In early February 2023, Civil Society Europe (CSE) launched a new Working Group (WG) dedicated to following up on the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) and to supporting civil society and citizens’ participation in EU democracy. In doing so, the WG is continuing the collaborative and ambitious work accomplished within the Civil Society Convention for the Conference on the Future of Europe (CSOCoFoE) in 2021-2022.

This WG serves as a place to exchange and follow up on the CoFoE, and to monitor the adopted conclusions’ implementation and developments, support civil society’s participation in initiatives tied to EU democracy, while ensuring that marginalised groups’ interests are represented and addressed  in matters concerning EU democracy, and acts as a place to have discussions and develop proposals on citizens’ involvement in the CoFoE’s follow-up and in EU democracy, including but not limited to citizens’ panels.

So far, this WG has met 5 times in 2023.

Civil Society State of the Union Report 2023

On the 6th of September 2023, CSE launched its Civil Society State of the Union 2023 report (CS SOTEU). The CS SOTEU comprises the visions and recommendations of 43 civil society organisations for a more democratic and socially and environmentally just EU.

The report was delivered after 7 months of collaboration among a broad coalition of civil society organisations active at EU level. It is addressed to the EU institutions and Member States.

You can read the report here. Here is the press release for the report’s launch.