Today, Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the members of the Committee unanimously re-elected Mr George A. Papandreou as Rapporteur-General for Democracy.
“At the beginning of 2024, I was appointed by the Committee as General Rapporteur on Democracy, tasked with ensuring visibility and coherence in the Assembly’s efforts to strengthen democracy. My role involved identifying and addressing emerging trends, tools, and challenges in democratic governance, maintaining active engagement with relevant Council of Europe (CoE) bodies, and contributing to the implementation of the Reykjavik Principles for Democracy.
Over the past year, I have actively pursued this mandate, engaging in key initiatives, high-level forums, and policy discussions to advance democracy across Europe and beyond. Additionally, I have built a network of contacts with foundations, research centres, universities, and NGOs working on democracy, many of whom are eager to collaborate with the CoE.
We exchanged ideas, collaborated with many of these entities through meetings, and maintained a strong framework of communication and information-sharing on these critical issues. This effort reinforced our commitment to fostering dialogue and innovation in the field of participatory democracy while building lasting connections with key stakeholders.
Indicatively, including the following organisations:
EC-Eu External Action:Democracy and human Rights Instruments
UNESCO
OECD
ODHIR/ OSCE
INTERNATIONAL IDEA
UN Democracy Fund
Alliance for Securing Democracy – German Marshall Fund
Association of Schools of Political Studies of the CoE
Ban Kin Moon Foundation
Club de Madrid
Democracy and Culture Foundation
Democracy International
Democracy Next
European Youth Democracy Network
Make.org
European Capital of Democracy Non-Profit Organization
European Endowment for Democracy
European Partnership for Democracy
Freedom House
Transparency International
V-DEM Institute
European Capital of Democracy Non Profit-Organization
Thomson Foundation
People Powered
International Observatory on Participatory Democracy
Deliberative Democracy Lab – Stanford University
University of Warwick
Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance – University of Canberra
Global Academy for Future Civilizations, Kyung Hee University, Seoul
New York University
University of Warwick
University of Gothenburg
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
European University Institute
University of California
Harvard Kennedy School of government
Competence Centre on Participatory and Deliberative Democracy
Delibdem.org
Peoplepowered.org
EU-Citizen engagement
Federation for Innovation Democracy Europe
Oxfam international
Key Actions & Contributions in 2024
- Strengthening Democracy through CoE engagement
•I reported to the Committee on my participation in the Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM) meeting (23 April) and the Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) meeting (13 May).
•Advocated for the development of Parameters for assessing democratic backsliding, which could contribute to an early warning mechanism.
•Committed to maintaining a regular exchange with both GR-DEM and CDDEM to reinforce democracy standards across member states.
- Participated in the 2nd CDDEM meeting (29-30 October), where I proposed strengthening the role of political parties in democracy by incorporating Venice Commission guidelines.
•Addressed AI’s impact on democracy, emphasizing safeguards against AI misuse that could undermine free expression and democratic institutions.
•Recommended the inclusion of compliance with international law as a Parameter, linking democracy to peace and human security.
- Advancing Participatory & Deliberative Democracy
•June 2024: My report on “Strengthening Democracy through Participatory and Deliberative Processes” was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly.
•Encouraged the institutionalization of citizens’ panels at all governance levels.
•Emphasized the role of digital platforms in fostering innovative democratic participation.
•Highlighted the need for civic education reform to teach young people democratic engagement skills.
•Represented the CoE at the OECD Global Forum on Building Trust & Reinforcing Democracy (Milan, 21-22 October).
•Advocated for embedding participatory democracy as a core feature of representative systems.
•Discussed the legal framework for permanent citizens’ assemblies in the EU.
•Presented findings on civic education and digital democracy from my report.
- Addressing Electoral Integrity & Democratic Security
- Participated in the World Forum of Democracy (WFD) 2024 conference on “Elections Under Pressure”.
•Discussed strategies to combat election manipulation, disinformation, and foreign interference.
•Examined voter disengagement and declining trust in electoral processes.
•Engaged in key CoE reports on elections in times of crisis, AI’s impact on democracy, and political party modernization.
- Tackling Private Influence & AI Challenges to Democracy
- Participated in the “Private Powers & the Rule of Law” Conference (Venice Commission & CEPC, Madrid, 28-29 November).
•Explored the impact of corporate influence on policymaking and democratic accountability.
•Examined AI-driven decision-making, lobbying transparency, and risks of oligarchy.
•AI & Democracy: Advocated for democratic oversight of AI and ethical governance frameworks to prevent AI-based disruptions to democratic institutions.

Looking Ahead – 2025 Priorities
As we move forward, my focus will remain on:
1.Strengthening deliberative and participatory mechanisms in governance.
2.Enhancing democratic resilience against foreign interference and digital threats.
3.Developing civic education reforms to train future generations in democratic engagement.
4.Expanding AI governance frameworks to ensure technology serves democratic principles.
Following my mandate renewal, I also plan to participate in the coming weeks in the following activities
- Participate digitally in the conference on ‘Citizen participation in the face of the climate crisis: building a Permanent Citizen Climate Parliament’, which will be held on 29 January 2025 in Madrid, at the Spanish Congress of Deputies.
- Participate in the AI Action Summit Welcoming event (Paris, 10 February 2025) co-organized by Make.org and ENS, bringing together 1,000 participants to discuss AI’s impact on democracy.
- Visit with the President of the Assembly, Mr. Roussopoulos to the US in March 12, 13, which include meetings to the Congress, The State Department and the Organization of American States.
Throughout 2024, I have actively championed democracy, fostering dialogue, shaping policy, and advocating for meaningful reforms. I have also developed a strong network of collaborators from academic, research, and civil society sectors who are eager to support the CoE’s democratic mission.
I look forward to continuing this crucial work in 2025 with the Committee’s renewed trust and support and both invite and welcome ideas and proposals from our members.”