On Tuesday 5th May, Civil Society Europe celebrated the launch event of our campaign, Voices of Millions, in Brussels. Civil society actors, EU representatives and EU media gathered to reflect on the campaign themes, the history of civil society, its positive impact, and the current operating environment for civil society organisations. Over 60 participants joined us, showing the need for such a campaign. 

The event kicked off with opening remarks from Gabriella Civico, CSE President, who reflected on the emergence and impact of civil society in the EU. Civico presented the history of European civil society organisations, and how their efforts led to formal frameworks of engagement with institutions. These advances have been “crucial in supporting European citizens in times of economic crises, advocating for equal treatment of all people, and ensuring the defense of fundamental rights across Europe”. 

Civico underlined that these examples of perseverance are useful to shape the future of civil society and Europe, since most EU pressing concerns can be addressed with the support of civil society, from sustainable green transitions, to digital literacy, to policy in social inclusion. Therefore, Voices of Millions comes at a key moment in which citizens’ trust and participation are increasingly relevant, and civil society voices should be heard and amplified to support this. 

This opening speech was followed by the panel discussion “The Power of Many: How National Civil Society Shapes European Change”. Moderated by Ivana Davidovska, CSE Board Member and Head of Projects at the European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities, the panel explored the stories of Brian Reyes, from the Spanish Volunteering Platform, and Pierre Gyselinck, from the Belgian Disability Forum. 

Reyes and Gyselinck stressed the importance of belonging to broad EU networks to have their national voices heard at the European level. If these networks were not available, grassroots organisations would see their scope of action restricted, and society as a whole would be negatively affected. As Gyselinck pointed out, “freedom of movement is a cornerstone of Europe, and disability does not stop when you go abroad”, so ensuring that disability rights are respected everywhere in Europe can only be achieved through collaboration between national and EU level.

Through bottom-up processes, the speakers’ organisations have already contributed to change at the EU level by belonging to EU networks. Reyes underscored that, being part of the Centre for European Volunteering, his organisation has worked to recognise volunteering as a form of skill development outside formal education. Gyselinck’s organisation, belonging to the European Disability Forum, is contributing to the creation of the European Disability Card. This will ensure the recognition of the concrete needs of persons with disabilities across Europe to access necessary assistance. The speakers indicated that next steps require patience and persistence, but that common European recognition of these groups’ skills and needs is on its way.

This journey through the history of civil society, its impact, and real examples of its relevance at national levels, created the perfect backdrop for the presentation of the Voices of Millions campaign. From the secretariat of Civil Society Europe, Dylan Power and María Iglesias Vázquez gave insights into the campaign’s goals, key messages and outputs.

Voices of Millions, is an awareness raising campaign on the representative power of civil society organisations across Europe, by engaging and giving a voice to millions of Europeans. The speakers highlighted the collective nature of the campaign, and how it aims to be a space to co-create messages that bring people’s voices to the forefront, empower marginalised communities and bridge the gap between citizens and the EU. 

We heard concluding words from Enrico Forti, Director for Interinstitutional Relations at the Secretariat General of the European Commission. He underlined civil society’s capacity to conduct evidenced research and inform policymaking, which can support the Commission in its tasks. Forti reflected on the relevance of the EU Strategy and Platform for Civil Society to promote engagement with civil society organisations, as well as the importance of securing robust funding for civil society in the upcoming long-term EU budget. He finally highlighted how the new Better Regulation commits to maintain meaningful stakeholder consultation, beyond the current one-size-fit-all approach. He remained positive that “civil society, in its diversity and representativeness, will remain a key partner for the Commission”.

CSE’s president Gabriella Civico closed the event with grateful and encouraging words for the speakers and the audience. In the same spirit, we at Civil Society Europe want to express our gratitude to all those who attended the launch event, and share our excitement about what Voices of Millions has yet to offer. We remain committed to showcasing that civil society matters for Europe, and that democracy can only thrive when every single voice is amplified, heard and acknowledged.