Edito: EU institutions and strengthening civic space: Giving with one hand and taking with the other? The European Commission’s inclusion of a cross-border statute for associations and measures on civic space in its 2023 work programme are encouraging signs. Parliament’s call for France-style restrictions on access to funding, particularly targeting Muslim organisations, is a…
European Civic Forum, alongside more than 30 civil society organisations, signed an open letter to the Czech Presidency of the Council, calling for a regulation on political advertising that delivers for democracy and fundamental rights. Dear Mikuláš Bek, Minister for European Affairs, EU Ministers for European Affairs, We, the undersigned 34 civil society…
President von der Leyen’s State of the Union address touched upon many issues and broadly formulated proposals, often not sufficiently detailed for immediate in-depth analysis. In this editorial we look at the narrative and the proposals to reinforce European democracy. We agree with President von der Leyen that “Today we all see that we must…
The European Civic Forum and Civil Society Europe met with the cabinet of Commission Vice-President Šuica on 28 September to discuss prospects for a civil society strategy and civic participation in policy making. The meeting was organised as a follow-up to the Conference on the Future of Europe and a letter sent to Commission President…
On 13 July 2022, the European Commission published its third annual report reviewing the rule of law infrastructure and developments in 27 Member States in 2021. The European Civic Forum took part in the consultation process by showcasing concrete examples of how civil society strengthens and defends functioning of the rule of law. Our submission…
Statement by European and Ukrainian civil society organisations Published during the Ukraine Recovery Conference, Lugano (Switzerland), 5 July 2022 European civil society has been standing and continues to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and its people in the face of Russian aggression and the horrendous war. Russia must stop its aggression immediately and withdraw its…
Today the European Civic Forum joins 300+ CSOs from all across Europe to call on the President of the European Commission to include in the work programme of 2023 a proposal for a European Civil Society Strategy. Read the letter here: https://bit.ly/3xLbk9j Why a European Civil Society Strategy? Civil society is experiencing growing challenges on…
Open letter to the European Commission, published by the Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH) on 05/05/2022 Dear Commissioner Ylva Johansson, Commissioner Helena Dalli, We are writing to request a meeting to discuss the implementation and application of the Temporary Protection Directive 2001/55/EC. We believe that a meeting with the both of you would be…
While the importance of civil society in fostering and protecting the EU values and advancing European policies is reflected in a wide variety of EU policies and strategies, experts stress that the European institutions tend to view civil society as an ally to implement EU policies, rather than a partner or a sector in itself.…
In Spain, social movements play a crucial role for democracy and rule of law: they mobilise citizens for environmental and social justice, and for the protection of sexual and reproductive rights. They stand against far-right groups and anti-rights narrative that have become more visible. They have also contributed to mitigate the socio-economic consequences of the…