On 15 September 2023, in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe Secretary General organized the First Regular Exchange of Views with Civil Society, with representatives from local, national, and international CSOs, discussing how the improve the cooperation with the Council and ensure a safe an enabling environment for civil society. Several BCSDN representatives, including BCSDN’s Head of Policy and Advocacy – Anja Bosilkova Antovska, were invited to participated in the meeting.
In the opening, Secretary-General Marija Pejcinovic Buric emphasized the importance of the first annual in-person exchange with civil society, taking place on the International Day of Democracy, noting that this is only one step of a continuous process. Ms. Pejcinovic recognized the essential role of civil society in promoting the Council of Europe (CoE) standards and addressing challenges like democratic backsliding and curtailed civic freedoms. The Helsinki Process, the Reykjavík Declaration, and the development of a handbook were discussed to strengthen CoE’s engagement with civil society. A roadmap of proposals on how to make the Council’s work more effective, including standard-setting, monitoring, and cooperation activities, was presented.
Noteworthy points from various civil society participants included the need for the CoE to be more accessible, visible among and engaged with civil society, ensure the participation of critical independent voices in consultations and exchanges, while addressing the reliance on government-controlled NGOs (GONGOs), cooperate with other international organizations around common standards concerning civil society space in general, and invest in training for both civil society and institutional capacity (including in the field offices), among other. Recommendations included making civic space more visible, monitoring CoE recommendations and implementation of CoE standards, and a rapid response mechanism for online complaints.
After the plenary exchange of views, three breakout workshops were organized: 1) on the participation of civil society in the monitoring of CoE Standards, 2) on strengthening the implementation of CoE standards for democracy and good governance, and 3) on freedom of association in Europe: protecting and strengthening civic space and enlarging the CoE space for civil society.
The need for meaningful participation, transparency, a two-way street of engagement, and synergies within and outside CoE were emphasized as conclusions from the first workshop. In the second one, the quality of collaboration between member states and civil society was highlighted. In the workshop on Freedom of Association (FoA), trends in shrinking civic space were discussed, including challenges faced by NGOs in Turkey,Bulgaria, the Western Balkans and other countries. Recommendations included an annual report on civil society, a focus on better communication, and protecting human rights defenders. A call for the CoE to work as a bridge between institutions and stakeholders, ensuring visibility of civil society, and prioritizing civic space issues was made. Overall recommendations included improving communication, enhancing participation, and reviewing the implementation of commitments.
The Council of Europe report from the meeting is available here.