Kaja Kallas Keynote speech: Copenhagen Democracy Summit In defence of democratic space

Dear ladies and gentlemen,It's a pleasure to be back in Copenhagen. This gathering matters more than ever, because democracy is no longer the global norm. Six years ago, democracy was overtaken by autocracy for the first time in 20 years. Today, liberal democracy is the least common model in the world. 72% of people live in autocracies, the highest proportion since 1978. For some time I have been reflecting on this topic. I want to share four key lessons with you today through the lens of my current role. Lesson number one: Democracy is not instant gratification. Bold choices build democracy up. I often think about democracy and autocracy as a relay race. The autocrat jumps the gun, getting ahead early while the democrats are still deciding who does what. But democrats, when they eventually move forward, can hand over the baton to fresh legs. Every team member contributes their skills and expertise. They cheer each other on. As the saying goes, if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. That's democracy in a nutshell—hard work that pays off. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the Baltic countries built democracy from scratch, guided only by the memory of what their forebears had created. They rooted out corruption, built strong institutions, and established robust legal systems. This required a massive turnaround in attitudes and identity. I was recently in the Western Balkans, where countries face many of the same choices the Baltics made in...