Foundations
Here's a look at documents from U.S. foundations
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Political Remembering and Cultural Forgetting
DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 25 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary:
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Political Remembering and Cultural Forgetting
National holidays have edged out local celebrations.
By Katrina Gulliver
It's November 25. If you'd been living in New York more than a century ago, you might have known this day as a holiday. Commemorating the end of the War of Independence, it marked the day British forces evacuated New York City, following the formal cessation of the conflict with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. After the British troops left, George Washington led the triumphant
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DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 25 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary:
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Political Remembering and Cultural Forgetting
National holidays have edged out local celebrations.
By Katrina Gulliver
It's November 25. If you'd been living in New York more than a century ago, you might have known this day as a holiday. Commemorating the end of the War of Independence, it marked the day British forces evacuated New York City, following the formal cessation of the conflict with the Treaty of Paris in 1783. After the British troops left, George Washington led the triumphantContinental Army through the city from north to south. Evacuation Day, as it came to be known, was celebrated annually with fancy dinners and events through the 19th century. There were fireworks, parades, and children had a holiday from school.
The New York Public Library holds a menu from a banquet held at Delmonico's in 1883, for the centennial of the evacuation. Diners celebrated with courses of fish, beef and turkey, pheasant, and multiple desserts.
As we look towards America's 250th next year, it's worth reflecting on the ways in which the events of 1776 and the Revolutionary War were remembered over the decades to follow. Note, for instance, that the Fourth of July did not become a federal holiday until 1870long after the passing of anyone who remembered the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
But in that interval, plenty of local commemorations had sprung up, and many places in the country had their own holidays and celebrations to mark events in the war. Remembrance was local and specific, marking a direct community connection to the war, until mass communication made the commemoration events more national and shared.
Massachusetts, unsurprisingly, was quick to mark the significance of revolutionary events. Patriots' Day, April 19, marks the first battles of the war, at Lexington and Concord in 1775. This day is, perhaps more surprisingly, celebrated in 7 other states, including North Dakota and Utah (who signed on to recognize it just this year).
Massachusetts also got the jump on recognizing the Fourth of July, declaring it a day of public rejoicing in 1781. The Bay State even has its own Evacuation Day, observed in Suffolk and Somerville Counties, marking the departure of British forces after the Siege of Boston. Perhaps unfortunately, it takes place on March 17more familiar to most Bostonians as St. Patrick's Day.
Not wanting to be left out, Vermonters celebrate Bennington Battle Day on August 16, commemorating the American victory at the Battle of Bennington. Which took place in New York.
South Carolinians celebrate Carolina Day, which marks the victory of American forces in the Battle of Sullivan's Island, on June 28, 1776, where defending troops successfully held off a British naval attack.
In all these places we see people were keen to remember, and celebrate, events local to themwhere at least in the early years, living witnesses were part of the festivities. Boosts to such celebrations came in 1824-25 with the tour of the Marquis de Lafayette.
Having served with the patriots during the war, he returned 50 years later to much fanfare. The last surviving Major General of the war, he was a living link to the past, and local committees were falling over themselves to host him and celebrate. He visited every state, making his way by carriage and steamboat, greeted by cheering crowdsand many elderly veterans. This tour created its own culture of commemoration, as towns marked "Lafayette Day" in the years to come, remembering his visit.
The Sesquicentennial in 1926 brought another burst of remembering, with reenactments, plaquesand a craze for colonial revival architecture. But local festivities were already dropping off calendars.
As for Evacuation Day in New York, its decline in significance was noted by the start of the 20th century, and it would disappear from city schedules soon after. According to Megan Margino of the New York Public Library : "The United States' alliance with Britain in World War I seemed to provide the final push in ceasing celebrations altogether, and the last official Evacuation Day was seen in 1916commemorated by 60 veterans and a ceremonial flag raising at the Battery."
Now, people across the country will celebrate the Fourth of July, but not a local holiday that relates specifically to what may have happened right near to them. The War of Independence has become a national narrative, and an inclusive one. Generations of immigrants grew to see themselves in the War of Independence. To celebrate it is to be American, but not a New Yorker or a Bostonian. The collective remembering has come at a trade-off of local forgetting.
