EA Europäischer Austausch
EA
The European Exchange ("Europäischer Austausch gGmbH") was founded in Berlin in 2005 and has since been committed to the democratic development of Europe and its neighbourhood.
ID: 718126697806-44
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Marie-Helene Boulanger (Head of Unit Justice and Consumers)
11 Nov 2025 · Discussion with the organisation hosting a network of NGOs in the area of election integrity and election observation from different EU and neighbouring countries. European Exchange was interested in knowing the Commission’s activities and initiative
Response to European Democracy Shield
24 May 2025
European Exchange is a Berlin based non governmental organisation supporting democratic development and civil society cooperation throughout Europe. With a special focus on Eastern Europe and Ukraine, we are committed to the long-term networking of civilian actors across national borders. Through capacity building, political education and advocacy in the European institutions, we aim to strengthen the concerns of Europe's civil society on a long-term basis. We hold the secretariats of two international platforms for civil society cooperation: the European Platform for Democratic Elections (www.epde.org), an association of European civil society election observation organizations, and the KYIV DIALOGUE, an independent German-Ukrainian project association. We appreciate the open consultation process on the European democracy shield and want to highlight the recommendations elaborated in the framework of the EPD (European Partnership for Democracy) where we are a member. (Document attached) Namely: - Swift and effective implementation & enforcement of the Digital Service Act, the Digital Market Act and the AI Act - Disinformation must be demonetized. The business model of online platforms currently incentives the spread of disinformation. This should be countered by transparency rules and stricter advertisement regulation. - The EU should invest in independent media serving public interest foremost social media platforms and European regional media. - The protection ensured through the European Democracy Shield should be extended to candidate countries in the European Neighborhood. - The EU Commission should set up robust monitoring and protection mechanisms for civic space within the EU including human rights defenders and other vulnerable and marginalized groups. From the perspective of the European Platform for Democratic Elections (www.epde.org) - a network of 17 citizen election observation organizations throughout Europe - we want to stress the paramount importance of free and inclusive elections and the protection of elections from hybrid threats, FIMI and domestic manipulation. In this regard the above-mentioned control over Big Tech companies and the consequent application and implementation of the existing legal acts are a basic precondition to safeguard free elections in Europe. Citizens and their associations can play a key role in the protection of elections from hybrid threats. The trans-border cooperation and involvement of European citizens' association for the protection of free elections should be strengthened through respective programs (CERV, HORIZON et al) by the Commission. The CERV program should be further developed. Respective consultations with civil society should be conducted. Programs allowing the equal participation of both EU based citizens' association and such based in the European neighborhood would promote the EU enlargement process and facilitate better civil society cooperation on a European level. Voter education, go to vote programs, young voter information campaigns, monitoring efforts to control the implementation of electoral recommendations, screening of party and campaign financing, social media monitoring and election fact checking, programs for the strengthening of the work of election management bodies and minority voting programs should be put in place on a European level. Transnational European exchange of best practice in electoral matters should be established. The EU should be aware that as a consequence of the destruction of the US democracy support worldwide ALL former US funded support measures promoting independent oversight over election processes in Europe and its neighborhood are stopped. Respective action is urgently needed in order to maintain and preserve the developed experience among European citizens election observation associations.
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