‘Speed Date’ Session at TED Network’s Annual Meeting: Power in Participation

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At the TED Annual Meeting (16–17th of September 2025), WG2 members gathered under the banner Power in Participation. The session took stock of a year’s work and set priorities for the road ahead, against the backdrop of a volatile yet opportunity-rich global environment for democracy.

The discussion made one point unmistakably clear: participation is not a side note to democracy, it is what defines it. Across WG2’s work, whether addressing shrinking civic space, reinforcing local governance or sustaining democracy between ballots, the message was consistent: democracy must be practised, renewed and lived every day, not only defended in moments of crisis.

Members underscored that adaptive, locally rooted support is indispensable. When institutions falter, it is often local leaders, civil society organisations and informal actors who step forward first. Empowering them with flexible funding, participatory planning and space for small-scale innovation has consistently proven both resilient and impactful.

Another theme was narrative resilience. Civil society is too often portrayed as foreign-driven, yet it is central to trust, inclusion and stability. Countering these narratives requires proactive strategies that embed local perspectives, strengthen independent media, help civic actors communicate their value. This becomes even more pressing as shrinking budgets and shifting donor priorities risk sidelining civic and political actors precisely when they are most needed. Members therefore stressed the importance of diversified funding, strategic political backing and the inclusion of new allies such as the private sector, philanthropy, media and creative industries.

WG2’s ongoing mapping of EU and Member State initiatives found strong early-warning systems for civic space but too often, they fall short in triggering rapid, collective response or sustained resilience support. Good practices exist like flexible outcome-based funding, pooled protection mechanisms, political dialogue but they remain fragmented. Scaling these approaches and embedding civic space into EU flagships such as the Global Gateway emerged as clear next steps.

Local democratic governance remains a cornerstone: it brings decisions closer to communities, ensures trust and accountability, and enables inclusive participation. Yet it is constrained by structural, financial, political and social barriers. Effective support means empowering local authorities, civil society, marginalised groups and media actors through participatory approaches, direct funding, hybrid governance platforms and continuous dialogue while ensuring transparency, continuity and citizen co-ownership. Examples such as inclusive consultations and strengthened local media show how participation, when embedded in planning and delivery, sustains resilience and democratic legitimacy, even in fragile environments.

With another “super-year” of elections ahead in 2026, WG2 stressed that real resilience lies in what happens between elections. Do institutions remain credible? Do citizens remain engaged? Do information spaces remain open? Europe’s democracy support can make its strongest impact in this in-between period by linking electoral follow-up with local governance, political parties, parliaments, digital oversight and civic education. Done well, voting days become the launchpad for sustained accountability.

Looking outward, WG2 examined how these lessons connect with broader EU strategies especially the Global Gateway and the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Flagship investments must go beyond rhetorical commitments and hardwire participation, accountability and rights into design, oversight and implementation. 

Participants converged on a set of priorities to guide WG2’s work:

• Link monitoring tools with rapid reaction and long-term resilience support, with localisation at the core.
• Embed democracy into EU flagships, moving beyond consultation towards co-design, monitoring and accountability.
• Advance narrative resilience, showing that rights and freedoms enable sustainable business, security and stability.
• Defend and innovate democracy financing, ensuring predictable resources while experimenting with flexible models.

WG2 also highlighted the need to protect and advance frameworks such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), convene multi-stakeholder dialogues including with private sector and safeguard civic oversight as security and defence gain prominence. These are essential to prevent democracy and rights from being sidelined in securitised agendas.
Taken together, these discussions set out a clear agenda: strengthen resilience, localise support, embed democracy across EU flagships, defend resources and ensure that Europe’s democratic offer remains both principled and practical in an era of competing priorities.

WG2 reaffirmed its role as both a connector - bridging rule of law, accountability and digital-media dimensions - and a driver of practical action within Team Europe. The challenge ahead is to keep civic and political participation at the centre of Europe’s democratic offer not only as a principle, but as a daily practice.