“Civic space is where democracy breathes. [...] Our responsibility is clear - to keep civic space open. To protect those who sustain democratic life. And to ensure that in a fragmenting world order Europe does not surrender what makes democracy work”, said Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset at the opening of the international conference on shaping democratic renewal and civic space held in Strasbourg on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 February.
The aim of the conference...