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Europe experiencing “dangerous rollback of civic freedoms”, warns damning new report in “wake-up call” to EU leaders
Rise of far-right accompanied by a deliberate strategy to delegitimise civil society, through smear campaigns, SLAPPs, and restrictive “foreign agents” legislation Right to protest increasingly under attack, with Palestine solidarity and environmental justice campaigners targeted Government ministers in several states question international human rights law Europe is experiencing a dangerous rollback of civic freedoms,…...
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HRCN: DECiDE project demonstrates how civic participation and human rights monitoring can be
The EU-funded DECiDE – Boost Democratic Participation in Cities to Recharge Democracy in Europe project is now well underway, supporting 9 pilot cities across 9 European countries to strengthen local...
Glopolis: Czech Republic – The new government wants to change the financing of the CSO More
The beginning of 2026 brought a sharp shift in the political climate for Czech civil society. Shortly after taking office, the new government presented proposals that would restrict public funding for...
European Movement Italy: Europeans at the polls
According to Chinese constitutionalists, one of the causes of instability in the European political system is linked to the proliferation of local, regional, national and European elections, the...
250+ Civil Society Organisations Call on the European Commission to Allow Cross-Border
Non-profits should be able to operate across borders. The European Cross-Border Associations (ECBA) Directive would allow exactly that – non-profits with members…...
Participation Under Pressure – GFR Annual Review 2025
GFR’s Annual Review 2025 is now available. As in previous years, 2025 was not easy, but it was even harder to be a refugee- and migrant-led organisation in Greece. Policies hardened toward deterrence...
Natacha Kazatchkine appointed as new ECF Secretary General
Brussels, 12 January 2026 – Natacha Kazatchkine has been appointed as the new secretary general of the European Civic Forum. She began her position on 7 January. Natacha brings a wealth of experience...
We are in an era of massive mobilisation and growing attacks on civic freedoms. Europe’s democrats
By Giada Negri, acting co-secretary general and Benjamin Goodwin, communications officer, with input from the Steering Committee. History is not only shaped by political leaders, but by moments when...
We are hiring: Policy Officer
We are seeking a Policy Officer to strengthen our European policy work and support members in engaging with EU institutions and processes. The Policy Officer will…...
Civil Society Strategy: How to move from words to action
Welcome to the latest ECF Newsletter! As we head towards the end of the year, we're focusing on the new Civil Society Strategy, and why…...