysis and in-depth qualitative field studies, EMBRACE investigates why democratisation stalls – and what works to revive it. Employing insights from twelve case-study countries in regions from Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans and the South Caucasus to North Africa and the Middle East, the project digs deep into a range of themes relevant to democratisation, such as geopolitical competition, authoritarian resilience, blockages to peace, and popular uprisings.

Its goal? To create innovative, context-sensitive tools, ranging from a digital platform for activists and a practicial mapping instrument to policy briefs, a podcast, and a diverse range of research publications to disseminate evidence-based knowledge to both EU democracy practitioners and local civil society actors.