Nets4Dem

In 2025, we conducted real-world democracy experiments. With our second Nets4Dem Democracy Lab, we brought together local governments, practitioners, and communities to address complex challenges in climate action. The approach: 👥 co-create solutions with communities 📝 test them out  ➰ refine and adapt based on feedback 🏛️ build pathways for long-term integration From citizen assemblies on climate to participatory urban planning processes, we’re helping cities move way beyond consultation in our Labs. Learn more in our Annual Report: https://bit.ly/3NGhovD Eurocities

Democratic resilience can't be built by institutions alone 💯 The 6th Nets4Dem Democracy Retreat brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and experts to explore how we can make the European Democracy Shield work in practice. From an institutional perspective, discussions focused on operationalising the Shield and the role of the Centre for Democratic Resilience, especially in responding to evolving threats like FIMI. Without strong partnerships with civil society, researchers, and practitioners already working on the ground, even the most well-designed frameworks risk falling short. And ultimately, if national political actors are not committed to democratic resilience, the impact of these initiatives will remain limited 🔴 And moreover, while institutions matter, democratic resilience is ultimately built with people. Youth engagement, intergenerational dialogue, and inclusion are the very building blocks for meaningful participation, as the discussions highlighted 👏 It was two fruitful roundtables and we are grateful to our excellent speakers: Marie-Hélène Boulanger, Paul Zoubkov, Tudor Petru Fabian, PhD, Jean-Louis de Brouwer, Emma Quaedvlieg, Arne Kubitza, Gaëtane Ricard-Nihoul, Gazela Pudar Draško, Anthony Zacharzewski, Julie Hervé, and Andrés Falck! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dmsPPvBZ TEPSA - Trans European Policy Studies Association EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations

Why are good ideas not scaling? The main barrier to democratic innovation is not a lack of ideas. It is a lack of conditions to implement them. Across Europe, practitioners consistently face: 🔺 limited time and human resources 🔺 difficulty securing institutional buy-in 🔺 unclear mandates and political backing 🔺 challenges in sustaining engagement 🔺 restricted funding and operational capacity In many cases, individuals or small teams are expected to design, facilitate, and evaluate complex participatory processes, often in uncertain political environments. This is where Nets4Dem stepped in. Over the past year, Nets4Dem supported more than 90 organisations in implementing democratic innovation initiatives. What made the difference? ✔ structured capacity-building ✔ tailored mentorship ✔ practical tools and frameworks ✔ peer learning across contexts Democratic innovation fails when systems do not support those trying to deliver it. So we’re helping them out. Check out our resources: https://lnkd.in/eiYa_deA ➡️ Learn what really enables implementation, in our Annual Report: https://bit.ly/3NGhovD 

Join us in Brussels on 5 May! 🎯 Organised by Eurocities and TEPSA - Trans European Policy Studies Association, the Nets4Dem Local Action, European Impact: Strengthening Democratic Resilience is insightful for anyone working on democracy, governance, civic engagement or policy 💯 This high-level conference brings together cities, EU institutions, civil society, and researchers to explore how different levels of governance can work better together and how cross-sector collaboration can strengthen democracy in practice. Speakers include: 🎙️Marie-Hélène Boulanger, Head of Unit at DG JUST 🎙️André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities 🎙️Anthony Zacharzewski, co-founder and President of Democratic Society 🎙️Tara Tepavac, Research Associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade (IFDT) 🎙️Alisa Aliti Vlasic, Director of European Strategy and Networks at Coglobal 🎙️Sahib Singh, Researcher and Practitioner at Demos Helsinki 🎙️Melisa Ross, Co-lead and Researcher at Global Citizens’ Assembly Network 🏆 Plus: the Nets4Dem Democratic Innovation Awards, celebrating impactful local initiatives shaping the future of democracy. Registrations are closing soon: https://lnkd.in/gq4VQE2C Check out the agenda for more 👇

Happening right now in Brussels 🇧🇪 The latest Nets4Dem Democracy Retreat has brought together EU policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and experts to reflect on how the Centre for Democratic Resilience can move from political ambition to practical impact in strengthening democratic resilience across Europe. Organised by TEPSA - Trans European Policy Studies Association and EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations, in the context of Nets4Dem, the conversation is zeroing in on two critical pressure points: 👉 How to ensure the future European Centre for Democratic Resilience delivers real coordination and not just another layer of structure 👉 How to move beyond defense and actively strengthen democratic participation, trust, and citizen ownership What’s becoming clear is that defending democracy in 2026 looks very different from a decade ago; it's now about designing systems that are inherently participatory and adaptive. In other words, the European Democracy Shield has set the direction, now the real test is execution 💯 Stay tuned for takeaways from the event!

Democratic innovation is not a solo effort. In 2025, Nets4Dem connected: 🤝 civil society 🏛️ public institutions 🎓 academia 🌍 practitioners  …all across Europe. Because no single actor can design and sustain change alone. With Nets4Dem, we’re moving to a coordinated ecosystem where: ☑️ knowledge is shared ☑️ capacity is built collectively ☑️ solutions are co-developed Read more about how we collaborate, in our Annual Report: https://bit.ly/3NGhovD 

How do we turn civic engagement into democratic resilience? Find out on 5 May in Brussels 💯 Organised by Eurocities and TEPSA - Trans European Policy Studies Association, the Nets4Dem Local Action, European Impact: Strengthening Democratic Resilience  conference convenes cities, EU institutions, civil society and researchers to move beyond theory and focus on what works in practice. If you're working on democracy, governance, civic engagement or policy, you need to be there 🇧🇪 We'll have: ✨ Practical insights from across Europe ✨ Cross-sector collaboration and exchange ✨ Stronger links between local, national and European levels ✨ A spotlight on democratic infrastructures like Nets4Dem Speakers include: 🎙️André Sobczak, Secretary General of Eurocities  🎙️Anthony Zacharzewski, co-founder and President of Democratic Society  🎙️Tara Tepavac, Research Associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade (IFDT)  🎙️Alisa Aliti Vlasicć, Director of European Strategy and Networks at Coglobal  🎙️Sahib Singh, Researcher and Practitioner at Demos Helsinki  🎙️Melisa Ross, Co-lead and Researcher at Global Citizens’ Assembly Network 🎙️Marie-Hélène Boulanger, Head of Unit at DG JUST 🏆 Plus: the Nets4Dem Democratic Innovation Awards, celebrating impactful local initiatives shaping the future of democracy. Registrations are open now, learn more: https://lnkd.in/gq4VQE2C Photo credits: Eurocities, Nets4Dem events.

Let’s talk impact. In 2025, Nets4Dem’s work translated into: 🏛️ 90+ public bodies and organisations supported 👥 60+ policymakers and practitioners mentored 📝 400+ research projects mapped and analysed 🤝🏽 11 new participatory solutions developed 💬 380 stakeholders engaged in high-level dialogue These reflected a shift from isolated initiatives to coordinated, ecosystem-level change. However, our real impact lies in something perhaps less tangible or visible. It’s the growing capacity of institutions and practitioners to design, implement, and sustain democratic innovation. This is how long-term work happens and impact results. Explore the full impact in our Annual Report  ➡️ https://bit.ly/3NGhovD