The project on Bridging the Accountability Gap in European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP Democracy, is a European Commission-funded research training network project. Its aim is to develop skills in measuring, interpreting and enhancing democratic accountability across the EU policy area of security and defence. The research programme will run for four years from 2000 to 2004. The project will engage practitioners, research institutes and young researchers from the EU and Associated States, building on existing expertise and networks. They will study and make recommendations on new forms of democratic accountability regarding the emerging security and defence capability of the European Union.

This is a cross-disciplinary study that will bring together political scientists with those concerned with European integration, international institutions, civil-military relations, arms transfers and strategic planning. It will be conducted by a consortium of research partners located in the following institutions:

1. University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, United Kingdom
2. International Security Information Service, Europe (ISIS Europe), Brussels, Belgium
3. University of Bradford, Peace Studies Department, United Kingdom
4. Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Institut d'études européennes, Belgium
5. Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC), Germany
6. Instituto de Estudios sobre Conflictos y Acción Humanitaria (IECAH), Madrid, Spain
7. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Oslo, Norway
8. Institute of International Relations (IIR), Prague, Czech Republic

in association with:
9. Transformation and Interdependence unit (TRAIN), Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
10. Szeged Centre for Security Policy, Hungary