A total of 11 Deputy Chief Observers and 5 Project Managers from the Service Providers, who have recently participated in European Union Election Observation Missions (EU EOMs), gathered in Brussels on 27 – 28 November for a workshop.
The two-day seminar, organised once a year by the Service for the Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and the European External Action Service (EEAS) in cooperation with EODS, intended to offer an opportunity to participants to discuss operational and methodological aspects that have been introduced recently in EU EOMs. Officials from the European Parliament, Election Observation and Follow-up Unit, also joined the event to discuss ways of cooperation over the next year.
The increased challenges faced by EU EOMs, namely countering disinformation campaigns and other attempts to discredit the role and impact of the EOMs, was also discussed. Additionally, participants reflected on how EU EOMs can address the changing context of democratic backsliding.
