On 12 November, the European Commission released its new EU Strategy for Civil Society during the presentation of the European Democracy Shield. The Strategy aims to empower, protect and promote strong and resilient democracies across the EU, where civil society organisations (CSOs) play an essential role.
Despite being fundamental to democracy and to the protection of human rights, CSOs across Europe, including anti-trafficking organisations, have experienced a continuous shrinking of civic space in recent years. Many institutions and CSOs worldwide, including La Strada International (LSI), have consistently raised concerns about the erosion of public space and the increasing risks faced by those who defend human rights.
While the essential role of CSOs is widely recognised in international and EU legal instruments, and CSOs are regularly invited to consultations and review mechanisms, these processes are often time-consuming and not always effective. In many cases, they remain largely formal exercises, where CSOs advice is often ignored and not meaningfully reflected in reality.
Moreover, NGOs face a wide range of difficulties, from limited access to funding and resources to increasing threats, attacks and serious legal obstacles.
LSI provided its input for a new EU Strategy, emphasising in particularly the need to enhance the protection and support of civil society, the recognition of CSOs as equal policy partners, and ensuring long-term core funding for CSOs. The EU has now responded with a comprehensive Strategy, although further efforts will still be needed. The Strategy is built around three main objectives:
- Fostering engagement with a new Civil Society Platform to be established by 2026, intending to further facilitate dialogue on the protection and promotion of EU values.
- Sustainable and transparent funding has been one of the central demands of LSI and many CSOs for decades. The Commission now proposes a significant increase in civil society funding under the new Multiannual Financial Framework, with €9 billion planned for the AgoraEU programme alone. The Commission also plans to make funding more accessible by creating closer links with private donors and pro bono legal networks, and by improving complementarity between different funding streams.
- Enhancing support and protection by creating an online Knowledge Hub on Civic Space to facilitate access to existing projects and tools, including available protection measures. Many useful tools already exist, particularly those developed by UN bodies, and the Hub should help ensure these tools are used more effectively.
- LSI has repeatedly highlighted the need for stronger protection mechanisms and emergency support for organisations facing pressure or threats. The Strategy now foresees the exploration of additional support measures, including urgent assistance for CSOs under threat and better coordination of available protection mechanisms across Member States.
The need for meaningful involvement of CSOs
LSI welcomes the Commission’s call for Member States to develop or update national strategies to support, protect and empower CSOs. This includes fostering an enabling civic space in line with Recommendation (EU) 2023/2836. However, stronger and more binding commitments are needed to ensure the meaningful involvement of CSOs in policymaking, especially at national level.
Organisations with expert knowledge, such as those participating in the EU Civil Society Platform to combat Human Trafficking and the EU Victim Rights Platform, where LSI is an active member, should be systematically included in strategic discussions, expert meetings and legislative processes. LSI, together with our members, is ready to support Member States in this transition.
Funding: progress and remaining challenges
La Strada International welcomes the Commission’s intention to increase available funding for CSOs, to strengthen cooperation between CSOs and donors, to promote pro bono legal support networks and to expand the use of financial support to third parties within EU programmes.
Member States are encouraged to maintain a legal and regulatory environment that is supportive of CSOs and donors, including philanthropy, through the implementation of the non-discrimination principle and the Council Recommendation on the social economy.
However, several challenges remain. These include ensuring that small and grassroots organisations are truly able to access EU funding in practice, increasing transparency on how much EU funding is allocated to commercial firms, expanding multi-annual core funding for CSOs of all sizes, simplifying application and reporting processes, protecting funding from political influence and reducing co-funding requirements.
It is essential that EU funding supports the core work of CSOs, rather than creating pressure to constantly develop new projects and events simply to remain eligible for funding. While such activities may have their place, this model places unnecessary workload and administrative strain on organisations, diverting time and resources away from their primary missions.
LSI also notes that its call for structured and meaningful involvement of CSOs in policymaking has not yet been translated into binding commitments.
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