Protecting democracy and building the democratic resilience of citizens, societies and institutions is an urgent collective endeavour, which requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. This is not only necessary to preserve the EU’s values, but also to ensure Europe’s security and to safeguard its independence, freedom and prosperity. The EU institutions, Member States, EU candidate countries and potential candidates, civil society and the private sector, each have a crucial role to play, guided by our shared values. Our citizens and their freedoms must be at the heart of it all.