We-ID Project Launches to Strengthen Democratic Communities in Europe

The We-ID initiative will explore how migration and demographic change affect social cohesion and democratic resilience in Europe, providing communities with strategies to address exclusion and build belonging.

The “Identities – Migration – Democracy” (We-ID) project, a research initiative funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, has officially launched to investigate issues of social cohesion, migration, and democratic resilience in the face of global crises that are putting communities under strain. The project is led by the University of Göttingen in Germany and supported by the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) alongside other partners from across Europe.

“When migration accelerates and demography becomes a political issue, cities and municipalities are key drivers of social cohesion because this is where people come together and interact, from riding a bus to applying for official documents and engaging in cultural or recreational activities,” says Kazimierz Musiał, the senior adviser overseeing the project at the CBSS. 

“Our goal is to empower communities to navigate the current polycrises while simultaneously fostering a sense of belonging and resilience,” says Uģis Zanders, adviser at the CBSS and project co-lead. “Through learning labs, We-ID will offer a transdisciplinary platform and evidence-based strategies to help researchers, policy makers, and civil society collaborate on strengthening social cohesion.”

Running from 2025 to 2028, We-ID will explore how demographic change and migration impact both individual and collective identities across Europe. The project focuses on developing local solutions to enable inclusive participation and build stronger democratic structures. Through case studies, policy labs, and engagement with community stakeholders, the initiative seeks to create practical tools to promote integration and address exclusion.

In the project, the CBSS will leverage its expertise in regional cooperation to address key challenges around identity and social cohesion. The CBSS will organise scenario-building exercises, thematic roundtables, and stakeholder workshops throughout the Baltic Sea Region, gathering insights to inform both local and macro-regional strategies for sustainable development and democratic resilience.

The We-ID project is led by the University of Göttingen in Germany. The other project partners are the University of St Andrews in Scotland, the Bocconi University in Italy, the Institute for the Study of Population and Human Studies in Bulgaria, the Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar in Croatia, and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research/Population Europe in Germany, as well as the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and the non-governmental organisation The Civics Innovation Hub.