Text tabled : A7-0061/2012

  Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris (PPE), in writing. – (IT) The events of the Arab Spring and the Eastern Neighbourhood have demonstrated the need for an urgent strategic engagement of the EU with authoritarian countries and those striving for democratic reforms. Therefore, establishment of the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) could be one of the most tangible responses by the European Union to the challenges of democratisation in many countries. Political parties, eminent political personalities, social movements and representatives of civil society, the cultural sector and the media – including journalists and bloggers – continue to play a central role in each democracy, but too often owing to a lack of resources, support for these actors has been limited. With this vote, the EED will be able to guarantee policies and strategies coordinated and economically supported by the EU in favour of democracy.