The European Economic and Social Committee's (EESC) Diversity Europe Group urged civil society to engage in the fight against populism on Wednesday 20 February.
"European civil society should help the Union to reach out to citizens, thus preventing and limiting the appeal of populist parties", said Group President Arno Metzler at a press conference presenting a study, carried out by the NGO European Citizen Action Service ('ECAS') at the EESC's request, on the role of civil society organisations in the fight against populism.
The Diversity Europe Group considers that economic progress and stability, although crucial in addressing the concerns that fuel Euroscepticism, are not enough to contain populism. In parallel, measures must be taken by civil society to spread a positive message on "the value and importance of Europe" and "bringing the EU closer to its citizens".
To this end, Mr Metzler stressed the EESC's key role as the voice of civil society in Europe and because of its influence on European decision-makers. He believes that the Committee should therefore intensify its actions aimed at "step[ping] up our activities to link the European level and the national level" and strengthen communication with "civil society networks".
Moreover, according to him, "the fight against populism and Euroscepticism must be fought above all at national level". He therefore ensured that the ECAS study, which aims to provide both a better understanding of the factors influencing citizens' choices in favour of populism in non-metropolitan areas, and an overview of how civil society organisations fight populism with a view to recommending further civic action, will be transmitted to the competent authorities in the Member States.
Finally, Mr Metzler announced that the Diversity Europe Group wanted to propose a "programme of education for European citizenship" so that in the future, every citizen would feel European.
To view the study: https://bit.ly/2U53fat. (Original version in French by Damien Genicot - intern)