As we reflect on 2024, the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) has driven impactful policy changes and has convened critical public discussions at the national, regional and international levels.
From building civic alliances to protect and rebuild Ukraine and to expose sanctions hypocrisy and economic security gaps, to shaping the European Union’s policy evaluations on security and governance as well as combating hybrid threats, illicit financial flows and strategic corruption, CSD has been at the forefront of addressing today’s most serious global challenges. Our State of Capture report, revealing the failures of the EU and Bulgaria’s capacity to deliver governance leadership, garnered significant attention and political momentum as a cross-cutting effort to counter systemic corruption and build democratic resilience.
CSD proposed an impactful policy agenda to strengthen media resilience in Europe by combining public funding with targeted private investments. This approach leverages the European Commission's experience with blended finance tools, while addressing legislative and regulatory gaps to enhance media freedom. Engaging Big Tech through mechanisms like a bargaining code or taxation could add to these efforts.
In 2024, CSD intensified efforts to address loopholes in the global sanctions regime targeting Russia’s energy revenues. It revealed vulnerabilities such as the refining loophole that allowed significant amounts of Russian crude to be processed in Turkey and India and re-exported to the EU and G7 markets. CSD's findings, highlighted in exclusive articles by Politico and Newsweek, sparked high-level discussions and action in Washington, and Brussels, emphasising the urgent need to finally phase out Russian gas and oil imports in Europe.
CSD expanded the coverage of its flagship Kremlin Playbook report by examining Russia’s influence strategies in Latin America, assessing vulnerabilities in Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, and Panama, and providing actionable measures to counter state capture, strategic corruption, and economic coercion.
In Europe, CSD exposed the ongoing threat of informal Russian–German networks that the Kremlin exploits for political influence in Europe’s largest economy. Dismantling these networks and better enforcing sanctions would strengthen democratic institutions and safeguard the EU's strategic autonomy. Additionally, CSD continued to advance positive economic statecraft by enhancing the capacity for investment screening and promoting the green transition, energy and climate security, and low-carbon technologies
In 2025, CSD will continue to leverage its talent and convening power to effectively integrate Ukraine, its Black Sea neighbors, and the Western Balkans under the EU’s democratic shield, while strengthening European governance and resilience.
Read the full CSD Annual Report 2024.
