Easy-to-Read

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) has worked for many years to support democracy and civic education. Now, the FES has opened a new office in Vienna. This office focuses on how democracy can work fairly for all people and looks at democratic developments across the OSCE region (Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).

Why this office is important

There are two main reasons why this office was created:

1. Democracy is under pressure.
   In many countries, people trust democracy less and less.
   Some governments are becoming more authoritarian.
   Populist politics are becoming stronger.
   This puts democratic rights and rules at risk.
   The FES wants to understand these changes and look for ways to protect and improve democracy.

2. The FES works in many countries.
   The FES is active in 46 of the 57 OSCE countries.
   Until now, most of the work focused on individual countries.
   The new Vienna office helps to see common trends across countries.
   It also brings together the experience and knowledge from many national offices.
   While some anti-democratic groups work closely together across borders, the FES wants to connect democrats and human rights defenders in the region.

Our Focus

Together with researchers, we are looking for answers to the following questions:

• How dangerous is polarisation for democracy?

• What tools can reduce strong political divisions?

• Can citizens' assemblies help support democracy?

• How do economic inequalities affect democratic systems?

• How can we stop the spread of autocratic (undemocratic) models?

• What should a future democracy look like to meet people’s needs?

How we work

We work together with other FES offices in the OSCE region and with local partners.
We share ideas, adapt our strategies to local situations, and support real projects that promote democracy.
The Vienna office serves as a hub: it brings together knowledge from different countries and supports the FES’s wider efforts to strengthen democracy — both in Europe and in Germany.

Why Vienna?

Vienna is the home of the OSCE.
The OSCE works for peace and security in a broad sense.
It looks at:

• military and political issues

• economy and the environment

• human rights, democracy, and the rule of law

The OSCE is well known for observing elections in different countries.
In recent years, civil and human rights have become even more important due to serious problems in Europe and Eurasia.
That is why the FES has expanded its work in Vienna.
The Vienna office now also deals with questions of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, not just peace and security.

Learn more about FES and visit the German Easy-to-Read website