Democratic politics in the EU’s neighbourhood
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01-04
- Programme
- Protecting and nurturing democracies
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- June 22, 2021
- Deadline
- October 7, 2021
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €9,900,000
- Keywords
- Global and transnational governance, internationalSocial sciences and humanitiesPolitical systems and institutions, governanceAfricaInternational CooperationArtificial IntelligenceDigital AgendaHORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01
Description
Projects should contribute to at least two of the following expected outcomes:
- Comprehensive stocktaking of developments over the last decade, so that the European Union’s democracy support efforts can both regain traction and be revamped where necessary.
- Development of an improved policy toolkit for supporting liberal democracy in the European Union’s neighbourhood, paving the way for more stability and cooperation.
- Evidence base for the mid-term review of the implementation of the Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024.
- Reflection on the European Union’s aspiration and role in supporting democracy in its neighbourhood.
Since the EU Council conclusions of 2009, EU democracy support has evolved and has been fine-tuned, with advances and setbacks. Following the adoption of the EU strategic framework on human rights and democracy in 2012, the EU adopted three Action Plans[1] in order to implement its commitments and reach its goals. The current Action Plan covers years 2020-2024[2].
Despite the hopes raised by the ‘colour revolutions’ in Eastern Europe in the 2000s and the Arab Spring in 2011 as boosters of democratisation in the European neighbourhood, a more troubling reality persists: some democratic advances coexist with the continued persistence of authoritarian rule in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North African countries. Research should assess the EU’s actual role in promoting democracy. It should examine the EU’s influence on political governance in the neighbourhood, its capacity to react and address potential gaps between the declared intentions, and the results and consequences of its democracy support policies. Critical reflection should facilitate understanding of the dynamics, including opposition to the EU’s democratic efforts in the neighbourhood. Such an overarching assessment should contribute to innovations in democratisation policies corresponding to the realities on the ground.
Proposals are expected to address some of the following points: To take stock of developments in democracy building or failure in the EU’s neighbourhood countries. Research should draw lessons as regards success factors and barriers (political, economic, social, cultural, etc.) in the different regional, national and supranational contexts. The role of third country actors like the United States of America, China, Russia and their impact on democratisation processes or the entrenchment of authoritarianism should be examined. Similarly, the interplay of security and stability considerations and democratisation support in the EU’s agenda and actions should be analysed. Proposals should also assess the mechanisms the EU uses to support political change, as well as examine the discourses and narratives it employs and the actors it targets. They are expected to collect reliable and comparable data on funding for democracy, human rights, gender equality, the rule of law and good governance support, in order to build an account of the outcomes of a decade’s efforts, and thus facilitate learning and improvement. International cooperation with partners from countries in the EU’s neighbourhood is strongly encouraged.
Cross-cutting Priorities:Africa
Socio-economic science and humanities
International Cooperation
[1](2012-2014 ; 2015-2019 ; 2020-2024)
[2]https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=JOIN:2020:5:FIN
Destination & Scope
Democracies are more fragile and more vulnerable than in the past. The Freedom in the World Report (2020) shows that democracies across the globe are in crisis[[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2020/leaderless-struggle-democracy]]. At the same time, various European surveys show declining levels of trust in the political institutions of democracy.[[W. Merkel, Past, Present and Future of Democracy - Policy Review, 2019: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4bebf83d-60ba-11e9-b6eb-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-94807842]] In terms of legitimacy, there are signs of a potential shift from governance based on expertise, multilateralism and consensual policymaking towards majoritarianism, unilateralism, nationalism, populism and polarization. Research on the past and present challenges and tensions in democracy can help to better understand and strengthen democracy, its resilience and stability. It will foster democracy’s further development with a view to enhancing representation, participation, openness, pluralism, tolerance, the effectiveness of public policy, non-discrimination, civic engagement, the protection of fundamental rights and the rule of law. These reflect the European Union’s values as defined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty[[Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union, Title 1 “Common Provisions”, Article 2: “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”.]].
Expected impact:
Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impacts of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:
- Democratic governance is reinvigorated by improving the accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of rule-of-law based institutions and policies and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizenship empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.
The implementation of the research activities of the destination will assist in the re-invigoration and modernisation of democratic governance. The aim is to develop evidence-based innovations, policies and policy recommendations, as well as institutional frameworks that expand political participation, social dialogue, civic engagement, gender equality and inclusiveness. Activities will also contribute to enhancing the transparency, effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy of public policy-making. They will help improving trust in democratic institutions, safeguarding liberties and the rule of law and protecting democracy from multidimensional threats. Rich historical, cultural and philosophical perspectives, including a comparative dimension, will set the frame for soundly understanding present developments and help to map future pathways. In the medium to long term, the knowledge, data, scientifically robust recommendations and innovations generated will enhance decision making on all aspects relevant to democratic governance. As the Destination aims directly at citizen engagement and at producing lasting change, it is of particular importance that the research and innovation actions promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. When applicable, it is encouraged to open up the process, criteria, methodologies and data to civil society in the course of the research.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
Due to the scope of this topic, legal entities established in all member states of the African Union are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
5. Evaluation and award:
- Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
- Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
- Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the specific topic of the Work Programme
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 5. Culture, creativity and inclusive society
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 12. Missions
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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Latest Updates
EVALUATION results
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 (Protecting and nurturing democracies)
Published: 18.06.2021
Deadline: 07.10.2021
Available budget: EUR 49.500.000
The results of the evaluation are as follows:
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls): 68
Number of inadmissible proposals: 1
Number of ineligible proposals: 2
Number of above-threshold proposals: 48
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 143.318.624
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.