ECF Timeline
Our Journey
2005
ECF is founded in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe premises.
- Following popular votes in France and the Netherlands against the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, the European Civic Forum is established in a meeting of associations and NGO leaders at the Council of Europe. Its mission is to advocate for participatory channels and civil dialogue to address the gap between citizens and institutions
2006
First ECF General Assembly
- In Paris, representatives of dozens of organisations gather to lay the foundations of the new network
2008
First European Civic Days held in La Rochelle
- The European Civic Days mark the first-ever civil society forum within an EU Presidency. This event will go on to inspire further NGO Forums in Athens, Sofia, Vienna, Bucharest and many other cities
2009
The Lisbon Treaty enters into force, committing EU to civil dialogue for the first time
- This is a landmark moment, with the EU committing to “open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society” (Article 11)
2009
The first Civil Society Days launched by the ECF and other members of EESC Liaison Group with civil society organisations.
- There, they launch the “ for a genuine European Civil Dialogue” manifesto, publicly calling on EU institutions to uphold and properly implement this commitment. The event is organised annually ever since.
2010
ECF leads new European Alliance for the Statute of the European Association (EASEA)
- The successful campaign results in a resolution by the European Parliament (EP 84/2010) calling for European statutes for associations, foundations and mutuals
2013
ECF in the driving seat of the pan-European European Year of Citizens Alliance (EYCA)
- The alliance of over 60 European networks hands over a set of 80 recommendations to European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding
2014
Founding of Civil Society Europe
- In the aftermath of the EYCA, ECF drives the foundation of Civil Society Europe, the coordination of European CSOs. ECF founder and president Jean-Marc Roirant is elected as chairman and holds this position until June 2023
2014
EU elections manifesto – ECF stands for a Europe of Solidarity, Equality and Democracy for all
- The manifesto is the most comprehensive expression of ECF’s values yet, and reflects the network’s maturity
2015
ECF celebrates 10th anniversary
- Ten years after its founding, ECF has grown in size and in mission. Now with a permanent staff team and members across the EU and beyond, the ECF’s reach and capacity have expanded significantly. Meanwhile, democratic backsliding and shrinking civic space is becoming an increasing concern and starting to feature in ECF’s work
2015
Publication of Activizenship #1
- The magazine highlights the stories of grassroots movements that met in Athens in 2014. It goes on to become a regular feature, each issue highlighting different topics linked to fundamental rights and civic engagement
2015
Launch of the European Citizenship Awards
- The awards ceremony, which celebrates outstanding examples of civic action, is held in Strasbourg, and hosted by the city’s mayor. The awards will evolve over the years, eventually becoming the Civic Pride Awards
2016
First European Civic Academy held in La Rochelle.
- Together with SOLIDAR and Civil Society Europe, ECF organises the first European Civic Academy, gathering over 120 activists, academics and CSO representatives. The event becomes a permanent fixture
2017
ECF opens Brussels office
- With EU-level advocacy becoming an increasingly important aspect of ECF’s work, a Brussels office is opened, marking a new era for the organisation
2017
National platforms of CSOs join the European Civic Forum
- Through these national platforms, ECF’s network and reach expands significantly. A new working group is formed to coordinate our work together
2018
Launch of Civic Space Watch
- Reflecting growing concerns about civic space, ECF launches Civic Space Watch – a platform to collect findings and analyses from actors in Europe on the conditions for civil society to operate. To this day, ECF has added more than 1000 alerts on the platform and documented numerous civil society victories
2018
Kick-off of the Make Europe Great for All campaign and first edition of the Civic Pride action day
- The MEGA campaign and manifesto calls for a Europe that works for all – in which no one is left behind. At the same time, the Civic Pride campaign is launched, seeking to celebrate activism
2019
ECF successfully advocates for a European Commission vice-president in charge of civic space and dialogue with CSOs
- Civic space and civil dialogue are now firmly on the EU’s agenda, thanks to the hard work of ECF and its allies
2020
ECF contributes to the first-ever Rule of Law report published by the European Commission
- The process becomes a vital tool for checking democratic backsliding, with ECF’s contributions ensuring civic space restrictions are not overlooked
2021
ECF in the driving seat of Civil Society Convention for Conference on the Future of Europe
- The convention enables civil society to have a say on the Future of Europe, alongside citizens and EU officials
2022
ECF hosts European Convening on civil society strategy with Civil Society Europe
- ECF convenes over 100 representatives of civil society, foundations and EU officials and politicians to discuss an EU Civil Society Strategy. It is ECF’s most ambitious event yet, and is attended by several policymakers, including European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova and MEP Sergey Lagodinsky
2023
ECF approaches its 20th year, with a new look, a bigger team, and broader missions
- Kicking off the year with a new visual identity, ECF undergoes a period of growth. There are now seven full-time members of staff and a new leadership team is elected, following the retirement of founder and longtime president Jean-Marc Roirant. ECF also expands its advocacy work to Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence, a sign of its growing capacity and relevance
