The European Union is based on the values of democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights � and for some time, it seemed that liberal democracy was uncontested. In fact, however, these values have come under pressure in a number of member states. Recently, EU institutions have shown more commitment to defending fundamental values and EU interventions have garnered more support among member states, yet, to this day, the available instruments have proven insufficient. This publication makes a number of concrete suggestions on how the EU can safeguard and promote democracy in its member states. Some national governments have under¬mined the EU�s fundamental values, as laid out in Article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union, by strengthening their executive power and weakening the separation of pow¬ers. In other member states, corruption is rampant and me¬dia freedom under pressure. Populists are on the rise across Europe, sometimes participating in government. To date the EU has failed to take effective steps against violations of democratic standards in individual member states.To lay a solid groundwork for EU action, this paper suggests the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to regularly assess compliance with democratic standards and the rule of law in EU member states.