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Katrina Gulliver
Katrina Gulliver is Editorial Director at FEE. She holds a PhD from Cambridge University, and has held faculty positions at universities in Germany, Britain and Australia. She has written for Wall St Journal, Reason, The American Conservative, National Review and the New Criterion, among others.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/political-remembering-and-cultural-forgetting/
Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, Announces 2025 Holiday Joy Drive with $20,000 Matching Gift Challenge
JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Nov. 25 -- Nemours Foundation posted the following news release:
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Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, Announces 2025 Holiday Joy Drive with $20,000 Matching Gift Challenge
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WILMINGTON, Del. (November 25, 2025) - Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, is thrilled to announce its second annual Holiday Joy Drive. This event invites the community to spread cheer and support young patients by bringing toy and monetary donations to the hospital. This year, the Drive will feature an exciting Holiday Matching Campaign, offering a unique opportunity for donations to make
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JACKSONVILLE, Florida, Nov. 25 -- Nemours Foundation posted the following news release:
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Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, Announces 2025 Holiday Joy Drive with $20,000 Matching Gift Challenge
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WILMINGTON, Del. (November 25, 2025) - Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware, is thrilled to announce its second annual Holiday Joy Drive. This event invites the community to spread cheer and support young patients by bringing toy and monetary donations to the hospital. This year, the Drive will feature an exciting Holiday Matching Campaign, offering a unique opportunity for donations to makedouble the impact. This beloved event aims to bring joy, comfort, and healing to children through the vital Child Life programs that support patients throughout the year.
The 2025 Nemours Children's Holiday Joy Drive will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware. During this time, community members who wish to brighten the holidays for patients staying in the hospital can drop off donations. While visiting on the 6 th, attendees can cozy up at the hot chocolate station, get creative at the cookie decorating table, snap a festive photo with Santa Claus, and enjoy live holiday music.
An anonymous generous donor has pledged to match every dollar donated during this event up to $20,000. This matching campaign ensures that community support goes twice as far in providing essential resources and experiences for children in need.
"The Holiday Joy Drive is a cornerstone of our efforts to bring smiles and comfort to our patients and families, especially during the holidays," said Hilary Bruno, Director, Child Life. "With our $20,000 matching gift challenge this year, the community has a chance to amplify their generosity and make an even greater difference in the lives of these children."
Monetary donations will directly support Child Life programs, providing therapeutic play, educational activities, and emotional support that are crucial for a child's healing journey. To make a gift and double your impact, please go to https://secure.qgiv.com/event/2025childlifeholidayjoydrivede/donate/.
About Nemours Children's Health
Nemours Children's Health is one of the nation's largest multistate pediatric health systems, which includes two freestanding children's hospitals and a network of more than 70 primary and specialty care practices. Nemours Children's seeks to transform the health of children by adopting a holistic health model that utilizes innovative, safe, and high-quality care, while also addressing children's needs well beyond medicine. In producing the highly acclaimed, award-winning pediatric medicine podcast Well Beyond Medicine, Nemours underscores that commitment by featuring the people, programs and partnerships addressing whole child health. Nemours Children's also powers the world's most-visited website with health information written for parents, kids and teens, Nemours KidsHealth.org.
The Nemours Foundation, established through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. duPont, provides pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to the children, families and communities it serves. For more information, visit Nemours.org.
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Original text here: https://nemours.mediaroom.com/JoyDriveDV2025
Health Foundation Responds to Expansion of Soft Drinks Industry Levy
LONDON, England, Nov. 25 -- The Health Foundation posted the following news release:
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Health Foundation responds to expansion of Soft Drinks Industry Levy
Responding to the Secretary of State's announcement that a new 'milkshake tax' will be introduced in the upcoming budget, Jason Strelitz, Assistant Director (Prevention) at the Health Foundation, said:
'We welcome the government's plans to extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include milk-based and milk-substitute drinks. It is a vital shake-up, as these products are often marketed to children as healthy alternatives, yet are contributing
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LONDON, England, Nov. 25 -- The Health Foundation posted the following news release:
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Health Foundation responds to expansion of Soft Drinks Industry Levy
Responding to the Secretary of State's announcement that a new 'milkshake tax' will be introduced in the upcoming budget, Jason Strelitz, Assistant Director (Prevention) at the Health Foundation, said:
'We welcome the government's plans to extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to include milk-based and milk-substitute drinks. It is a vital shake-up, as these products are often marketed to children as healthy alternatives, yet are contributingto increasing obesity levels.
