Throughout Europe’s history, moments of mass mobilisation have marked demands for democratic change. In 2025, renewed civic mobilisation has re-emerged across the continent, including through large-scale student-led protests in Serbia against systemic corruption and governance failures. This mobilisation is unfolding alongside mounting restrictions on civic freedoms. The European Civic Forum’s latest Civic Space Report documents an unprecedented escalation of protest bans, excessive policing, and legal harassment of CSOs, while the CIVICUS Monitor recently downgraded civic space in several EU member states. These pressures are compounded by a renewed wave of austerity threatening social services, cultural organisations, and nature conservation groups. Concerningly, restrictions have also reached EU institutions, where members of the European People’s Party have aligned with far-right actors to attack NGO legitimacy, while the Commission’s deregulation agenda risks dismantling key fundamental-rights safeguards. Against this backdrop, the ECCivil Society Strategy recognises civil society advocacy as a cornerstone of democracy and calls for safe participation and stable funding, with its impact hinging on concrete implementation and political commitment. Read more here.
Source: ECF