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
Call for EU action to safeguard Democracy and fundamental rights
We stand with the people of Poland who marched this week-end in defence of democracy and European values. We are concerned that adopted and proposed legislation of the Polish government undermines fundamental rights and freedoms. This includes: limitations to the independence of the judiciary undermining the system of checks and balances and violation of the constitution, restrictions on the…...
Read MoreCall for EU action to safeguard Democracy and fundamental rights
We stand with the people of Poland who marched this week-end in defence of democracy and European values. We are concerned that adopted and proposed legislation of the Polish government undermines fundamental rights and freedoms. This includes: limitations to the independence of the judiciary undermining the system of checks and balances and violation of the constitution, restrictions on the…...
Read MorePARIS: the days after
17th November 2015 Dear colleagues and friends, Last Friday, after Beirut, Ankara, the Russian plane flying over the Sinai, Paris, the city where the European Civic Forum headquarter is based, has been hit by terrorist attacks. Since then, in France as also all over Europe and the world, people are gathering together to express their…...
Read MorePress Conference Civil Society Europe
On 3rd February 2015, major European networks of associations got together for a press conference at the EU Parliament in Brussels, joining forces to create Civil Society Europe. This new platform aims at becoming a permanent space for horizontal exchanges and a strong voice for paradigm shift to restore and promote the values of equality,…...
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