For press enquiries, please contact Benjamin Goodwin: bgoodwin[at]civic-forum.eu
ECF in the news
Some highlights of coverage of our work in the international media.
EU Commission wants registry for foreign lobbyists
'The plan will be “deeply harmful to democracy and will fail in its stated intention of exposing covert foreign interference in EU policymaking,” said Alexandrina Najmowicz, secretary general of the European Civic Forum, an umbrella organization of NGOs and associations.'
We all lose if the Olympic surveillance state becomes the norm
'A gaggle of human rights groups – including Amnesty International, the European Civic Forum and Human Rights Watch – blasted the law, writing in Le Monde that it was “a worrying precedent,”'
Repression of pro-Palestine movements in Europe: the rule of law threatened, alerts European NGO
'The NGO estimates that at least 12 EU member states have taken disproportionate measures, including banning protests...'
20 international organisations call on the State to drop terrorism charges against Democratic Tsunami
'In a statement, they denounce that research limits fundamental rights and generates a "deterrent" effect on civil society. The text has been promoted by the European Civic Forum (ECF) and has the support of Amnesty International...'
The future of Europe: EU citizens take centre stage
'The EU is coming to the end of a major experiment in public debate: the Conference on the Future of Europe, ... What – if anything – has the conference achieved? Will true change come about? We discuss this with three guests who took part in the Conference itself.'
Pro-Palestine protests - between anti-Semitism and state repression
'Back in April, the NGO association European Civic Forum criticised in a report that numerous European countries had applied disproportionate repressive measures to pro-Palestinian protests.'
EU citizens’ panels likely to stay, but need to be adapted, experts say
'EU citizens' panels introduced after the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) mean deliberative democracy experiments will continue at the EU level, but they need to better adapt to citizens’ expectations and become more inclusive, experts say.'
Press releases
European Commission publishes long-awaited Civil Society Strategy, in positive step forward
Brussels, 12 November 2025 — The European Commission has today published its Civil Society Strategy, which aims to support, protect, and empower civil society organisations and activists. The document, which civil society has long campaigned for, comes amid repeated political attacks on the very foundations of democracy, including on non-profit organisations and human rights defenders.…...
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Repression on protests in solidarity with Flotilla and Palestinian people: NGOs demand EU Council action
Brussels, 16 October 2025 — A coalition of NGOs, including the European Civic Forum, and the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) have condemned the violent…...
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Alexandrina Najmowicz steps down as ECF Secretary General after 17 years
Alexandrina Najmowicz has stepped down as secretary general of the European Civic Forum after 17 years in the role. During her tenure, Alexandrina oversaw the dramatic expansion of the organisation from a young network with no permanent staff to a pillar of European civil society, with 8 full-time members of staff and over 100 member…...
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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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NGOs sound alarm over Italian Security Decree; urge action from EU Commission
More than 70 NGOs have sounded the alarm over Italy’s new Security Decree, warning it poses a serious threat to democracy amid a systemic deterioration of the rule of law. In a letter to Michael McGrath, the EU Commissioner responsible for democracy and the rule of law, the organisations urge the Commission to act immediately…...
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Serbia repression: EU’s failure to act undermines trust in EU path, say NGOs in solidarity statement
Over 100 European NGOs have signed a statement expressing solidarity with the Serbian people and criticising the EU's response to the escalating repression of the anti-corruption movement. In the statement, coordinated by the European Civic Forum and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), the NGOs argue that the EU’s failure to act decisively has…...
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