 The 2021 Global State of Democracy report finds that Europe remains one of the most democratic regions of the world, yet the trends have not been entirely positive in recent years. Most countries in East and Central Europe have not improved the quality of their democracies over the past decade. More worryingly, our latest data show that Hungary, Poland and now Slovenia are backsliding democracies, while Serbia has become a hybrid regime. Still, the state of democracy in Europe gives rise to hope. Democracies proved resilient to the Covid-19 pandemic. Indeed, many governments experimented with electoral innovations and digital transparency. As Europe recovers from the pandemic, there are opportunities to build on these recent successes, especially in accessibility and transparency. Today's policymaking should focus on inequality, media freedom and the susceptibility to disinformation the pandemic exposed. The past year has shown that democracy is resilient in the face of crisis, but defending democracy against longer-term erosion requires vigilance. Visit www.idea.int to read the Global State of Democracy 2021 report.