International Day of Democracy: Empowering citizens through
participation and transparency
Each year on 15 September, the world marks the International Day of
Democracy [https://www.un.org/en/observances/democracy-day], a United
Nations observance that highlights the importance of freedom,
participation, human rights, and accountable governance. Established
by the United Nations General Assembly
[https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=b1ee84fde32bc9c683f608178ff1e6a40ed63e36016cdb4bd6dce73890d37c98JmltdHM9MTc4ODM5MzYwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=104a5717-23b3-6a2c-3933-428a225e6b5b&psq=united+nations+general+assembly&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudW4ub3JnL2VuL2dhLw]
in 2007, the day provides an opportunity to reflect on the state of
democracy worldwide and to encourage citizens to engage in shaping
their societies.  

Democracy relies on access to information, open dialogue, and trust
between citizens and public institutions. Across the European Union,
initiatives promoting transparency and civic participation help
strengthen democratic governance. Institutions such as the European
Parliament [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/portal/en] and the European
Commission [https://commission.europa.eu/index_en] support public
access to data and information and encourage citizen involvement in
policy discussions, helping people better understand how decisions are
made and how they can contribute to them.  

By making public sector information freely available, governments
enable citizens, researchers, and journalists to monitor public
spending, analyse policies more closely, and participate more
effectively in public life. Through the European Data Portal, users
can access datasets published by European institutions, agencies, and
national authorities. These datasets help improve transparency, foster
innovation and support evidence-based decision-making, all of which
contribute to stronger democratic systems. 

To mark the International Day of Democracy, explore the wealth of
information available on the European Data Portal
[https://data.europa.eu/en] and discover how open data can help create
more transparent and accountable institutions. 

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[https://data.europa.eu/dashboard/en/community/collaboration-channel]. 

Publication Date/Time
2026-09-15T08:00:00+00:00
How open data supports democratic engagement and informed
decision-making across Europe