The European Centre for Electoral Support (ECES) is an independent, non-profit private foundation based in Brussels, operating on a global scale. It is dedicated to supporting sustainable democratic development by offering advisory expertise, operational backing, and overseeing large-scale projects in the areas of electoral support and democracy assistance. ECES collaborates with a wide range of electoral actors, including electoral management bodies, civil society organizations engaged in voter education and election observation, political parties, legislative institutions, media outlets, security services, religious communities, and legal bodies involved in resolving electoral disputes.

ECES has designed and holds the copyright to its unique strategic framework, A European Response to Electoral Cycle Support (EURECS). This approach provides an innovative and alternative methodology for delivering electoral and democratic support initiatives aligned with EU values and policies. EURECS is aimed at translating the recommendations of EU Election Observation Missions into practice and is structured to prevent, address, and manage conflicts linked to electoral processes. Its implementation relies on a suite of methodologies and tools also developed and copyrighted by ECES, including Standard Operating Procedures, Communication & Visibility Guidelines, Electoral Political Economy Analyses, the Preventing Electoral Conflicts project approach, and the Leadership and Conflict Management Skills for Electoral Stakeholders (LEAD).

In partnership with the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, ECES promotes tailored, innovative, and accessible capacity development programmes for electoral stakeholders. This collaboration includes the delivery of the Master’s programme in Electoral Policy and Administration (MEPA).

ECES is also affiliated with several networks and initiatives, including the European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO), the Team Europe Democracy Initiative (TED), the Federation of European and International Associations established in Belgium (FAIB), the EU Transparency Register, and the Transnational Giving Europe Network.