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Press releases & news

Find here Civil Society Europe’s (CSE) most recent news, statements and press releases.

For media enquiries, please contact: contact[at]civilsocietyeurope[dot]eu

Several Civil Society Organisations Call for Rejection of Inquiry Committee on NGO Funding

Civil Society Europe, Transparency International EU, and the European Environmental Bureau call on the Conference of Presidents in our joint letter to reject the proposal to establish a committee of inquiry on the Commission’s funding of NGOs.

An inquiry committee is used to investigate genuine breaches of EU law, not to prolong attacks against civil society.

Read more

The Need for Transparency is Clear – An Updated Analysis on the Transparency of Permanent Representations to the EU

In 2023, Civil Society Europe carried out a comprehensive assessment on the level of transparency of all Permanent Representations to the EU, using publicly available information from their websites as the information source. Our updated analysis looks to identify if any improvements have been made since then, or if transparency has worsened across the Permanent Representations. 

Read the press release
Read the analysis

What is the Role of Quality in Strengthening Civil Society in Europe? Key Insights From the CoQuality & CSE Survey

At a time when social divides are deepening and trust in institutions is eroding, the role of civil society has never been more critical. CoQuality (a European network promoting quality culture in the third sector) and Civil Society Europe (CSE) joined forces in 2024 to assess how NGOs perceive and prioritize quality standards, and learn about shared challenges in our survey  “QUALITY STANDARDS AND QUALITY COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORKS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS”

Read more

No Scandal, No Misuse of Funds – But the Commission Needs to Invest in a More Understandable Database

The European Court of Auditors (ECA) report on the transparency of EU funding to NGOs confirms what civil society has stated all along: there is no evidence of irregularities or misuse in how NGOs are selected or how EU grants are used. This directly undermines politically motivated claims for certain political groups that NGOs are improperly influencing EU policymaking through public funding. The facts simply don’t support that narrative.

Read the press release

Attacks on NGOs in the European Parliament – 600 Organisations Join Forces to Defend Civil Society

European civil society organisations (CSOs) are currently facing an attack coming from certain Members of the European Parliament. Spearheaded by some MEPs from the European People’s Party (EPP) and by far-right groups, this attack resorts to misleading arguments to fabricate a scandal.

Read the press release
Read the statement

Common Civil Society Position Paper on the Outline of the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework

This document provides civil society’s position and proposals on the outline for the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework’s (MFF) negotiations. Civil Society calls for an open and rights-based approach in the development of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) to ensure full support for the fundamental pillars of the EU.

Read the paper
Read the executive summary

A Patchwork of Opacities: CSE Reports on the Transparency of European Parliament Committees in the 2019-2024 Term

Transparency of decision making processes is a key element for democracy. That is why Civil Society Europe (CSE) performed an analysis of the transparency of Committees and subcommittees in the European Parliament active at the end of the 2019-2024 term.

Read the press release
Read the analysis

The EU must ensure the conditions for an open public debate on EU policies

Civil Society Europe Published a statement in view of the European Parliamentary Debate on EU Financing through the LIFE programme of entities lobbying EU institutions and the need for transparency taking place on 22 January 2025. As the coordination of civil society organisations (CSOs) representing citizens, we believe that the EU must ensure the conditions for an open public debate on environmental issues, as well as on all other EU policies.

Read our statement

Civil Society Europe’s statement on the proposal for a Civil Society Platform

Civil Society Europe welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to establish a ‘Civil Society Platform to support more systematic civil dialogue’, as stated in the mission letter to the Commissioner-designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law Michael McGrath.  

Read our statement

416 civil society organisations call for urgent action to uphold democracy and foster civic space

On the occasion of International Day of Democracy, Civil Society Europe (CSE), together with 415 civil society organisations, platforms and networks across the EU, issued an urgent open letter to the leaders of the EU institutions. The letter calls for decisive action to foster a vibrant civic space, uphold democracy, and safeguard fundamental rights in the upcoming legislative term.

Read the press release
Read the open letter

A setback for civil society engagement: the European Commission will not restore staff contact details in the ‘Whoiswho’ Directory

In a joint statement published on 10 September, Civil Society Europe and Social Platform warned that the European Commission’s decision not to restore staff contact details in the ‘Whoiswho’ Directory sets back EU transparency and civil society engagement.

Read the press release.


Journalists and civil society sound the alarm: the Foreign Interference Directive poses risks to media freedom in the EU

ARTICLE 19, Civil Society Europe and the European Federation of Journalists warned that the proposed Foreign Interference Directive has the potential to negatively impact the media sector and restrict media freedom in the EU.

Read their joint statement here.


Farewell to the EnTrust Project: Revisit our key outputs!

After four fruitful years, it’s time to say goodbye to the EnTrust project! During this time, CSE explored the intricate trust relationships between pan-European civil society organizations and EU institutions, coming up with resources designed to support CSOs, policymakers, and stakeholders in their efforts to create a more trustworthy civil dialogue at the EU and national levels.

