On 10 June 2026, concluding its 5th plenary meeting, the Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) organised a hybrid public hearing to present the Reykjavík Parameters for democracy and gather views on their future application.
Around 95 participants (70 online) from international organisations, civil society and academia took part in the hearing on the Parameters – a comprehensive list of democratic requirements rooted in Council of Europe instruments recently adopted by the CDDEM.
The Reykjavík Parameters are an integral part of the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
Designed as indicators of well-functioning democracies, the Parameters are a comprehensive toolbox intended not only for diagnosis but also as a roadmap for reforms, and they can support prioritising certain areas or sequencing policy responses. The five pillars of the Parameters should be understood as an interconnected system, with each contributing to the overall health and resilience of democratic institutions and processes. In this sense, the Parameters can support more evidence-based democratic governance and policymaking.
Participants welcomed the development of this comprehensive reference framework for democracy and stressed that democracy is not only about abstract values but also functions as a practical governance infrastructure linked to security, stability and growth.
The future application of the Parameters will be voluntary and will not constitute a Council of Europe monitoring mechanism. Rather, self-assessments based on the Parameters are intended to help participating states better understand the strengths and challenges of their democratic systems. Such exercises may also facilitate exchanges of experience and good practices among countries, as many democratic challenges are shared and often transcend national borders.
The importance of engaging civil society, academia and others in the process of self-assessment was also highlighted in the event. They can serve to bring the perspective of citizens, enrich the process with the latest research data and overall bring legitimacy and accountability to the exercise of self-assessment.
The CDDEM will incorporate the feedback of the public hearing in its ongoing work on a methodological framework for the application of the Parameters. This framework will provide practical guidance on how the Parameters can be applied in different national contexts. This work is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
