Special emphasis of the informal round table discussion „New Partnerships in Democracy Building: European Union and the Community of Democracies“ held at the Lithuanian permanent representation to the EU was on the more active cooperation between the EU and the Community of Democracies (CoD), an intergovernmental structure of democratic countries devoted to strengthen and deepen democratic norms and practices worldwide. 

CoD is named as one of the potential EU partners in the Agenda for Action on Democracy Support in EU External Relations which is to be approved on Tuesday at the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC).

“The approval of the GAERC conclusions may become a historic step forward in matching the ideals and visions enshrined in the EU’s founding documents, with the appropriate means in EU’s external actions, also through its activities within international organizations, including the Community of Democracies”, said one of the initiators of the meeting Lithuanian Foreign Minister Vygaudas Ušackas.

To his conviction, the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty will enable the EU to strengthen its role as a global leader in supporting prodemocratic forces, challenging political oppression, violation of human rights, and government corruption all over the world.

“According to various reports, 40% of the world’s population still live under authoritarian rule, while only 13% live in fully developed democracies. Development, a vital issue for large parts of the world, cannot proceed at the desired pace either, where democracy is weak or nonexistent. Democratic countries face hurdles while promoting their agenda at multilateral fora, while the economic crisis has added risks to democracy worldwide. Our task is to help reverse these trends”, Mr. Ušackas told. 

As CoD presidency, Lithuania aims to build synergies with the EU and other major democracy stakeholders as well as to revitalise CoD’s working groups and establish a variety of flagship projects with other CoD member states.  

Mr. Ušackas expressed hope to reinvigorate the CoD youth dimension and to establish a parliamentary dimension with the European Parliament having a leading role.

“We must reform the Community, in order to make its working methods even more democratic, inclusive, representative, and open to all democracy stakeholders willing and ready to contribute to strengthening democracy worldwide”, Lithuanian Foreign Minister said.

The participants of the round table discussed how to make the CoD more representative, transparent and inclusive, how to involve more countries and more democracy stakeholders. It was agreed on the necessity to continue consultations between the EU and the CoD.

Other participants of the meeting were US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy Michael Posner, Swedish Ambassador for Democracy Maria Leissner, Romanian State Secretary for European Affairs Bogdan Mazuru, representatives of the EU institutions and NGOs.

Lithuania has been chairing the CoD since July 2009. The priorities of the Lithuanian presidency are to crystallize the mandate of the CoD and to adjust it to the current issues, to dedicate more attention to the democratisation of European Union’s neighbours in the East, the Middle East and Africa, to initiate and draft statements of the troika of the CoD on threats to democracy, to strengthen the role of the CoD in the United Nations, to make cooperation between the governmental and nongovernmental structures on the issues of democracy promotion more active.

For more information on the Lithuania’s presidency of the CoD please visit www.mfa.lt/cod .