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Phase 1: (Re)Conceptualising Democracy & Democracy Support as Social Practices

This phase grounds reflections on practices of democracy and democracy support as well as their contestation by providing clear and thorough definitions. These guiding concepts will allow for the application of an innovative Democracy Learning Loop, which will help maximise the EU’s democratic knowledge, empower agents of change and guarantee inclusivity and participation.

Phase 2: Empirical Mapping of Democracy Support & Contestation Practices (discursive and behavioural) in the European Neighbourhood

This phase aims to scrutinise four categories of democracy support and contestation practices:

• practices of local democratic politics in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods;
• the EU’s democracy support practices in both Neighbourhoods over the last decade, including the Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024;
• Member States’ practices related to the EU’s democracy support; and
• the practices of international organisations and third country actors involved in democracy support or prevention in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods.

Phase 3: Fostering Action – Synthesis and Policy Recommendations

This phase will connect researchers, policymakers in EU institutions and member states, practitioners, civil society representatives and citizen groups in the EU and its Neighbourhoods. These new channels of interaction and discussions on challenges to democracy support will improve future EU interactions with its Neighbours. SHAPEDEM-EU will also advise the EU on how to improve its capacities to react to potential gaps and consider consequences of democracy support policies. The consortium will achieve this by pilot testing the Democracy Learning Loop, an innovative tool of democracy support practices between the EU and both Neighbourhoods, which will transform lessons learned into policy suggestions and build resilient networks and experiences that extend beyond the project’s duration.