Welcome to the January edition of EED News.
EED entered 2026 with a full agenda. Global economic and geopolitical shifts, persistent democratic backsliding, and the effects of US funding cuts continue to impact EED's partners across the EU Neighbourhood and beyond. EED remains proactive in providing vital support to sustain operations of independent media and civil society in the region. At the same time, EED continues to adapt and innovate, supporting start-up initiatives and helping partners explore and adopt alternative funding models.
EED remains actively engaged in the EU-level discussions around the external dimension of the European Democracy Shield, drawing on the expertise of its partners across the region. These include media partners countering disinformation and promoting independent trustworthy information, local civil society organisations that are strengthening democratic institutions in their countries and building societal and democratic resilience through civic engagement, and actors working in repressive and authoritarian contexts. Their insights are a valuable recourse in informing efforts to protect and strengthen democratic space in and outside Europe.
On 29 January, EED held a closed event “Syria: A year on, beyond optimism or pessimism”, bringing together Syrian civic leaders, reform advocates, journalist and human rights defenders to reflect on the country’s current realities and prospects for democratic transition. Discussions highlighted the scale of the reconstruction challenges facing Syria and the growing efforts of pro-democracy movement in navigating this complex environment and contributing to a democratic trajectory based on the rule of law, social cohesion and inclusivity.
The following provides some updates on EED partners across some of the regions where we work.
On 28 December 2025, Kosovo held early parliamentary elections, ending a prolonged governmental stalemate and reopening the path for continued EU-related reforms. During the electoral period, EED partners contributed to transparent and informed public debate through disinformation monitoring, countering false or misleading narratives, and balanced election coverage, with particular attention to local communities.
Front Online launched a dedicated elections section, providing balanced national and local coverage while closely scrutinising and fact-checking key claims made by the ruling party. Hybrid monitored election-related disinformation and published regular fact-checks throughout the electoral period. Serbian-language media KiM Media, Radio Goraždevac, Media Centar Čaglavica, Alternativna, and Kossev provided impartial coverage of Kosovo Serb and other minority parties, as well as local individual candidates. Katrori assessed whether political programmes addressed local community priorities, with a particular focus on the concerns of Kosovo-based activists and key social issues. InFokusi produced a series of televised talk shows featuring experts from economics, education, and health to analyse party programs in depth, offering more substantive analysis beyond typical election-period commentary.
Ahead of the upcoming elections, civil society and independent media in Armenia are operating in an increasingly polarised environment, marked by declining public trust, low political engagement, particularly among youth, and mounting Russian disinformation.
The halt of US government funding has further strained the media landscape, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities. EED significantly stepped up its support in 2025, approving 23 initiatives with around EUR 2 million in funding. Following the US foreign aid funding cuts, EED became the main donor to independent media in Armenia. Support ahead of the elections is prioritising investigative journalism (Hetq and InfoCom), fact-checking initiatives to counter disinformation (Media Diversity Institute), and innovative media formats, including satire-based outlets such as MediaLab. EED has also provided instrumental relief to key outlets such as Civilnet.
EED has also supported civic participation initiatives in Armenia that are addressing declining electoral engagement, including voter education for first-time voters (For Equal Rights), research into political disengagement (Socioscope), and election monitoring at the local level (Progress of Gyumri).
In Ukraine, as the country approaches the fifth year of Russia's full-scale war, EED continues to support a wide range of partners across the country, including in the temporarily-occupied areas, who make up the country's democratic infrastructure. These include independent media, watchdog organisations, human rights defenders, youth initiatives, community platforms and civic networks. These actors are sustaining democratic practice at at time when formal democratic processes are constrained, informing, scrutinising, mobilising, and keeping open the space for pluralism and participation. Partners such as the youth-oriented platform Cukr in Sumy; the investigative outlet 1800 in Cherkasy; Bihus.Info, one of Ukraine's leading investigative platforms; the inclusive community hub Some People in Kharkiv; as well as key anti-corruption and reform-oriented organisations such as AntAC and CEDEM.
In Palestine, the operating environment remains extremely difficult amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, causing civilian casualties, including journalists and children, and exacerbating food insecurity and deaths linked to severe winter conditions. At the same time, escalating violence and restrictions in the West Bank continue to further constrain civic space. EED continues to support independent media delivering reliable reporting, alongside civil society actors documenting human rights violations and promoting accountability.
Over recent weeks, Jordan's government has increased efforts to further narrowing civic and digital space for civil society. The Citizen Lab research has documented the use of Cellebrite forensic tools by the Jordanian authorities to access the phones of activists and civil society actors. Despite growing constraints, EED partners in independent media and civil society continue their work to safeguard democratic space.
The First Person Stories of January are:
