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EU Projects

Beyond our own work as the European Capital of Democracy, we take an active role in a range of European projects that strengthen democratic participation, media literacy, social cohesion, and remembrance across the continent. Funded through programmes like Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and CERV, and delivered together with partners from across Europe and beyond, these projects share a common goal: keeping democracy resilient, inclusive, and alive. As a partner, coordinator, or contributor, we bring our experience to each of them. Here’s an overview of the projects we’re currently involved in.

SCALEDEM

ECoD is scaling democratic innovations – with SCALEDEM!

A Horizon Europe project helping democratic innovations like citizen participation and deliberation move beyond one-off pilots to achieve lasting, widespread adoption across Europe.

Launched in December 2024, SCALEDEM is a Horizon Europe-funded project that helps democratic innovations grow beyond one-off pilots and become part of everyday governance. Bringing together researchers, civil society organisations, and policymakers from across Europe and beyond, the project studies what makes these innovations succeed when they’re scaled up, whether that means influencing laws, reaching new communities, shifting cultures, or simply improving how democratic processes work.
To make this happen, SCALEDEM is building a shared knowledge base, a hub connecting research to real political action, and two “scaling grounds” where, in 2026, it directly funds and supports more than 13 democratic innovations through open calls. The project runs until May 2028 and is carried out by a consortium of 13 partner organisations from across Europe, alongside a growing global community of practitioners and institutions committed to strengthening participatory governance.

Partners

– Missions Publiques (MP) – France
– European University Institute (EUI) – Italy
– Dublin City University (DCU) – Ireland
– Research Institute for Sustainability – Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam (RIFS-GFZ) – Germany
– ifok GmbH (IFOK) – Germany
– European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) – Austria
– Democracy X (Danish Board of Technology Foundation) – Denmark
– Nexus Institut (NEXUS) – Germany
– Fondazione ICONS (ICONS) – Italy
– GLOBSEC (GLOBSEC) – Slovakia
– Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) – Belgium
– Democracy Reporting International (DRI) – Germany
– Extituto de Política Abierta (EX) – Colombia

SCALEDEM is a European Union–funded project helping innovative ways of doing democracy for long-lasting change in how societies are governed. By connecting researchers, civil society, and public authorities across Europe, it tests and supports these ideas so more people can benefit from them.

OPEN EU

Creating dialogue when it is most needed – ECoD joins OPEN EU! 

An Erasmus+ project creating safe spaces for dialogue between migrants, refugees, and host
communities to counter rising division and build social cohesion across Europe.

Running from March 2026 to November 2027 and funded by Erasmus+, OPEN EU brings together organisations working on migration, inclusion, and social cohesion to create open spaces for dialogue across Europe. The project responds to a troubling trend: rising anti-immigrant sentiment, growing support for far-right movements, and an increase in hate crimes and exclusionary policies, all fuelled in part by harmful narratives that frame migrants and refugees as threats rather than people.
OPEN EU works to counter this by improving understanding between communities, challenging the language and stereotypes that drive “othering,” and rebuilding trust before divisions harden further. The project is carried out by a consortium of five partner organisations from France, Ireland, Ukraine, and Denmark, with the European Capital of Democracy proud to join as a partner in this effort to foster dialogue when it’s needed most.

Partners

– European Center for Human Rights (ECHR) – France
– Roscommon LEADER Partnership – Ireland
– Civic Organisation Misto Aktyvnyh Gromadan – Ukraine
– European E-learning Institute (EUEI) – Denmark
– Momentum Marketing Services Ltd – Ireland
– European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) – Austria

OPEN EU is a European project bringing together organisations from across Europe to create safe spaces for dialogue between migrants, refugees, and host communities at a time of rising division and anti-migrant sentiment. By tackling harmful narratives and building understanding between communities, the project works to strengthen social cohesion before divides become irreversible.

WITNESS-REM

WITNESS-REM is defending truth and democracy!

A CERV-funded project keeping Holocaust remembrance alive through education, testimony, and
youth ambassadorship to counter denial and strengthen human rights and democracy.

Running from October 2026 to August 2028 and funded by the CERV programme, WITNESS-REM is dedicated to strengthening Holocaust remembrance and countering denial and relativisation, while fostering a culture of human rights, pluralism, and democracy. Bringing together partners from Hungary, Austria, Germany, Ukraine, and Portugal, the project combines remembrance, education, digital innovation, and youth ambassadorship to connect historical experience with today’s challenges around disinformation and antisemitism.
Through visits to memorials and historical sites, urban memory initiatives, workshops for youth and educators, and transnational exchanges, WITNESS-REM builds lasting resources such as digital archives, educational toolkits, and a network of youth ambassadors that carry these lessons forward. The project begins symbolically in Cascais, European Capital of Democracy 2026, and concludes in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe, linking local remembrance to a broader European conversation on democratic resilience.

Partners

– Central-European Club Pannonia Association (KEPCP) – Hungary
– Deutsche Gesellschaft e. V. – Germany
– European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) – Austria
– Foster Europe – Austria
– Instituto Padre António Vieira (IPAV) – Portugal
– Public Association Hungarian Tourism Council of Zakarpattya (KMTT) – Hungary

WITNESS-REM is a European project that keeps Holocaust remembrance alive through education, testimony, and digital storytelling, helping young people recognise and challenge denial and disinformation today. Linking historical sites across Europe with a network of youth ambassadors, the project turns the lessons of the past into a lasting commitment to human rights and democracy.

Youth Decode Power - Erasmus+

Youth DECODE Power – Politics, Pop Culture + Democracy Lab

An Erasmus+ project equipping young people with the media literacy and critical thinking skills to
decode political messaging hidden in pop culture and digital media.

Running from October 2026 to August 2028 and funded by Erasmus+ (KA220-YOU Cooperation Partnerships in Youth), Youth Decode Power equips young people and youth educators with the critical thinking, media literacy, and AI awareness skills needed to decode the political meaning embedded in pop culture and digital media. Bringing together partners from Austria, Portugal, Ukraine, Ireland, and France, the project creates a transnational space for dialogue between stable democratic environments and high-pressure disinformation contexts, supporting confident, informed civic participation across Europe.

Through discovery sessions, co-creation labs, a 48-hour youth hackathon, and trained “Youth Decode Power Champions,” the project produces tools including a Politics & Pop Culture Democracy Playbook, a Power-Up Decoder Kit, a digital game, and a micro-explainer video series through live public sessions at recognised democratic forums. The project begins in Cascais, European Capital of Democracy 2026, and extends to Strasbourg, home of the Council of Europe, symbolically linking youth digital culture to a broader European democratic conversation.

Partners

– European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) – Austria
– DYPALL Network: Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Participação Cidadã – Portugal
– Non-governmental organisation “Democratic Initiatives Incubator” – Ukraine
– Momentum Marketing Services Ltd – Ireland
– European Center for Human Rights (ECHR) – France
– Gairmeach Training Ltd – Ireland

Youth Decode Power helps young people spot the political messages hidden in pop culture and social media, building the critical thinking and media literacy skills they need to take part in democracy with confidence. Bringing together youth from Western Europe and Ukraine, the project turns what young people already watch and scroll into a launchpad for real civic action.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or OeAD-GmbH. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

For any enquiries regarding these projects feel free to contact the Call and Fundraising Manager, Tijana Zherajikj, at tz@capitalofdemocracy.eu.

Want to become our Partner?
Email us: office@capitalofdemocracy.eu

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