'Alongside the tax raising benefits, the bigger benefit of these measures is as an incentive for industry to reformulate. However, it is only a small step forward. To make a meaningful impact, we need a far more ambitious strategy, one that improves the overall quality of food, lowers the cost of a healthy diet and acknowledges the wider societal costs of unhealthy eating.
'The public supports tougher action. Our polling shows that 62% of the public support (and 18% oppose) introducing a tax on organisations that produce foods high in sugar or salt, with some of the revenue being used to fund fresh fruit and vegetables for low-income families.
'The food industry has an enormous capacity to drive positive change. But the government must set clear incentives and stronger expectations, pushing companies to act faster and go further. Now is the time for bold government action and to build on this momentum.'
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Original text here: https://www.health.org.uk/press-office/press-releases/health-foundation-responds-to-expansion-of-soft-drinks-industry-levy
Coastal Community Foundation at San Diego Foundation Awards $78,000 to Local Nonprofits Supporting Community Wellbeing, Including Programs for Women and Girls
SAN DIEGO, California, Nov. 25 -- The San Diego Foundation posted the following news release:
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Coastal Community Foundation at San Diego Foundation Awards $78,000 to Local Nonprofits Supporting Community Wellbeing, Including Programs for Women and Girls
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November 24, 2025 - Encinitas, CA - Hand to Hand, a women's collective giving circle affiliated with Coastal Community Foundation at San Diego Foundation (SDF), has awarded $78,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations that provide people, including women and girls, with resources and programs that foster positive change and long-term
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SAN DIEGO, California, Nov. 25 -- The San Diego Foundation posted the following news release:
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Coastal Community Foundation at San Diego Foundation Awards $78,000 to Local Nonprofits Supporting Community Wellbeing, Including Programs for Women and Girls
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November 24, 2025 - Encinitas, CA - Hand to Hand, a women's collective giving circle affiliated with Coastal Community Foundation at San Diego Foundation (SDF), has awarded $78,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations that provide people, including women and girls, with resources and programs that foster positive change and long-termself-sufficiency.
"We are continually inspired by the courage and determination of the people served by these organizations," said Joyce Mehrberg, Chair of Hand to Hand. "Through healing, mentorship, encouragement and opportunity, these nonprofits help them gain confidence and build their lives with strength and hope."
This year's Hand to Hand grantees include:
* Bithiah's San Diego, Mentorship and Wellness Project: $15,000 to support young people, including women and girls in foster care, through one-on-one mentoring, clinician-led groups, wellness workshops and essential items. In partnership with Azusa Pacific University, participants also receive individual therapy with licensed clinicians.
* Doors of Change, Homeless Youth Advocacy Program: $5,000 to provide intensive case management for unhoused youth, connecting them with safe housing, mental health support, job opportunities and basic needs. Available 24/7, case managers offer consistent guidance and emotional support, often serving as the first point of contact for recently unhoused youth.
* Future Construction Leaders Teen Girls Camp: $15,000 to empower Future Construction Leaders Teen Girls Camp: $15,000 to empower students, including young women ages 14-18, to learn skilled trades through a free, hands-on week of training, mentorship and career exploration. Led by experts and supported by local partners, the camp builds confidence, leadership skills and pathways for more people to join the trades.
* Operation Hope, North County Steps to Independence Program : $10,000 to provide safe, sober shelter and supportive services for families and single women experiencing homelessness. Participants receive private rooms, meals, intensive case management and classes in parenting, financial literacy, employment readiness and recovery. Children receive academic and emotional support. The program helps families move from crisis to long-term stability, with continued support available for alumni.
* Pathways' Women Who Work: $15,000 to provide free, confidential immigration legal services for immigrants in North County. Serving people from more than 50 countries, the program offers one-on-one consultations and pro bono representation for those seeking residency, asylum or citizenship. Attorneys, accredited representatives and volunteers help clients with applications, build English skills and prepare for federal immigration interviews.
* SoulPaws Recovery Project, Support Groups for Girls and Women: $10,000 for free, clinician-led mental health support groups, including an in-person animal-assisted group and a virtual group for high school students. With no cost or diagnostic requirements, the program promotes connection, resilience and emotional wellbeing.
