Empowering civil society to act and grow in Europe
Social Platform – the European network of social NGOs

• Date: 27 June 2017
• Time: 09:30-12:30
• Address: European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), Room JDE 63, Rue Belliard 99, Brussels B-1040, Belgium
• Event type: Workshop
• Section: Politics?
• Event location: Brussels

Event description

There are legal frameworks and mechanisms in place in Europe to ensure that citizens and civil society organisations enjoy the rights to freedoms of association, expression and assembly. However, there are growing challenges to these rights from either measures taken by governments and authorities or from action by third parties. There also seems to be mounting distrust of civil society, especially its advocacy or watchdog roles, on the part of the authorities. 

Within the framework of Civil Society Days 2017 organised by the European Economic and Social Committee’s Liaison Group, Social Platform is holding a workshop to highlight the results of surveys and reports on the situation of civic space in the EU, and to encourage debate among decision-makers, civil society and other experts on the reasons behind and solutions to the emergence of worrying trends. The workshop will also address the various dimensions and specificities of civic space, looking at mechanisms that can suppress or enable the work of civil society. Finally, participants will be invited to share examples of initiatives at local and national level that contribute to the empowerment of civil society organisations.

The workshop will be divided into three sections:

1. Civil society space in Europe – state of play
2. Testimonies from the ground
3. Ways forward and recommendations to decision-makers

More information is available here.