🗞️ Our May-June newsletter is here!👉bit.ly/3LjGwDB Dive into👇 ✅CSE General Assembly 📄Civil society in the EU Annual #RuleofLaw Report 🗣️General Affairs Council discussion about the Directive on third country interest representation ...and more!

🚨 The Good Lobby, together with other organisations, has issued an urgent appeal to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, demanding immediate enforcement of transparency rules to protect EU democracy. Read the letter: thegoodlobby.eu/press-release-… Social Platform

1/4 The state of civic space in 🇪🇺 is mixed, with troubling trends: 🟢Increased CSO policymaking engagement🇲🇰🇪🇸 🔴Hostility, opaque funding & legal harassment of CSOs 🇭🇷🇬🇷🇷🇸 🔴Attacks on journalists 🇦🇱🇩🇪🇧🇬 🔴Criminalization of CSOs 🇬🇷 🔴 Attacks on environmental activists 🇩🇪 🇷🇸

Earlier this year, EU civil society sent an Open Letter to Ursula von der Leyen, Roberta Metsola and @EU2024BE, calling for concrete measures to implement an open, transparent and regular #EUCivilDialogueNow Open letter initiated by our Group and Civil Society Europe 📰 europa.eu/!yG8b6t

Civil society plays a key role in the European Commission’s #RuleOfLaw Report! 🗣️ In the words of Gabriella Civico, “institutional issues related to checks and balances are addressed by #CivilSociety actors on the ground”🤝 Learn more ➡️ bit.ly/4cV5qFL

📕NEW: European Commission has just published its #RuleOfLaw report. It finds multiple breaches across the EU, but makes glaring omissions and gives weak recommendations. The process is not fit for purpose. It’s time for a rethink. Our PR 👇 civic-forum.eu/press/with-the…

5 years in, EU's #RuleOfLaw Toolbox is a valuable instrument - but our work shows it still needs improvements for efficiency & inclusiveness Read Oliver Röpke & #FRRLGroup joint statement as our Opinion on the #RuleOfLawReport will come up in October ▶️bit.ly/3WwGzSV

The #RuleofLaw Report is out, but did it address civil society's concerns? In our joint contribution to the report, we called on European Commission to strengthen the RoL Mechanism & civil society's involvement, address worrying civic space trends, and more👇 bit.ly/3zTDdRg

Our latest newsletter is out now! 🗞️   With Ursula von der Leyen is elected  EU Commission President and the new Rule of Law report is published we share our reflections of the past five years and look ahead to the next.   Read more about it here! 👉 civic-forum.eu/newsletter/sum…

Earlier this year, we hosted a conference on #EUCivilDialogueNow, where we looked at: 🟢Ways to continue to lead on civil society engagement after the EU elections 🟢Fostering an integrated approach to participatory democracy Read more about the results 👇 europa.eu/!QfmXjy

Together with Civil Society Europe we initiated an open letter on #EUCivilDialogueNow to the EU institutions, earlier this year. The letter got the support of 3⃣9⃣ EU networks & 8⃣5⃣ national civil society organisations. Learn more about it! Watch president Séamus Boland and Gabriella Civico 👇

🚨Journalists & civil society sound the alarm: the Foreign Interference Directive poses risks to media freedom CSE, ARTICLE 19 & EFJ urge the withdrawal of the #DefenseOfDemocracy Package’s proposed Directive Our statement👉bit.ly/3AMfhQf #ProtectMediaFreedom

📢 European CSOs raise alarm over the proposed Directive on interest representation services, part of the Defense of Democracy Package. They call for its immediate withdrawal due to vague definitions that risk harming media freedom in the EU. #MediaFreedom #EU

📢 The proposed EU Foreign Interference Directive poses serious risks to media freedom. ARTICLE 19, alongside Civil Society Europe and the EFJ urge for its immediate withdrawal. Protecting democracy must not undermine fundamental rights. article19.org/resources/eu-f…

UN Special Rapporteurs raise serious concerns about the EU Foreign Interference Directive's impact on human rights and civic space. In an open letter to the EU, they urge a radical rethink of the proposed Directive👉bit.ly/3MAyerM #DefenseOfDemocracy

A setback for civil society engagement: European Commission will not restore staff contact details in 'Whoiswho' Directory. European Ombudsman and civil society call for consultation in future decision-making processes. Read CSE & Social Platform's press release👉bit.ly/3XB6PvT

❗️ The European Commission's decision not to restore staff contact details in the "Whoiswho" Directory is a set back for civil society and for transparency. 🤝 European Ombudsman and civil society urge proper stakeholder consultation. More 👇

Thank you for a lively discussion in today's first Dialogue Cycle meeting on A European Strategy for #CivilSociety! Getting on track to draft a reflection paper addressing the need for such a strategy and its building blocks 🧱