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Embracing change:

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What’s happening?

  • 2 July 2025

    Our EMBRACE partners at the Faculty of Political Science in Belgrade hosted a policy roundtable in Belgrade, bringing together experts to discuss the importance of context-sensitive EU strategies for promoting democratic development in Serbia and the region.

    The discussion emphasized how EU support for civil society, including specialised training and capacity-building initiatives, can play a crucial role in safeguarding democratic progress.

    By fostering dialogue among policymakers, experts, and civil society actors, the roundtable contributed to shaping strategies that are better aligned with local realities and responsive to the evolving challenges of democratisation.

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Useful information

EMBRACE - Introduction

Meet our researchers and learn about the project: its aims, where we work, and our research process.

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Project Summary

Since the colour revolutions in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, and the Arab Spring in MENA, few countries in the European neighbourhood have made progress in democratisation. Instead, reverse trends towards de-democratisation and il-liberalisation can be observed.

The EU-funded EMBRACE project investigates obstacles to democratisation in the European neighbourhood and identifies ways to overcome them. It examines various types of blockages (behavioural, institutional, structural) and studies the cultural, historical and geopolitical contexts in which they emerge. It also reviews the EU’s ambitious, instruments and impact on democratisation over the last two decades. The project engages partners and stakeholders from EU and non-EU countries. Its work includes the development of an innovative policy toolkit supporting the EU’s efforts in promoting democracy in its Eastern and Southern neighbourhood.

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Contacts

Coordinator

Dr. Véronique Dudouet Karin Göldner-Ebenthal
Berghof Foundation Operations GmbH
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E-Mail:
embrace[at]berghof-foundation.org

Co-Coordinator

Prof. Dr. Sonja Grimm
University of Würzburg

Project Management

concentris research management gmbh
82256 Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany
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Phone:
+49 (0)8141 6252 8570
Email:
info[at]embrace-democracy.eu