Brief Intro
The European Capital of Democracy is a Europe-wide initiative to innovate and strengthen democracy. From 2023, each year one city will be selected by a jury of experts and a jury of 10,000 European citizens – and granted this honorary title. Together with its citizens, the European Capital of Democracy curates, organises and hosts a variety of activities that strengthen democracy. Visitors from all over Europe – politicians, experts, civil society actors, artists, citizens and media representatives – are invited to take part in the initiative and make the city a stage for European democracy.
Throughout the Programme Year, EURACTIV will act as strategic media partner of the European Capital of Democracy.
Media relations
Amadea Horvath
Creative Lead and Media Relations,
ECoD gemeinnützige GmbH
ah@capitalofdemocracy.eu
+43 660 10 27 903
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ECN on wheels: A ride to the City of Antwerp’s youth participation projects
The Belgian sun shone on us once again, as 32 representatives from 13 European countries came together in the City of Antwerp for the 7th European City Network (ECN) Meeting. As the group prepared to cycle through the busy city centre, some of us thought back to the last time we rode a bike… for…
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ECoD survey & IDEA democracy report: Participation as 4th branch of Government
ECoD NPO Stefan Sindelar presented the results of this year’s Citizens’ Jury survey “Democracy = Peace (?) at the Council of Europe’s World Forum for Democracy’s panel about “The 4th Branch of Government”. In sync with results of the recently published “Global State of Democracy 2023” survey by International IDEA, a resilient civic space and…
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Five Cities shortlisted for European Capital of Democracy 2024/25
Press Release, Vienna, 7 November 2023 Five Cities shortlisted for European Capital of Democracy 2024/25 Bratislava, Gdansk, Izmir, Leipzig and Vienna have been selected by the ECoD Experts’ Jury after a thorough evaluation process to compete for the title of European Capital of Democracy 2024/25. It will be up to the Citizens’ Jury to take…
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Vitali Klitschko signs Partnership with European Capital of Democracy
A delegation of the European Capital of Democracy (ECoD) marked a momentous occasion during its two-day visit to Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a special partnership regarding Kyiv´s role within the ECoD Initiative and its city network.
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Eight Cities Compete for the Title of European Capital of Democracy 2024/25
Press Release, 19 July 2023, Vienna Download English Version | German Version | ECoD Map Call for European Capital of Democracy 2024/25: Eight Cities Compete for the Title, Special Partnership with Kyiv Following Barcelona as the first-ever European Capital of Democracy, democracy takes center stage again as eight bold cities from across Europe enter the…
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Sneak a peek at Barcelona’s programme highlights
End of March, a vibrant presentation event at EL BORN CENTRE DE CULTURA I MEMÒRIA brought together key stakeholders to introduce the European Capital of Democracy’s Programme Year, inviting the civil society and business community to partner-up with us to make Barcelona a beacon of democracy. At the event, attendees were given an in-depth look…
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European Capital of Democracy NPO appoints Alexander Heichlinger as local representative in Barcelona
Local government expert Alexander Heichlinger will take on the role as point of contact and envoy for the European Capital of Democracy initiative (ECoD) in the title-holding City of Barcelona.
