The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) would like to jointly reiterate the need for ambition on democracy in EU external action in order to stand up for democracy at a time of increasing challenges worldwide. The upcoming EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy (Action Plan hereafter) provides a critical opportunity for asserting such ambition in EU external action.

The Council Conclusions on Democracy adopted in October 2019 send an important political message about the EU and EU Member States’ ambition on democracy in their external relations. The Action Plan needs to match the commitments of the Council Conclusions to a common and practical approach to democracy, with clear and operational guidance for actions on the ground. We recommend the following: