Protecting Democracy in Europe

The future of Europe as a community of democratic states is deeply uncertain. The European Union aims for peaceful, prosperous cooperation, but this ideal has been battered by a series of bruising crises, and now by war. In this lecture, Tom Theuns will talk about his book Protecting Democracy in Europe, in which he examines how the EU can safeguard democratic governance in member states. He argues that the EU must correct policies that enable backsliding and contain autocratic influence, and where these efforts fall short, expel autocratic members.

Tom Theuns, PhD, Associate Professor of Political Theory & European Politics, Leiden University and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Institute of Political Science