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...

Benjamin Goodwin
European Civic Academy 2022 – Capturing the winds of change
The European Civic Academy returns for its fifth edition on 10-11 November in Firenze! Organised in cooperation with the Centre on Social Movement Studies (Cosmos) and Civil Society Europe, it will bring together laureates from past editions of the Civic Pride Awards,...
State of the Union Address: To defend democracy, it must answer people’s needs. Involving CSOs in EU policy making is integral to achieving this.
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...
European Civic Forum and Civil Society Europe discuss Civil Society Strategy with cabinet of Commission Vice-President Šuica
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...
SAVE THE DATE: European Civic Academy 2022 takes place along side 20th anniversary of the European Social Forum
Save the date for the fifth edition of the European Civic Academy taking place in Florence, Italy on 10th and 11th November 2022! The European Civic Academy (ECA) was launched by the European Civic Forum in 2016 to connect and build bridges between civil society and...
ECF meets in Paris for its General Assembly and the CSOs Convention closing event
The 2022 Annual General Assembly (AGA) of the European Civic Forum took place on 29th June, in the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) in Paris. After the meeting of the National Platforms of NGOs, ECF members had the opportunity to approve the...
New “Reclaim our Civil Space!” event: How do we get to a European Civil Society Strategy?
Organised in the framework of "Reclaim our Civil Space!" project, this event intends to liaise between the networks of civil society organisations, the EU institutions and Donor States to jointly develop, promote and advocate for a detailed set of recommendations for...
300+ CSOs call on the European Commission for a European Civil Society Strategy: join our campaign!
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...
STATEMENT ON THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION FOR AFGHANS
– Statement by the RISE Network, published on 18 August 2021, available here. We the RISE network, Refugees' Ideas & Solutions for Europe, as an alliance of migrant and refugee led non-governmental organisations and associations,...
ECF condemns the liquidation of 50+ NGOs in Belarus and asks the EU to renew strong pressure on Belarusian authorities
On 22 July, the Ministry of Justice filed a lawsuit to liquidate over 50 NGOs in Belarus. This comes after Lukashenko vowed to continue what he called a “mopping-up operation” against civil society activists who he denounced as “bandits and foreign agents”. This is...











