Press Release: Declaration by the High Representative Catherine Ashton on behalf of the European Union on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy on 15 September

The EU pays tribute to all defenders of democracy who suffer threats, persecution, and even risk imprisonment and attempts to their lives whilst standing up for democracy and democratic principles. Democracy is at the core of what the European Union is about. It is not only one of the founding principles of the European Union but democracy support is a declared policy objective of the EU’s External Policy, as recently confirmed by the
Council of the European Union.