On 23–24 September, the third General Assembly and Final Conference of the Horizon Europe project EMBRACE  took place in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium, with the participation of representatives from Ilia State University.

The representatives of all consortium institutions, the sister project SHAPEDEM EU, and the European Commission attended the event. From Ilia State University, project researchers Prof. Giorgi Gvalia and Prof. David Aprasidze presented their final research findings and policy recommendations for the European Union regarding democratization policies in the South Caucasus region. In addition, Prof. David Aprasidze took part in a joint panel discussion of EMBRACE and its sister project SHAPEDEM EU entitled “Engaging with Neighbourhood Civil Society, Social Movements & Popular Uprisings.”  The assembly also addressed strategies for sustaining project results and fostering future partnerships.

Notably, the Horizon Europe project “Embracing Change: Overcoming Barriers and Advancing Democracy in the European Neighbourhood” (EMBRACE) aimed at analysing blockages to democratisation, identified ways to overcome them, and suggested new policy tools to improve the European Union’s democracy promotion (EUDP) in the European neighbourhood. The project started in October 2022 and ran for three years.

Publications, maps, podcast series, and other interactive materials produced within the project are available at: https://embrace-democracy.eu/

2025