With: Prof. Dan Slater, Director at Center for Emerging Democracies, University of Michigan; Jakub Kocjan, Akcja Demokracja; Prof. Rachel Beatty Riedl, Cornell University; Prof. Anil Duman, Head of Political Science Department, Central European University; Rebekka Kesberg, Senior Research Fellow, Unversity of Sussex; Thamy Pogrebinschi, Senior Researcher, WZB Berlin Social Science Center; Todd Brogan, ITUC, Director Campaigns & Organising; with more leading voices in democracy and political science to be announced. A detailed programme will follow soon - stay tuned!

Democracy under pressure

In recent years, illiberal right-wing political parties and candidates, which challenge established democratic norms and principles, have experienced many electoral successes. These successes – including Donald Trump, Herbert Kickl and the FPÖ in Austria and Marine Le Pen and the RN in France in 2024, as well as PiS-backed presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki in Poland in 2025 – often seem to catch us by surprise as we are still struggling to identify the reasons behind them. We therefore need new ideas to better understand the current challenges facing liberal and social democracies.

On one hand, we need to make people aware of the threats from illiberal and far right politics and why everybody has to worry about and defend democracy. Not only do we have to convince people (once again) that civil liberties and an independent judiciary are essential elements in advanced democracies. We also have to better protect people from information manipulation and illiberal right-wing propaganda, both on- and offline. On the other hand, our democracies also have to improve people's daily lives and strengthen their ties to democracy through better governance and tangible outcomes.

Countering the rise of the far right

Accordingly, this year, the Brussels Democracy Dialogue will interrogate our established explanations of these phenomena. Together with experts on progressive democracy from politics, academia, trade unions and civil society in Europe and beyond, we will offer new solutions with a view to successfully countering the rise of illiberal right-wing forces and revitalising European democracies.

Our moderator is Jacki Davis, Senior Adviser at the European Policy Centre (EPC).