Keeping the Eyes on the End Goal

EDGE has been monitoring the evolution and impact of EU Election Observation Missions’ (EU EOM) recommendations over the years, both through data publicly made available by the EU and through its country activities.  In a recent article published by the European Democracy Hub, part of the series of articles on the Future of EU Electoral Support our Executive Director Domenico Tuccinardi highlighted that:

“Recommendations are now constructive, generally well-drafted, rigorously fact-based and refer to the partner country’s legal commitments to genuine elections..”

In the concluding remark, he also recalled how the “the importance of EU EOM recommendations does not reside in their implementation rate, but rather in their relevance to the democratic process for the partner country. This goes beyond a single electoral cycle”.

In a complementary research part of the same publication, cofunded by EDGE and EPD, Media Analyst Xabier Meilán focused on the growing importance of social media related recommendations in EU EOMs deployed to Latin America.

The overall research highlights the fast-rising prominence of digital threats to information integrity around electoral process: EDGE stays engaged in this domain and will continue to support effective manners to enhance domestic ownership and CSO-led advocacy efforts to follow-up on EU EOM recommendations as the most effective way to provide a meaningful service to the partner countries democratic development.