With democracy being under pressure from disinformation, polarisation of society and a growing distrust in institutions, we must respond to this loss of trust – before those who do not speak for our values will. This was the message from Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori who addressed the Innovation in Politics Awards Conference in Vienna on 17 September 2025.

“Our work at the Council of Europe is to make sure that democratic backsliding does not lead to the defeat of democracy. Standards and tools to protect democracy, developed by the Council of Europe over the last 75 years, will not be sufficient unless they are applied and adapted to the changing reality, or unless new tools are created. This is why democratic innovation is so important,” underlined Secretary General Mori introducing the Democracy Innovation Award. He referred in this regard to the current work on a New Democratic Pact for Europe, initiated by Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset, stressing that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities invested a lot of effort in democratic innovation at local level – because “it is at the grassroots where issues are best identified, and solutions found”.

“I am convinced that with your ideas and determination, the future of democracy is in good hands,” concluded Secretary General Mori, praising the innovative projects presented at the Conference.