* The San Marcos Promise, Focused Futures: $8000 to support coaching, skill-building and career exploration for high school juniors and seniors in San Marcos and Escondido. Through on-campus Future Centers, students receive individualized support to prepare for college, training or careers and move confidently into their next steps.
Hand to Hand is a group charitable San Diegans who grant funds to local nonprofits that promote economic self-sufficiency and positive change in the lives of women and girls. In the spring of 2008, a group of 19 members began to discuss ways that they could make a difference in the community for women and girls through their joint philanthropy, and Hand to Hand was founded. As a charitable fund at Coastal Community Foundation at SDF, it has since grown to 100 members.
About Coastal Community Foundation
Established in 1987, the mission of the Coastal Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life in North San Diego County by directing philanthropic efforts toward community needs. A handful of citizens had an idea: to create a way to support housing and supportive services, education, mental health and environmental issues, and more in an area undergoing extraordinary change - North County. In August 2024, Coastal joined San Diego Foundation to expand philanthropic impact in North County San Diego. Learn more about Coastal Community Foundation at SDFoundation.org/Coastal.
About San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation believes in just, equitable and resilient communities where every San Diegan can prosper, thrive and feel like they belong. We partner with donors, nonprofits and regional leaders to co-create solutions that respond to community needs and strengthen San Diego. Since our founding in 1975, our community foundation has granted $1.8 billion to nonprofits to improve quality of life in San Diego County and beyond. Learn more at sdfoundation.org.
Media Contact
Hiram Soto, Director of Marketing & Communications
Email: hsoto@sdfoundation.org
Phone: 858-349-7940
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Original text here: https://www.sdfoundation.org/news-events/sdf-news/coastal-community-foundation-at-san-diego-foundation-awards-78000-to-local-nonprofits-supporting-community-wellbeing-including-programs-for-women-and-girls/
Building the New American Economy: The Latest Edition of the Bush Institute's Journal The Catalyst
DALLAS, Texas, Nov. 25 (TNSjou) -- The George W. Bush Presidential Center issued the following news release:
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Building the New American Economy: The latest edition of the Bush Institute's journal The Catalyst
Published today, the latest edition of The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas from the Bush Institute, tackles an urgent question: How can we build an inclusive economy that works for more Americans? The top economists and other contributors who wrote for Building the New American Economy don't agree on everything, and that's by design. Together, however, they sketch a broad vision of how
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DALLAS, Texas, Nov. 25 (TNSjou) -- The George W. Bush Presidential Center issued the following news release:
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Building the New American Economy: The latest edition of the Bush Institute's journal The Catalyst
Published today, the latest edition of The Catalyst: A Journal of Ideas from the Bush Institute, tackles an urgent question: How can we build an inclusive economy that works for more Americans? The top economists and other contributors who wrote for Building the New American Economy don't agree on everything, and that's by design. Together, however, they sketch a broad vision of howto face new challenges while fostering inclusive growth, and they offer practical roadmaps for how to get there.
Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute opens the issue by explaining how protectionism, nationalism, and heavy-handed government intervention won't deliver for working Americans. Instead, removing barriers in housing, licensing, education, and investment will support greater mobility and growth.
Neil Chilson, head of AI policy at the Abundance Institute, takes on removing obstacles in innovation, misguided polices that could squander the United States' lead in AI and other cutting-edge technologies. Economist Melissa Kearney highlights investing in strengthening families, improving skills training, and fighting childhood poverty to ensure more Americans share in our country's prosperity. She envisions an inclusive capitalism that doesn't dismiss markets or pretend they're sufficient on their own.
Benn Stiel, of the Council of Foreign Relations, notes that despite the rise of populist frustration, most Americans prefer good jobs to handouts - and that the best way to boost productivity would be to remove barriers that limit labor mobility and to have a "predistribution" agenda.
The Bush Institute's Robin Berkley, the Ann Kimball Johnson director of education, and Alexis Yelvington, program manager of opportunity, discuss the need to ensure that young Americans gain and develop the right skills to be successful in tomorrow's economy. With American students falling behind in math and reading, they offer suggestions for how to strengthen the education system in the United States.
At the heart of the issue are essays probing when the government should intervene in markets - and when it shouldn't. Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative, assesses the risks of industrial policy by looking back at U.S. history in the semiconductor industry. Igor Khrestin, the Bush Institute's senior advisor of global policy, reflects on China's joining the World Trade Organization 25 years ago, arguing that instead of improving trade practices, it has created a growing threat to American workers and global security.
