What does democracy mean to you? Freedom or the rule of law? The resilience of civil society or elections?  

In late November, experts from the Reanimation Package of Reforms (RPR) Coalition, along with government and media representatives, gathered in Berlin to delve into these questions. During the public discussion “Democracy During War: Resilience and the Future of Ukraine’s Democratic Institutions”, participants analyzed what ensures stability and the development of democracies under extreme crisis conditions. The discussion was moderated by Oleksandr Yakymenko, Program Coordinator for Ukraine and Moldova at Democracy Reporting International.  

Robin Wagener, a Bundestag member and head of the German-Ukrainian parliamentary friendship group, emphasized that the key to democracy is not taking it for granted: “You really need stable institutions committed to democracy, the rule of law, and freedom, while on the other hand, a vibrant and diverse civil society is equally vital. Both of these elements are incredibly important. Germany is, unfortunately, a poor example of what happens when people neglect democracy. For many in my country, it’s simply business as usual. It’s even boring: endless disputes, unappealing politicians—always the same. But in the end, they forget that democracy is about people. So, we all have a duty to do everything we can to improve democracy, respect it, and work on it. And I think this is a bitter yet proud reality for Ukrainians today.”

Anastasia Stesenko, Editor-in-Chief of “Slidstvo.Info”, also shared her observations on active democracy in Ukraine: “I’m certainly not as optimistic about everything, but I do see how many civil society organizations and journalists strive to continue their work despite all the circumstances. Still, I have many questions for the European Union regarding whether democracy, as a concept, is fast enough.”

Another panelist, Ukrainian MP and Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech, Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, spoke about the “triangle” of a democratic society:  “When we talk about institutions, we must not forget about the so-called golden triangle of partnership—government, civil society, and business. Because we understand that the best reforms adopted in Ukraine were created within this triangle. Thus, for a stable democracy, we need cooperation within this triangle, as well as communication and unity.”

Rebecca Harms, President of the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, also emphasized the importance of collaboration: “In both parliaments—Ukrainian and European—we’ve debated certain issues, held hearings, and more. This goes beyond civil society. What’s important is that Ukrainian society, which is broader than just civil society, has, at key moments, recognized that civil society activists were fighting for the right causes and proposing the right ideas. This connection—between civil society and the government—must be continually strengthened.” 

“I think that now, during the war, and especially with the challenges of integrating into the EU, civil society needs not just activism but also a responsible approach to building our institutions. Institutions must be robust enough to face the challenges of war and implement reforms,” summarized Olga Lymar, Executive Director of the RPR Coalition. She added: “This is why we have very specific tools for this. First of all, the already-mentioned EU integration process. We must also remember the public administration reform, which is the foundation for all other reforms. Without this, we will not have capable institutions for European integration.”

You can watch the full discussion in English here.

The event is part of the Ukraine-DARE project, implemented by Democracy Reporting International (DRI) with support from the German Foreign Ministry.