Last month, Ursula von der Leyen presented her new team of Commissioners-designate, including Commissioner-designate for Democracy, Justice, and the Rule of Law Michael McGrath. At ECF, we’re pleased to see that, in these mandates, the Commission recognises protecting civic space as an essential aspect of defending democracy. Over the coming weeks and months and with the Parliamentary hearings approaching, we will engage with the institutions to ensure that the promising elements in the new portfolios live up to their potential.
In order to be truly transformative, empowering, and coherent, the EU Democracy Agenda cannot be treated as a thematic area – it must be transversal, applying to all policymaking. EU policies must place people’s needs and aspirations at their centre, upholding the respect for the rule of law and ensuring access to fundamental rights for all.
Organised civil society has an essential role to play in making this a reality. For years, alongside hundreds of CSOs across Europe, we have been advocating for a European Civil Society Strategy, providing a coherent policy framework to enable, protect, and support civil society across Europe. And this is needed more than ever. As our latest Civic Space Report documented, civic freedoms have declined dramatically over the last five years, and this has continued in 2024. From “foreign agent” laws to funding restrictions, civil society is under serious pressure. Recently, we hosted a workshop on civic space protection in Brussels together with a coalition of NGOs coordinated by Civil Society Europe. When we asked defenders what protection means to them, they answered that it means being able to carry out their mission in a dignified manner, with appropriate means and without fear of repression from the authorities.
We believe that in his role, Commissioner-designate McGrath must ensure that early warning and protection mechanisms are put in place to defend civic freedoms and that European legislation does not contribute to restricting civic space and fundamental rights. This also means providing proactive support to civic actors under pressure and timely follow-up on alerts about attacks on civic space, using the public and diplomatic means at the disposal of the European Commission, in dialogue with civil society organisations.
This institutional renewal provides a real opportunity to improve civic space in Europe and ensure that civil society and human rights defenders are protected, empowered and supported. We’re hopeful that the Commission will seize this opportunity.