Welcome to the home page of the European Democracy Caucus.

The European Democracy Caucus was set up in 2005 as an informal, all-party group of Members of the European Parliament, committed to the promotion of democracy worldwide, but primarily in the EU's "Neighbourhood". 

The Neighbourhood is a formal definition of the arc of countries from Russia to Morocco which are now identified as a strategic priority for the EU after its enlargement in May 2004 to the eight ex-Soviet bloc countries, Cyprus and Malta.

The MEPs have chosen, as a definition of democracy, the first of the Copenhagen Criteria - themselves modelled on the experience of the European Democracy Initiative set up by Edward McMillan-Scott in 1992 -  embraced for enlargement by EU leaders in 1993:

stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities