Election-Watch.EU Participates in European Commission Consultation on Safety in Political Life
Brussels, 16 April 2026. Election-Watch.EU contributed to a stakeholder consultation on Safety in Political Life, organised by the European Commission as part of the follow-up work under the European Democracy Shield. The session preceded the adoption of a Commission Recommendation on safety in politics, and supported the preparation of a dedicated guide of best practices aimed at ensuring the safety of political candidates and elected representatives.
The consultation addressed the escalating [...]
election security, electoral violence risk, gender-based violence, inclusion in elections, safety in policial life, transparency of political campaign
Child Protection Policy established
Vienna, 13 March 2026: Election-Watch.EU is committed to ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of children and young people in all activities we organise or support. Election-Watch.EU has established a Child Protection Policy with clear standards to prevent harm, safeguard personal data, and promote safe participation in events, campaigns, and educational initiatives.
This commitment is particularly relevant when engaging with young and first-time voters, for [...]
2024 EP elections, accountability, citizen led election observation, data protection in elections, EP elections 2024, inclusion in elections, transparency, transparency of political campaign
European Union,General,International
Election-Watch.EU submission to the Council of Europe consultation on the New Democratic Pact for Europe
Strasbourg, 18 February 2026: Election-Watch.EU has submitted a policy contribution to the consultation process surrounding the Council of Europe’s New Democratic Pact for Europe, responding to the challenges identified in the 2025 Report of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on democratic resilience across Europe.
Our submission highlights the central role of electoral integrity as a cornerstone of democratic legitimacy. [...]
accountability, citizen led election observation, Council of Europe, election security, European elections, inclusion in elections, transparency, transparency of political campaign
Submission to the European Parliament on the European Democracy Shield
Brussels, 10 February 2026: Election-Watch.EU submitted a written contribution to Members of the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the European Democracy Shield, in response to the draft report on its findings and recommendations, published in December 2025.
The submission highlights the importance of emphasising the importance of electoral integrity in the European Democracy Shield framework, particularly in the context [...]
citizen led election observation, data protection in elections, election security, equality, eu strategy for civil society, european democracy shield, inclusion in elections, transparency, transparency of political campaign
20th Commemoration of Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation in Geneva
Geneva, 10-12 December 2025: The 2025 Declaration of Principles (DoP) Implementation Meeting, hosted by the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, brought together international and citizen election observers, multilateral organisations, regional bodies, and digital-platform representatives to assess the state of election observation amid growing democratic pressure.
Election-Watch.EU has been an endorsing member organisation of the DoP since 2024 and participated for the [...]
data protection in elections, Declaration of Principles, Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, DoP, election observation, election security, human rights defenders, transparency of political campaign, United Nations
We are hiring!
Vienna, 28 October 2025: Election-Watch.EU, in partnership with its network of experts and organisations, is implementing an EU-funded project within the EU and its Member States to strengthen electoral integrity, advocate for citizen-led election observation, and enhance participation of mobile EU citizens. A Project Implementation Team (PIT) coordinates all activities, including project management, research, advocacy, gender and inclusion, and communications.
To support sound financial management [...]
citizen led election observation, EP elections 2029, equality, inclusion in elections, recruitment, transparency, transparency of political campaign
Follow-Up on Recommendations’ Implementation Conference (FURIC 2025)
Brussels, 23-24 September 2025: At FURIC 2025 – Follow-Up on Recommendations’ Implementation Conference in Brussels, Armin Rabitsch, Chairperson of Election-Watch.EU, contributed as closing commentator to the opening high-level panel entitled “Securing Elections in a Weaponized Information Space: The EU’s Response to Authoritarian and Digital Threats.”
The panel brought together Members of the European Parliament, senior representatives [...]
accountability, citizen led election observation, data protection in elections, election security, EP elections 2024, equality, FURIC, inclusion in elections, transparency, transparency of political campaign
Social media monitoring of Austria’s general election campaign
Vienna, Berlin, 23 January 2025: Election-Watch.EU (as wahlbeobachtung.org) conducted a social media monitoring of the Austrian electoral campaign 2024 together with other researchers. In the study we examine toxicity, hate speech, and extremism on Austrian online and social media platforms, as well as on Telegram channels, ahead of the elections. This study displays findings in graphs to provide a better understanding and, in addition, includes a disinformation case study.
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accountability, citizen led election observation, data protection in elections, extremism, hate speech, inclusion in elections, social media monitoring of electoral campaigns, Telegram monitoring, toxicity, transparency, transparency of political campaign
European Union,General,International
How best to assess hybrid threats in elections?
Brussels, 11-12 December 2024: Elections globally are facing increasing challenges to their integrity, driven by disinformation, cyberattacks, foreign covert operations, and other hybrid threats. This necessitates a rethinking of approaches by both election organisers and election observers to better understand these risks and adapt processes accordingly. For citizen and international observers, this raises questions about whether current methodologies [...]
2024 EP elections, accountability, citizen led election observation, data protection in elections, election security, EP elections 2024, hybrid threats, inclusion in elections, transparency of political campaign