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Introducing the First European Capital of Democracy
Barcelona designated as the first European Capital of Democracy Following a vote by several thousand members of a pan-European citizen jury, Barcelona will host a year of events dedicated to strengthening European democracy. Barcelona has been awarded the title of European Capital of Democracy 2023/24. The result was announced at a press conference in Barcelona…
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Five Cities compete for the title of the European Capital of Democracy 2026
Following a successful first Programme Year in Barcelona, which welcomed over 20,000 participants, hosted 100 events, and facilitated two participatory processes, five cities across Europe will be competing for the prestigious title of European Capital of Democracy 2026. This competition not only highlights their commitment to democratic innovation but also underscores the initiative’s growing impact…
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Vienna Begins Its Role as European Capital of Democracy 2024/25
Kick-off for Vienna’s Democracy Year: Citizens Invited to Actively Participate – New Funding Programme Starts in 2025 Vienna has been named the European Capital of Democracy for 2024/25. On Tuesday evening, a ceremonial event marked the commencement of Vienna’s Democracy Year. After a two-stage selection process last year, Vienna was chosen from a shortlist…
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Barcelona Wraps Up Term as Europe’s First Democracy Capital
The closing ceremony, held at the Smart City Expo World Congress, passed the European Capital of Democracy title from Barcelona to its successor, Vienna. For 14 months, Barcelona served as the European Capital of Democracy, hosting 100 activities with 20,000 participants and leaving a lasting impact on democratic engagement. The closing ceremony featured speakers like Lluís Rabell,…
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Barcelona and Vienna – A Joint Statement on Democratic Innovation
At the closing event of the Programme Year of the first European Capital of Democracy Barcelona, both cities came together to sign a Joint Declaration, reaffirming their shared commitment to protecting and advancing democracy. As Barcelona passes the baton to Vienna as the European Capital of Democracy 2024/25, we celebrate our shared commitment to democratic values and the…
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An Impactful European City Network Meeting in Braga
On a mid-Autumn’s day 38 European City Network members, from 13 European counties, gathered at Braga’s Educational Farm. Here we were welcomed by Filipe Fernandes, Advisor to the Mayor, who told us how school children and the elderly volunteer at the Quinta, which provides food for local care homes and schools alike. In this way,…
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Council of Europe: Ukrainian Delegation Visits Austria
Representatives from six Ukrainian communities and civil society organizations were undertaking a study visit to Vienna, Bregenz, Wolfurt, and Salzburg. The Council of Europe, the largest intergovernmental organization in Europe promoting democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in its 46 member states, organized a study visit of a Ukrainian delegation from September 17…
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Brussels: AI & Democracy: A New Frontier for the EU?
On September 10, 2024, European Capital of Democracy (ECOD) and the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE) co-organised a roundtable titled “AI & Democracy: A New Frontier for the EU?”. The event was hosted in Brussels by Make.org, a founding member of the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE). The roundtable took place in the Impact House, the Make.org Brussels…
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This International Democracy Day highlights the role of Artificial Intelligence in promoting Good Governance
As the next European Capital of Democracy in Vienna (2024/25) is taking over from Barcelona in mid-November, we start searching for the European Capital of Democracy 2026. However, this International Democracy Day serves as a reminder that citizens’ concerns should drive democratic progress, especially with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Citizen engagement is critical,…
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Delivering Democracy: Embracing boldness and experimentation
by Evelyn Mantoiu / European Partnership for Democracy Since 2021, the European Democracy Hub (EDH) has been exploring different examples of democratic innovations through the Exploring Worldwide Democratic Innovations Project. In the framework of the project, we saw over 35 examples of democratic innovations, from ten countries and three different regions, over a total of…
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TEDx Vienna proudly presents: THE ARGUMENT! 24 May, 7-10pm, House of Strauss
Debate and dialogue lie at the core of democracy! Our friends from TEDx Vienna are keenly aware of this and boldly ask hard-hitting questions such as: Should democracies ban anti-democratic political parties? The Argument is a one-of-a-kind TEDx Salon event that merges the best of both worlds, TEDx Talks and debates, not only to spread exciting…
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Tackling Social and Climate Challenges with Brussels’ Solutions
The latest ECN meeting took place in Brussels, as members of the network gathered together to discuss, learn, and exchange with a focus on “tackling social and climate challenges with Brussels’ solutions”. This time, we were joined by representatives from Antwerp, Barcelona, Bologna, Bratislava, Cascais, Gdańsk, Kyiv, Rzeszów, Tirana, Valongo, and Vienna. The meeting began…
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The press kit contains ECoD Flyer, ECoD NPO, Innovation in Politics Institute and City Network factsheets, CI/CD-Guidelines, Programme visualisation and ECoD logos.
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