Open Letter to EU: Prioritize Democracy05/16 06:11

   

   COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Nearly 300 signatories have signed an open 
10-point letter before next month's European Parliament election, saying 
lawmakers should be putting democracy at the top of their agenda in an 
increasingly authoritarian world.

   The letter, which was released on Thursday, calls for widening powers to 
uphold the rule of law, ensuring new digital technologies safeguard human 
rights, and to place democracy at the heart of the European Union's security, 
migration, energy, and trade agendas.

   "These converging challenges have created a real risk that in this global 
election year, EU member states as well as some of its key partners may see the 
ascent of anti-democratic political actors," according to the Stockholm-based 
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, which initiated 
the open letter.

   Last month, International IDEA said in a report that voters in 19 countries, 
including in three of the world's largest democracies, are widely skeptical 
about whether their political elections are free and fair, and that many favor 
a strong, undemocratic leader.

   The letter listed 10 proposals covering two main areas:

   1. the strengthening of democracy and rule of law within the EU to combat 
challenges such as extremism, election interference, the spread of manipulative 
information and threats to journalists.

   2. the EU must uphold its founding values in the face of security, 
migration, energy and trade pressures, and to mainstream democracy in EU 
external and enlargement agendas, protecting electoral integrity and securing 
adequate resources.

   The letter said that there is "a real risk that in this global election 
year, EU member states as well as some of its key partners may see the ascent 
of anti-democratic political actors."

   "As we know, there are challenges to democracy within the borders of the 
European Union," Kevin Casas-Zamora, the 35-member International IDEA's 
secretary-general, told The Associated Press.

   "It is important that they pay attention to dealing with those challenges in 
an effective way so as to protect the credibility of the EU's message on 
democracy, which I insist is key, given the very unpromising winds that are 
blowing when it comes to democracy globally," Casas-Zamora added.

   Titled "A Call to Defend Democracy: 10 Priorities for the EU," it was signed 
by pro-democracy institutions, and political and civic leaders. Signatories 
also included Nobel Peace Prize laureates, the former European Council 
President Herman Van Rompuy, and several former prime ministers, including 
Gordon Brown of the United Kingdom, Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero of Spain and 
Viktor Yushchenko of Ukraine.

   It comes before the European Parliament election of June 6-9 vote in the 
27-member bloc of 450 million people who will be picking 720 lawmakers for the 
next five years.