EPD leaflet - European partnership for democracy, EPD

EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP
FOR DEMOCRACY
Knowledge -- Advocacy -- Programmes
www.epd.eu

EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP FOR
DEMOCRACY IN A NUTSHELL...
The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is an
independent European non-profit organisation supporting
democratic transformations outside the European Union.
As a platform for European civil and political society
organisations working on democracy assistance, we
advocate a stronger presence of democracy support on
the European Union’s (EU) agenda and facilitate the
exchange of knowledge and good practice and support
democratic transformations around the world. We do this
through innovative methodologies based on the development
of effective partnerships with organisations in third
countries and the facilitation of political and social
dialogue.
ADVOCACY
An important part of EPD activities is the contribution to
advancing the policy debate in Europe. The last few
years have witnessed the opening of an important
debate on the role of the EU in worldwide democracy
support. EPD has been involved in this debate as a
proactive partner, working in close cooperation with the
EU institutions and Member States as well as with other
stakeholders. We do this by channeling contributions
and expertise from EU Member States and disseminating
the outcomes of the debates in Brussels; participating in
various forums and platforms; as well as organising and
supporting conferences and knowledge-sharing events,
where the fundamental issues surrounding the EU´s engagement
in democracy support can be further debated.
KNOWLEDGE
The pooling of the lessons learned by democracy
support organisations from Europe is one of the key
instruments to strengthen European efforts in worldwide
democracy assistance. EPD facilitates the exchange of
a growing number of lessons learned and good practice
case studies from democracy assistance. We also work
together with partners in third countries to ensure that
their experience can inform the policy debate in Europe,
thereby building a stronger link between the decisionmaking
process in Brussels and the reality of the political
process in third countries.

PROGRAMMES IN
THIRD COUNTRIES
Democracy cannot be imported nor can it be exported.
Nevertheless, democracy needs and should be supported.
EPD actions on the ground are designed precisely to
deliver that support in an effective, timely and flexible
manner; operating at arm’s length of European institutions
and Member states. This mandate is structured by the
following defining elements:
■ facilitating inclusive dialogue between political and
civil society;
■ contributing to the establishment of a virtuous cycle
of participation, cooperation and accountability;
■ enabling the interactions between various actors in
complex political and institutional settings along
the principles of domestic ownership, coordination
and complementarity;
■ supporting capacity development of local political
and social actors;
■ stimulating peer to peer learning and horizontal
co-operation.
EPD is currently operating in Armenia, Burma, Egypt,
Georgia, Ghana, Moldova, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.
“From my own experience, I know
how enormously important it is for
those who are fighting for human
rights or against authoritarian
regimes to receive assistance from
the democratic world”
VÁCLAV HAVEL,
former President of the Czech Republic

EPD´s ADDED VALUE
Citizens and the domestic political and social actors are
the drivers of democratic change. However, the path to
democratisation is far from straightforward. Instead, it is
a difficult process full of setbacks and complex political
and social trade-offs, where institutional and political
reforms interact with a changing social and economic
environment. And where rapid change can come to a
sudden halt or inspiring reforms be drastically reversed if
not supported by the domestic actors.
The international community can be an important
partner in supporting democratic change if it aligns its
interventions with locally driven agendas. For example,
supporting domestic actors and enhancing their capacity
to operate their own reform plans; facilitating the access
to knowledge and international best practices; or facilitating
consensus-building and the construction of national
agendas that contribute to advancing the legitimacy of
democratic institutions and reforms. In this context,
EPD´s added value is based on:
■ A truly European actor in the field of Democracy
Support – EPD is the outcome of the joint efforts
of leading European organisations from France,
the Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Portugal, Germany, Finland, Spain and
Lithuania to bring together existing experiences
and diverse sensitivities in the field of democracy
support in Europe;
■ A flexible actor with capacity to operate at arm´s
length from EU institutions and Member States –
Building on the expertise of it network, EPD has
the ability to mobilise rapidly and effectively, and
delivers actions that respond to the needs and demands
of partners in third countries and in Europe;
■ A Partnership – EPD is built around the notion
of partnership. The quality of our work is sustained
by our capacity to build effective alliances
with counterparts in third countries and within the
diverse realm of European international co-operation,
allowing us to go beyond the traditional boundaries
between policies and deliver high quality and
sustainable outputs in each of our areas of intervention.

EPD LANDMARKS
Distribution of EPD income per donor
European
Commission
31%
National
Postcode
Loterij
28%
National
Endowment
for Democracy
2%
DOEN
Foundation
5%
EU Member
States
33%
EPD Partner
Organisations
1%
Building ties across the globe
EPD works with and through an extensive network of partners
in Europe and in Third countries.

Function Activity Year
Spurring the
policy debate in
Europe
Disseminating
knowledge and
good practice in
the area of
democracy
support
Supporting
democratic
change in
third countries
Building Consensus about EU
Policies in Democracy support
Strengthening Cooperation
between Europe and Africa
on Democratic Reform
EU-US Transatlantic Dialogue
on Democracy Support
EPD supports and organises
events, seminars and workshops
covering countries such as
Zimbabwe, Moldova, Armenia or
Burma, as well as supporting
exchanges in different policy areas
Armenia: Supporting the capacity
of local civil society and the
development of an enabling
environment for co-operation
between civil society, political
actors and institutions
Burma: Supporting capacity
development for local civil society
and human rights defenders
Egypt – Georgia - Zimbabwe:
An enabling environment for
co-operation between media, civil
society and political society in the
areas of freedom of expression
and freedom of information
Ghana: Strengthening the role of
civil society in promoting the role
of women in politics and their
participation and representation
in Parliament
Moldova: Enhancing co-operation
between civil society, institutions
and international donors in the
area of political and social reform
Ukraine: Enhancing civic
oversight of reforms in Ukraine
in the frame of the European
Neighborhood Policy
Zimbabwe: Facilitating
Zimbabwe´s Civil Society
contributions to the
Constitutional Reform Process
2009
2010
2009
- 2011
2008
- 2011
2009
- 2011
2009
2011
- 2015
2010
- 2011
2010
- 2013
2011
- 2013
2010
- 2011

OUR PARTNERS INCLUDE
ASSOCIATED ORGANISATION
The Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy
(The Netherlands)
www.nimd.org
DEMO Finland (Finland)
www.demofinland.org
People in Need (Czech Republic)
www.peopleinneed.cz
Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) (Poland)
www.isp.org.pl
Institute of Public affairs (IVO) (Slovakia)
www.ivo.sk
Institute for Political Studies (Portugal)
www.ucp.pt
Eastern Europe Studies Center (Lithuania)
http://www.eesc.lt/en
PARTNERS
Association for Democracy Assistance
and Human Rights DEMAS (Czech Republic)
www.demas.cz
European Centre for Development
Policy Management (the Netherlands)
www.ecdpm.org
FRIDE (Spain)
www.fride.org
Policy Association for an Open Society Pasos
(Czech Republic)
www.pasos.org

EPD PATRONS
Bernard Bot
former Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands
Etienne Davignon
former Vice President of the European Commission
Jacques Delors
former President of the European Commission
Uffe Ellemann Jensen
former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark
Richard von Weizsäcker
former President of Germany
EPD IS SUPPORTED BY
Dutch National Postcode Lottery
DOEN Foundation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
European Commission
National Endowment for Democracy
EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY
Rue Froissart, 123-133
B-1040 Brussels
info@epd.eu
© Pictures: EPD, Christoph Ennekens, Peter de Roover, Darkroom productions under Creative Commons License
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