Ahead of the 2024 EU elections, a broad coalition of civil society organisations led by Civil Society Europe and Social Platform have launched a campaign for better civic space and civil dialogue all over Europe. EFFE joined the campaign endorsing the manifesto, outlining key demands for a Civil Society Strategy and a Civil Dialogue agreement. It calls for EU decision makers to make civic space and civil dialogue central topics in the 2024 European elections, and demands that the future European Parliament and European Commission take real, meaningful steps during the next five years to better recognise, protect and engage civil society at all levels.
Civil society plays a prominent role in addressing our multiple societal challenges, by protecting and promoting fundamental rights, providing crucial services that enable people and societies to be more resilient and more inclusive, and connecting people – especially marginalised groups – with policy-makers. However, all of these important communities cannot exist without political support and protection. In recent years, civil society has been facing growing challenges that make it very difficult or even impossible for organisations to function. We need an enabling space and dedicated tools and resources to do this.
Upcoming EU elections are a key opportunity to turn the tide of shrinking civil society space and limited civil dialogue all over Europe, and ensure that civil society can become a permanent, empowered and engaged actor in future European governance.
For this reason, together with Social Platform, Civil Society Europe has launched a campaign for strengthening civil dialogue and civic space across the EU through better recognition, involvement and resourcing of civil society. Through this manifesto, we call on the EU institutions to take concrete steps to create an empowering environment for civil society during the next five years, starting from the development of a European Civil Society Strategy and of a Civil Dialogue Agreement.
It is crucial for all European civil society to stand together and speak with a single voice to make sure to be heard. We need to showcase the value that civil society brings to European democracy and societies, and collectively ask for this value to be recognized, promoted and protected.
Interested in hearing more about this campaign? You can get in touch with the campaign coordinator Riccardo Rossella: riccardo.rossella@civilsocietyeurope.eu
The campaign manifesto is available here.
You can endorse the manifesto here.
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