On 17 September 2025, within the framework of the Horizon Europe project EMBRACE (Embracing Change: Overcoming Obstacles and Advancing Democracy in the European Neighbourhood), a public webinar was held on the topic “EU Democratization Policy in a Turbulent Period.”

The aim of the event was to provide a comparative analysis of the EU’s democratization policy tools in its Southern and Eastern neighbourhoods, specifically in North Africa, the Balkans, and the South Caucasus. The participating researchers reviewed the mechanisms of EU engagement in their case study countries during different periods and retrospectively assessed the effectiveness of these mechanisms.

From Ilia State University, Professor David Aprasidze of the School of Arts and Sciences took part in the event and presented the findings of his research on the South Caucasus region to the audience.

The Horizon Europe project “Embracing Change: Overcoming Obstacles and Advancing Democracy in the European Neighbourhood” (EMBRACE) aims to study and analyse the factors hindering democratization in the European neighbourhood, identify ways to overcome them, and propose new policy instruments to improve the EU’s policy for supporting democracy (EUDP) in its neighbourhood. The project began in October 2022 and will conclude in September 2025.