Elena Ventura is a program coordinator and research assistant at Carnegie Europe, where she coordinates two Horizon Europe projects, SHAPEDEM-EU and InvigoratEU. While supporting work on populism and the radical right, Elena’s main field of research are the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership countries, with a specific interest in EU human rights and democracy support policies. Elena Ventura earned her Master’s degrees in International Affairs at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and in EU International Relations and Diplomacy at the College of Europe, Bruges campus.
The 2020-2024 Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy has been instrumental in advancing EU democracy support through a broad range of commitments. Yet, the rapid evolution of challenges to democracy has outpaced the Action Plan’s capacity to adapt.
Despite embracing democracy, radical-right parties pose a significant challenge to the EU’s fundamental values. European leaders and institutions must address this challenge to safeguard democracy in the EU and ensure a more effective foreign policy.
In 2023, the EU and its member states became less proactive in promoting new democracy strategies and funding. While they focused on longer-term reforms in Ukraine and other states, the eruption of several crises along Europe’s borders complicated an emphasis on the global defense of democracy.
Russia’s war of aggression has brought Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia closer to EU membership. To play an effective role in the democratization of these three countries, the EU needs a differentiated approach based on the political dynamics of each state.
In a year dominated by the rhetoric of defending democracy, EU democracy support policies were adjusted in important ways to align with the new geopolitical context. However, the union also seemed to treat commitments in this area as second-order priorities compared to security.
