22/09/2026
As children, we are taught some of the basic principles of living together: to listen to others, respect different opinions, take turns, play fair and speak up when something feels wrong. We learn these values because they help us live together as a community. But somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we can lose sight of them. So, when did values such as equality, participation, freedom, respect and accountability stop being principles we expect from ourselves, our leaders and our institutions? When did we forget?
Democracy is built on these same principles. A new initiative from the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is asking precisely that question: When Did We Forget? is a call to reflect on the democratic principles societies are built around, and what happens when they are weakened, ignored or taken for granted. Around the world, democracy is increasingly being challenged. By the end of 2025, 74% of the world’s population (around 6 billion people) lived under autocratic rule, with autocracies outnumbering democracies worldwide. The figures point to a broader global shift in which democratic principles are increasingly being challenged. But the EPD initiative is not directed at a particular country, institution or political actor. Instead, it asks a more fundamental question: when did we stop expecting democratic values from ourselves, our leaders and our institutions?
Let’s ask first: What does democracy require?
The EPD network identifies ten principles that it argues need to be actively defended:
- Freedom of expression, including the right to speak, question and disagree without fear.
- Independent and pluralistic media, allowing people to access reliable information and scrutinise those in power.
- The rule of law, with laws applying equally and institutions able to operate independently from political interference.
- Free and fair elections, ensuring citizens can choose their representatives and have their votes respected.
- Political participation, including meaningful opportunities for young people and groups that are often excluded from public life.
- Equality and inclusion, recognising that democracy cannot function when communities or voices are systematically left behind.
- Accountability and transparency, ensuring those exercising public power remain answerable to the people they represent.
- Human rights and fundamental freedoms, which provide the foundations for democratic societies.
- Dialogue and peaceful disagreement, allowing differences to be debated, negotiated and resolved without violence or repression.
- A free and enabling space for civil society, so people can organise, associate and act collectively without fear of restriction or reprisal.
Taken together, these principles point to democracy as more than a system of elections. It also depends on the conditions that allow people to participate, access information, challenge decisions and organise collectively.
Democracy will not defend itself
The initiative’s central message is straightforward: democratic institutions and freedoms require continued attention and action. As Anu Juvonen, President of the European Partnership for Democracy, writes in the accompanying statement, “Democracy demands participation, courage, and constant vigilance.”
The ”When Did We Forget?” initiative therefore presents its message not as an instruction about what people should think, but as an invitation to reflect on what democratic societies should continue to expect from themselves and those who govern them. Because democratic principles are not self-sustaining. They depend on participation, accountability and the ability of citizens and civil society to exercise their rights. The question, then, is not only “when did we forget?” It is also: ”what would it take to remember, and act?”