The first PASOS Assembly took place in Prague in December 2004, just as the Orange revolution was taking place in Ukraine. Subsequent events, leading up to the closely fought parliamentary elections of 30 September 2007, have shown that democracy has taken root in Ukraine, along with a free and vigilant media, but the challenges facing policymakers remain immense in Ukraine and elsewhere. While the emergence of an open society, governed by democracy and the rule of law, remains "unfinished business" in much of the Caucasus and the Balkans, in Russia and Central Asia autocratic rule has become even more entrenched. At the same time, there is no room for complacency in the new member states of the European Union, as intolerance towards minorities persists, and populist politicians continue to undermine the efforts of civil society. (Sharing the Lessons of Transition throughout Europe and Central Asia, fragment)