Revisit here our most relevant outputs, which encapsulate our findings and recommendations! 


The “Civil Society for EU” campaign reached 300 commitments from candidates!

Over 300 candidates for the EP elections have already signed the “Civil Society for EU” campaign pledge in support of European civil society! The full list can be found on the campaign website.

Implemented by CSE and Social Platform, “Civil Society for EU” is an elections campaign that calls on future policy leaders and institutions to better recognise, support and engage with civil society through concrete policy measures.


Civil Society Europe (CSE) launches a new training manual about civil dialogue

CSE is excited to launch the training manual “Introduction to Civil Dialogue”, developed within the ‘EnTrust project. The manual aims to contribute to a culture of civil dialogue in EU public officials, by providing trainers with exercises to raise awareness about its importance and implement the principles of civil dialogue and citizens’ accessibility to EU policy-making. Read more.


Defence of Democracy Package: Civil society and academia sound the alarm

On 10 April, nearly 100 people from civil society, academia and the EU institutions gathered at the European Parliament for the event “Defence of democracy package & fundamental rights: What is at stake?”. Hosted by MEP Anna Donáth and co-organised by CSE and the European University Association, the event dealt with the proposed Directive on transparency of interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries, part of the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy Package.

The concensus among the speakers: an ineffective proposed Directive on foreign interest representation will harm civic space and academic freedom. Read here the highlights of the event, including speakers main arguments agains the Directive.


Empower your social and civic activism with the EnTrust Wiki!

Within the framework of the Enlightened Trust (EnTrust) project, CSE has developed the EnTrust Wiki, a collaborative website that aims to interactively present how the EU institutions work and how activists can concretely participate in EU policymaking.

Explore the new website here!


Civil Society Europe joins the European Parliament’s campaign for the EU elections! 

Civil Society Europe (CSE) and the European Parliament (EP) signed a partnership agreement in April to collaborate to multiply the impact of the EP’s communication campaigns aiming to support democratic engagement in the EU, notably in the run-up to the 2024 European elections.

The EP and CSE share the common objective of promoting democratic engagement in the EU and urging civil society to play an active role in the European democratic process, including by participating in the European elections.

Learn more about the EP’s campaign here. 


Response from the EU institutions to the open letter #EUCivilDialogueNow

19 March 2024

The President of the European Parliament (EP), Roberta Metsola, and the Vice President of the European Commission (EC), Věra Jourová, replied to the open letter #EUCivilDialogueNow sent by Civil Society Europe and the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). The open letter, sent on 24 January 2024 and supported by 156 signatories, urged the EC, EP, and the Council of the European Union to take concrete measures to implement an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society organisations in all policy areas, as set out in Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union.

Read the European Parliament’s response here and the European Commission’s reply here.

 

Open letter: Universities and civil society express concerns about the European Commission’s Defence of Democracy Package

25 January 2024

CSE and The European University Association (EUA)  voiced their concerns over the planned directive on covert foreign interference —as part of the Defence of Democracy package announced on 12  December 2023— in a letter sent to the European Parliament, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European, and the Permanent Representatives of the Member States. Read more.


Press release: EU institutions must respect Treaty on EU and implement structured civil dialogue now

24 January 2024

European civil society sent an open letter to the European Commission, European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union urging the three institutions to take concrete measures to implement an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society organisations in all policy areas, as set out in Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union.

The open letter, supported by 156 signatories from 26 Member States, was initiated by CSE and the Civil Society Organisations’ Group of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and includes specific proposals for implementation. Read more.


Transparency & accountability of NGOs funded by the EU: Much Ado About Nothing!

17 January 2024

The own-initiative report adopted on January 17th, 2024 by the European Parliament (EP) on the transparency and accountability of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded from the EU budget (A9-0446/2023) is extremely concerning. Civil Society Europe cannot endorse a report that is largely based on assumptions or opinions and is not justified by any substantiated analysis by EU institutions and bodies or verified risks or malpractice.

Read more


Open letter: CSOs call on MEPs to adopt the European Parliament’s proposals to amend the EU Treaties and on the European Council to convene a Convention to revise the Treaties

Civil Society Europe (CSE) and 16 other civil society organisations call on MEPs to adopt the European Parliament’s proposals to amend the EU Treaties and on the European Council to convene a Convention to revise the Treaties. 


Civil Society Europe analysis reveals significant differences in the level of transparency of the Permanent Representations of Member States to the EU

4 October 2023

Civil Society Europe is making public an analysis of the level of transparency of all Permanent Representations of Member States to the European Union. The analysis shows significant differences in the level of transparency of the Permanent Representations. While some of them make all of the information publicly available, others barely disclose their internal structure and do not reveal which interest representatives the ambassadors are meeting…

Read more


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Latest news

  • Several Civil Society Organisations Call for Rejection of Inquiry Committee on NGO Funding
  • The Need for Transparency is Clear – An Updated Analysis on the Transparency of Permanent Representations to the EU

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