About European Civic Forum

European Civic Forum (ECF) is a pan-European network of nearly 100 associations and NGOs across 29 European countries: big federations of associations deeply rooted in local constituencies, national platforms of NGOs uniting hundreds of thousands of NGOs, human rights and campaigning organisations, but also smaller groups working at community level or engaging with the public on local issues.

We believe that associations are crucial to organise and channel citizens’ needs and aspirations to institutions. From one country to another, civic organisations have different status and modus operandi. The tasks they perform also vary. But everywhere they are in the front line witnessing the precarious situations people suffer from, trying to respond to people’s needs for effective access to rights, and highlighting the limitations and adverse consequences of public policies.

Who we are

European Civic Forum is governed by the General Assembly of its members. The Board of Directors, made up of representatives from across our network, defines the overall strategy and work plan, and the Steering Committee implements these decisions.

Our day-to-day management and outputs are led by our Secretariat, with offices in Brussels and Paris.

What we do

Advocacy

We advocate and campaign for the defence of civic space and the recognition of civil society organisations in the policy-making process.

Network & Capacity Building

We connect civil society actors transnationally and across sectors through conferences, forums and alliances.

Monitoring

We monitor civic space across Europe and report on developments  for Civic Space Watch and Civicus Monitor.

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