The European coordination for civil society organisations

Public launch of the Civil Society State of the Union report

EU_CSO_2024Press release

On Wednesday 6th September 2023, in light of the European Commission President’s upcoming State of the Union address, Civil Society Europe (CSE) will launch its Civil Society State of the Union report (CS SOTEU) in Brussels and online. The report addresses EU institutions and Member States and comprises the vision and recommendations of civil society for a more democratic and socially and environmentally just European Union.

The report is delivered after months of collaboration among around 50 civil society organisations  (CSOs) specialised in a range of different sectors. The report was produced by Civil Society Europe’s Working Group on the Civil Society State of the Union. This Working Group was set up to follow up on the recommendations made within the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Working Group also aims to promote and support the participation of civil society and citizens in EU democracy.

The CS SOTEU report has brought together the voices of civil society organisations at EU level ahead of the preparation of the Commission’s work programme, thereby enriching the European institutions’ discussions on the State of the Union with a bottom-up perspective. Moreover, it brings forward civil society’s vision and recommendations, which is important now more than ever in light of next year’s European elections.

Key areas of the report: 

  • Strengthening democracy, fundamental rights and civic space in the EU and the world;
  • Enhancing freedom of movement and solidarity for a more inclusive European society;
  • A socially just EU;
  • Fighting against climate change’s impacts and addressing (global) environmental challenges;
  • A digital transformation that leaves no one behind in the EU;
  • Shielding the future of European society through human-centred security policies.

The report will be presented on Wednesday 6th September from 16:00 – 17:00 both online and in person. The in-person launch will take place at Rue des Deux Églises 14, 1000 Brussels and will be followed by a networking reception until 18:30.

For further information, please contact:

Nastassia Maes, Policy and Membership Officer, Civil Society Europe

nastassia (dot) maes (at) civilsocietyeurope.eu

https://civilsocietyeurope.eu/ | @EuCivilsociety

+32 2 721 40 69

Here is the digital version of our report (disclaimer: this version is not fully accessible for persons with disabilities). The fully accessible version of the report can be found here.