Angela Rachidi, of the American Enterprise Institute, focuses on how well-intentioned social welfare policies can inadvertently trap families in poverty. She proposes fixing the social safety net, so it promotes advancement rather than dependency.
Closing out the issue is American Enterprise Institute's James Pethokoukis, who challenges the popular impulse to target billionaires, arguing that the wrong restrictions could ultimately leave society poorer.
To read the full edition of The Catalyst, visit https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/building-the-new-american-economy
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About the George W. Bush Institute
The George W. Bush Institute is a solution-oriented nonpartisan policy organization focused on ensuring opportunity for all, strengthening democracy, and advancing free societies. Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the Bush Institute is rooted in compassionate conservative values and committed to creating positive, meaningful, and lasting change at home and abroad. We utilize our unique platform and convening power to advance solutions to national and global issues of the day. Learn more at bushcenter.org.
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Original text here: https://www.bushcenter.org/newsroom/building-the-new-american-economy-the-latest-edition-of-the-bush-institutes-journal-the-catalyst
Getty and Disney+ Present the Percy Jackson Quest at the Getty Villa Museum
LOS ANGELES, California, Nov. 24 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust issued the following news release:
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Getty and Disney+ Present the Percy Jackson Quest at the Getty Villa Museum
The quest will be offered for a limited time over two weekends this December
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Calling all Percy Jackson fans! Getty and Disney+ present the Percy Jackson Quest at the Getty Villa Museum, offered for a limited time over two weekends this December: December 6 and 7, and 13 and 14.
To celebrate the launch of season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," demigods and ancient world enthusiasts are invited to join a
... Show Full Article
LOS ANGELES, California, Nov. 24 -- The J. Paul Getty Trust issued the following news release:
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Getty and Disney+ Present the Percy Jackson Quest at the Getty Villa Museum
The quest will be offered for a limited time over two weekends this December
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Calling all Percy Jackson fans! Getty and Disney+ present the Percy Jackson Quest at the Getty Villa Museum, offered for a limited time over two weekends this December: December 6 and 7, and 13 and 14.
To celebrate the launch of season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," demigods and ancient world enthusiasts are invited to join aquest through the galleries and gardens of the Getty Villa Museum. Test your knowledge of Greek mythology and the world of Percy Jackson while traversing centuries of Greek and Roman art. Best of all--complete the Quest and receive a prize!
Tickets are free, but required for event entrance. The event ticket will also serve as each visitor's Villa entrance reservation. Please note that there is a fee for parking. Registration for the Percy Jackson Quest is available now.
Season two of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" premieres December 10, with a two-episode debut on Disney+ and Hulu, with new episodes rolling out every Wednesday. In the meantime, fans can relive the excitement of the first season, now streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.
The second season of the Disney+ Original series dives into "The Sea of Monsters," the second installment in Disney Hyperion's best-selling Percy Jackson saga by award-winning author Rick Riordan - which follows the adventures of the son of Poseidon. The new season promises thrilling new monsters, action-packed mayhem and higher stakes than ever as Percy and the young demigods embark on a perilous quest in uncharted waters to save Camp Half-Blood and their friend Grover.
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Watch the Season 2 trailer (https://youtu.be/yT1ng2tiwLA?si=ixKQf2t7z0vDQCEm).
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Original text here: https://www.getty.edu/news/getty-and-disney-plus-present-the-percy-jackson-quest-at-the-getty-villa-museum/
Foundation for Economic Education Posts Commentary: Democracy at Risk
DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 24 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary:
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Democracy at Risk
The EU's new plan to regulate speech, media, and elections.
By Claudia Ascensao Nunes
The European Union has just unveiled the so-called European Democracy Shield. The name, while promising, claims to "protect" democracy on the basis of two pillars which, on principle, should raise concerns: combating "disinformation" and "foreign interference."
To that end, the EU will create a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience, intended to collect data from Member States
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DETROIT, Michigan, Nov. 24 -- The Foundation for Economic Education posted the following commentary:
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Democracy at Risk
The EU's new plan to regulate speech, media, and elections.
By Claudia Ascensao Nunes
The European Union has just unveiled the so-called European Democracy Shield. The name, while promising, claims to "protect" democracy on the basis of two pillars which, on principle, should raise concerns: combating "disinformation" and "foreign interference."
