During its last plenary session, the European Committee of the Regions welcomed Commissioner Michael McGrath for a debate on the EU Democracy Shield, which is the Commission's proposal for a new framework to strengthen democratic resilience across the Union by countering disinformation, protecting electoral processes, and supporting civic participation.

Speaking on behalf of the EA Group, Caroline Dwane argued that the EU must confront an uncomfortable reality, and that is that it has lost its narrative that once united its citizens. Dwane: "Our story of peace, solidarity and democracy no longer resonates as strongly with our citizens as it once did, as the world undergoes rapid geopolitical and technological change." She stressed how hostile actors, disinformation and polarisation threaten the very foundations of democratic life.  According to Dwane, the EU stands at a crossroads: "The EU can retreat into institutional comfort or redefine itself and once again become a democratic beacon of hope."

For the EA Group it is crystal-clear: the EU must choose the second path, and that requires placing local and regional authorities at its centre. Dwane underlined that democracy is lived "in our cities, our regions and our villages". Rebuilding trust must therefore begin where citizens feel the EU's presence and impact: in the concrete solutions delivered by local leaders every day.

"Local and regional politicians are the storytellers and first line of defence against disinformation and anti-democratic forces", concluded Dwane. The EU must therefore stop treating them as mere administrators and recognise them as co-authors of the European project. Only then can engagement be rebuilt where apathy has taken root.

Closing her intervention, Dwane issued a stark warning on the corrosive effects of online disinformation, asking whether historic achievements such as the Good Friday Agreement could have succeeded if today's toxic digital environment had existed at the time.