Europe is experiencing a dangerous rollback of civic freedoms, in a context where the promise of universal rights and democratic values, enshrined in the EU treaties, is being steadily eroded by interconnected economic, social, cultural, and political factors. The European Civic Forum, in its latest Civic Space Report, documents an “unprecedented and intensified attack” on civil society and civic freedoms, including restrictions on protest rights, challenges to non-profit funding, and smear campaigns. The report is made up of a horizontal, EU-wide analysis, written by ECF, 16 EU MS country chapters, and a regional Western Balkans analysis written by ECF members and partners on the ground, including BCSDN. The main findings of the report show a deliberate strategy to delegitimise civil society across Europe, protest rights severely restricted, especially Palestine solidarity and environmental groups targeted, and international human rights law put into question as LGBTQI+ people,racialised groups, and migrants scapegoated, among other. The ECF calls on EU and national leaders to take concrete actions to protect and expand the space for civil society, particularly in the context of a growing assault on democracy. Read more here.
Source: European Civic Forum