Commentary
Democratic Security
Poland’s Court Ruling on Same-sex Marriage is a Precedent – But Pitfalls Remain
30 April 2026
11 December 2025
The EU Democracy Shield is not a law but a policy communication. It promises to protect elections and democratic processes from disinformation, FIMI and hybrid threats. Yet its impact will be determined by local realities and shaped by experiences from Ukraine.
In the Visegrad Insight new foresight report Democracies at War. War on Democracies, we outlined four scenarios to probe how Europe’s democratic security might evolve and how four forthcoming EU initiatives – the EU Democracy Shield, the EU Civil Society Strategy, the EU Preparedness Strategy and the next Multiannual Financial Framework – could work together as a democratic security toolbox.
Following our scenarios, these initiatives present both an opportunity for preserving democratic security in Europe. Yet, concrete actions need to be taken to maximise on the benefit.
Linking up a fragmented ‘toolbox’