Work Packages

• WP 1 | Conceptualising Democracy & Democracy Support in Times of Multi-Layered Contestation

  WP1 establishes SHAPEDEM-EU’s conceptual framework, which serves as the analytical foundation of the project’s research and activities. The objective of WP1 is to provide workable definitions of concepts such as democracy, democratic politics and international democracy support.

  WP lead: Roskilde University

• WP 2 | Democratic Practices & Democracy Support in the Eastern Neighbourhood

  WP2 assesses democracy support practices in the Eastern Neighbourhood, including the context and evaluation of democracy’s social practices in the region with an emphasis on local inclusion. Case countries include Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia with an additional, flexible pool of case countries including Azerbaijan, Belarus and Moldova.

  WP lead: University of Warwick

• WP 3 | Democratic Practices & Democracy Support in the Southern Neighbourhood

  WP3 takes stock of the EU’s practices of democracy support in the Southern Neighbourhood over the last decade and critically engages with local expectations. The three country case studies examined are Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia, with a flexible pool of additional cases including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

  WP lead: American University of Beirut

• WP 4 | EU Democracy Support & Democratic Practices in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods

  WP4 seeks to create a comprehensive database of EU democracy support measures. To do so, it maps, analyses and evaluates EU democracy discourses, strategies and instruments vis-à-vis the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. The overall goal is to assess if and which democratic norms shape European foreign policy.

  WP lead: Istituto Affari Internazionali

• WP 5 | EU Member States’ Democracy Support & Democratic Practices in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods

  WP5 systematically maps the democracy support practices implemented by specific state and civil society actors in the EU’s Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. Seven case countries were identified: Austria, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Poland and Sweden. This database aims to facilitate access to information on such democracy support practices.

  WP lead: Jagiellonian University

• WP 6 | Non-EU External Actors: Partners, Competitors or Adversaries?

  WP6 studies the practices of democracy support and (non-)democratic interaction by external actors vis-à-vis the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods. Twelve external actors were selected including six state actors (the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Saudi Arabia) and six international and regional organisations (the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, NATO, the League of Arab States and the African Union).

  WP lead: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs

• WP 7 | Academic Synthesis & Policy Review

  WP7 synthesises the results of WPs 1-6, including the assessments of the EU’s and other actors’ practices of democracy support. WP7 pays special attention to the cross-cutting challenges of gender equality and digital transformations. Lastly, it strives to develop policy recommendations to improve the EU’s democracy support policy toolkit.

  WP lead: Justus Liebig University Giessen

• WP 8 | Dissemination and Outreach: The EU as an Innovator in Democracy Support in the Neighbourhoods

  WP8 amplifies the project’s outreach and impact by aiming for the widest possible dissemination of its activities and research results. WP8 seeks to generate greater awareness and knowledge of the project’s outputs and convey them to, among others, decision makers in the EU, EU Member States and both Neighbourhoods.

  WP lead: Carnegie Europe Foundation

• WP 9 | Project Management and Scientific Coordination

  WP9 is dedicated to the overall management of the project. The objective of this work package is to provide a clear organisational framework, guidance and support mechanisms to enable a smooth project workflow and ensure that objectives and milestones are met in time.

  WP lead: EURICE

• WP 10 | Ethics Requirements

  WP10 sets out the ethics requirements that the project must comply with and ensures their compliance. Special consideration is necessary for these aspects given the unique work being done with people across the EU’s Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods so that no participant is subject to mental, physical or reputational harm with full respect is ensured for their privacy. This WP is tasked with the oversight of SHAPEDEM-EU’s research activities in order to maximise their transparency, accountability and objectivity in line with ethical standards.

  WP lead: Justus Liebig University Giessen