“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 was to officially and decisively launch the consultation phase of the ‘New Democratic Pact for Europe’, announced by the secretary general at the start of his mandate in January 2024.
Over these two days, leading figures from civil society, representatives of European states and international organisations exchanged best practice and formulated specific proposals on how to monitor, strengthen and protect civic space as a cornerstone of democratic renewal.
“We will not be able to respond to disruption outside Europe if civic space is shrinking within it. If democratic trust is collapsing from the inside”, said Alain Berset, pointing to the new laws on “foreign influence” or “foreign agents”, which impose increasingly heavy constraints on independent organisations.
Among the major challenges are disinformation and foreign interference, which will be addressed in a new Council of Europe Convention, and work on migration issues within the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights, which is expected to culminate in the final declaration of the Ministerial Session to be held in Chisinau in mid-May under Moldova’s presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the 46 Council of Europe member states.
Also speaking at the opening of the conference, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty stressed the importance of youth organisations, which are “at the forefront of vital social change for the good”.
Referring to the ‘2025 CIVICUS Monitor’ report, he pointed out that only 18 of the 46 Council of Europe member states have an open civic space, while the civic space of 13 Council of Europe member states has deteriorated since 2018.
“In this regard”, he added, “I welcome the impending establishment of a civil society platform to operate across the EU and the recognition of the need to put aside substantial funds to support the work of civil society within the European Union itself”.
He would like to see this inter-state mechanism applied across the continent to “monitor the situation of civil society, draw attention to problems and issues of risk and [...] respond as appropriate to attacks on the organisations”.
Link to the secretary general’s speech: https://aeur.eu/f/kki
Link to the speech by the commissioner for human rights: https://aeur.eu/f/kkh (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)