13/06/2025 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 13 June, the European Commission opened a public consultation to gather the views of all stakeholders on the European Union’s future strategy for civil society. Expected by the end of 2025, this strategy will propose concrete actions to better protect and support civil society organisations in the EU at a time when the space devoted to these organisations and to human rights defenders is “shrinking”, according to the EU institution in its consultation document. In particular, the organisations concerned and their representatives may be subject to hostile media campaigns, online harassment, alleged surveillance, legal proceedings (SLAPP proceedings) or even physical threats. Another problem often raised by civil society players is the difficulty of obtaining transparent and predictable long-term funding to enable them to maintain their independence. To respond to the public consultation, open until Friday 5 September, visit https://aeur.eu/f/hc0 (MB)