Michael McGrath: EU is ready to fight back against threats to our democracy

The new European Centre for Democratic Resilience is tackling attempts by authoritarian regimes to disrupt our freedom

Our democratic watchdogs — independent media, a vibrant civil society, and free and fair elections — must be resilient in the face of a flood of disinformation and rage bait designed to disrupt trust in our democracy. Picture: iStock

In 1999, I contested my first election. I was 22 years old, and I ran in the local town council election in Passage West and Monkstown, in Co Cork, Ireland.

When I was knocking on doors asking people in my local community for their support, I learned what democracy truly is. It lives in real engagement, in doorsteps, conversations, arguments, and compromises.