To that end, the EU will create a new European Centre for Democratic Resilience, intended to collect data from Member Stateson information manipulation; foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI); and phenomena classified as disinformation. The same package also includes a European network of independent fact-checkers and a European Digital Media Observatory, which will be endowed with monitoring and analytical capacities during elections or moments of crisis.
Regarding free elections and the risk of foreign interference, the Commission additionally proposes to finance "independent journalism." The irony that journalism financed by political institutions can never be genuinely independent seems lost on the Commission.
The European Democracy Shield is framed as an initiative to "reinforce" democracy at a time when the Union fears a rise in external hostilities. Yet, when examined closely, it reveals deeply troubling signs for the very democracy it claims to defend, beginning with the fact that it relies not on objective, legally defined threats, but on inherently subjective categories such as "disinformation," "foreign interference," or "information crises." The subjectivity of these concepts allows such a wide margin of interpretation that it does not just risk turning into an instrument of political control; it seems almost designed as one.
The European Union is, after all, a supranational entity about which most Europeans do not feel fully informed, governed by a Commission that is not directly elected by the people. It therefore lacks the democratic, and moral, legitimacy to dictate how national democracies should function.
In recent years, the very notion of "disinformation" has become an ambiguous and expanding tool, enabling governments and institutions to establish an official narrative of what is acceptable, granting them moral authority to classify and remove opinions deemed "toxic" or "misleading." This leads to an infantilization of the citizen, as if the simple act of thinking independently were somehow suspect.
Furthermore, the Shield allows the Commission to activate "joint response mechanisms" whenever it believes an "information crisis" exists. This is yet another undefined and vague concept, centralizing in the Commission the power to trigger exceptional measures, such as pressuring social media platforms, directing media outlets, and coordinating information campaigns. In practice, this functions as a form of permanent information emergency, without any effective democratic oversight.
By transforming fact-checkers into actors embedded within a European institutional structure, the Commission creates an authority to arbitrate political truth, a function incompatible with liberal democracy, which depends on the free clash of ideas and the plurality of interpretations.
Even the simple act of scrutinizing national elections in each Member State grants the Commission a power it should not possess, given the principle of subsidiarity, which states that the Union should intervene only when States are unable to act on their own. National elections are domestic matters and must remain so.
Allowing Brussels to exercise direct influence over electoral scrutiny opens the door to a dangerous scenario: the possibility of contesting or even invalidating national results under the pretext of "disinformation" or "foreign interference." This risk is even more significant at a moment of rising Eurosceptic parties in several Member States, including those that are pillars of the Union itself.
In France, the Rassemblement National won 31.37% in the June 2024 European elections, the best result for any French party in 40 years. In Germany, the AfD obtained 20.8% in the 2025 federal elections and regularly appears above 25% in national polling.
These two countries are considered key Member States of the EU, not only because of their economic weighttogether they account for around 40% of the EU's GDPbut also because of the structuring political role they play in the European project. The so-called Franco-German engine often determines the direction of European integration.
If the European Commission gains the power to intervene in the scrutiny of national elections precisely in the countries that uphold the architecture of the EU, we would be facing an institutional precedent from which there is no return and one that could prove destabilizing for the Union as a whole.
To make matters worse, the creation of the Shield occurs in the same week that the Commission proposed a European intelligence unit, aimed at coordinating or aggregating information from national intelligence services. This coincidence suggests a concerted movement toward centralizing informational and security power in Brussels, without meaningful public debate.
European democracy does not need a "shield" to control speech, supervise elections, or finance the press. It needs informed citizens, truly free media, and institutions that respect the democratic sovereignty of each country, beginning with an internal reform of the European Union itself. The EU must become more transparent and, ironically, more democratic by granting greater decision-making power to the European Parliament, elected by Europeans, and reducing the power of the Commission, which lacks direct legitimacy.
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Claudia Ascensao Nunes
Claudia Ascensao Nunes is a Portuguese writer and political commentator. She is the President of Ladies of Liberty Alliance - Portugal and a columnist featured in both national and international publications. Claudia collaborates with Young Voices and focuses on economic freedom, European policy, and transatlantic cooperation. She has over 20,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter), where she shares insights on politics, liberalism, and cultural issues.
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Original text here: https://fee.org/articles/democracy-at-risk/
