In the intro episode for EMBRACE Democracy: Reflections from the European Neighbourhood, host Johanna Hülzer sat down with Professors Sonja Grimm and Karina Shyrokykh, members of the EMBRACE Consortium and engaged researchers, educators, and advocates for democracy to explain the research project behind this deceptively simple question.

They reflect on the three-year journey across diverse countries and political landscapes, findings from the project's multidisciplinary research, how European Union democracy support can meet the real world in all its messiness and contradictions, and their advice for listeners interested in a similar career path.

This discussion takes you on a deep dive into the motivations behind the project, explores the world of democracy promotion, explains how it is under pressure not only from the outside, but from within the EU, and how voices on the ground can be uplifted at a time when backsliding democracies and rising authoritarianism are shrinking the space for opposition to act.

EMBRACE is a research project that investigates how the EU helps to overcome blockages to democracy in the European Neighbourhood. The project is funded by the Horizon Europe Scheme.

If this or any other episode in the series resonates with you, please share it, subscribe, and leave us a review. You can find more information on the project and additional resources and our publications on our website: www.embrace-democracy.eu. If you would like to get in touch, you can reach us at embrace@berghof-foundation.org.

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