Civil Society Europe’s Reaction to the State of the European Union (SOTEU) speech On the 10th September 2025, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen delivered the annual State of the European Union (SOTEU) speech, which launches the EU political year and indicates the priorities for 2026. In view of this important […]
CSE’s Contribution to the Consultation on the EU Civil Society Strategy The EU Civil Society Strategy represents a timely and much needed opportunity for strengthening the support to European civil society and safeguarding civic space by providing a coherent, long-term framework. This is made more necessary by the growing pressure faced by the sector as […]
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. This portrayal has been amplified through the media, with notable exceptions of articles […]
Transparency of decision making processes is a key element for democracy: access to documents, and clarity of the policy making flow and key players are essential for citizens, civil society organisations and journalists to act as watchdogs to ensure that policy making is not captured by vested interests. Transparency of the institutions is also mandated […]
Civil Society Europe, as the representative organisation of European networks of civil society organisations, 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. Such a proposal positively reflects […]
To: Mr Donald Tusk, for the upcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union Ms Mette Frederiksen, for the upcoming Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union Mr Nikos Christodoulides, for the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union Ms Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament Ms […]
Civil Society Europe calls on all civil society organisations (CSOs) to endorse an open letter addressed to key EU Institutions, urging them to prioritise actions that foster a vibrant civic space, uphold democracy, and safeguard fundamental rights over the next five years. Read the letter (under embargo) below or download it here To add your […]
This Integrated Policy Paper aims to present the policy recommendations stemming from 4 years of research by the EnTrust project*, of which Civil Society Europe is a member. The document is based on the findings and recommendations presented in the project’s seven European Policy Briefs (PBs), built on the team’s research and enriched by roundtable […]
Within the framework of the Horizon 2020 Enlightened Trust (EnTrust) project, Civil Society Europe 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. The website is structured in 8 interactive modules, each of them with learning outcomes, […]
As part of the Enlightened Trust (EnTrust) research project, Civil Society Europe is hosting two debates on the 23rd and 25th of April. 1. A pact on informed and open policy debate: Civil dialogue and the (dis)trust relationship between civil society and EU institutions Tuesday, 23rd of April. 11:45 – 13:00 CEST Brussels and online […]
