Zagreb - Today's societies face numerous threats targeting democracy, with the aim of deepening divisions and sowing distrust, Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said in Rome on Thursday, stressing that democratic resilience begins in everyday life.
Jandroković is attending the European Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of Council of Europe member states, held in Rome on 15 and 16 October, 50 years after the first such gathering took place in the Italian capital.
The conference, attended by parliamentary speakers from the Council of Europe's 46 member states and other countries, focuses on threats to democracy, the challenges posed by artificial intelligence, and what parliaments can do to restore the rules-based international order.
"Democracy is not an abstract concept; it takes decades to build. Today, all our societies face numerous threats targeting the foundations of our democracy - electoral processes, institutions and public trust. The aim of these attacks is to create divisions within our societies and sow distrust," Jandroković said.
He warned that democracies would suffer serious damage if people began to believe that elections were rigged, the media and politicians were lying, and parliaments no longer represented them. He said weaknesses had to be identified quickly to protect citizens and institutions, with society as a whole involved, including independent media, civil society, schools, universities and technology platforms.
"I believe democratic resilience begins in people's everyday lives, in towns, schools, universities and other institutions," he said, adding that democracy's strength should be measured not only by the threats prevented but also by public trust in institutions.
Around 70 parliamentary speakers and deputy speakers are attending the biennial conference, organised under the auspices of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Representatives of parliaments from several countries with partner, observer or neighbour status with the Council of Europe, as well as heads of several interparliamentary assemblies, are also taking part.