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According to the Blue Book[1] describing the priority sectors and programme areas of the 2014-22 period “Support from the EEA and Norway Grants to civil society reflects a firm recognition of the sector’s role as a fundamental building block of democratic governance, human rights and social cohesion across Europe.  (…) Civil society organisations (CSOs) mobilise participation in civic life, and play a key role in promoting active citizen engagement in decision-making at local, national and European levels.”

The European Commission released its Social Economy Action Plan on 9 December, which recognises the important role of foundations and other social economy actors in offering concrete and innovative solutions to key challenges we are facing and their key role to rebuild after the crises. For Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea), a convergence of Dafne and EFC, this marks a moment of celebration for the philanthropic and the wider social economy sector who have long advocated for this policy.

4 November 2021, online

Most countries of Central Europe are in a political turmoil in one way or another. In some one government crisis follows another, in others potentially decisive elections are coming up soon. Naturally, these developments have an impact on civil society, as citizen groups, organisations and movements realise they need to participate and have their say in democratic processes during and beyond elections. This workshop is organised by Ökotárs-Hungarian Environmental Partnership Foundation with its partners – Civil College Foundation, Hungarian Civil Liberties Union and With the Power of Humanity Foundation - in the framework of a joint project, supported by the European Commission aimed at building the capacity of civil society and facilitating the exchange of knowhow about civic engagement around elections.

Ökotárs and With the Power of Humanity Foundations held the first cross-sectoral workshop in the framework of their joint project with Civil College and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union on June 11 in Pécs with the title ’Civils, media and elections’. The event, the first one organized in live, in-person format after a long time, was attended by journalists of local, national and Central European news portals and newspapers as well as members of civil society organizations (CSOs) and activist groups mainly from around Pécs and Southern Hungary, around 40 people in total.

Ten months after the ruling of the European Court of Justice, the Hungarian government finally moves to repeal the LexNGO. This is an important development for affected civil society organisations (CSOs) as it ends 4 years of unnecessary and damaging stigmatisation.

The European Civic Forum responded to the European Commission Rule of Law consultation (see attachment). They covered 12 EU countries and proposed a methodology to structure civic space issues inside the RoL report. Feel free to share it and use it as it best serves you!

The decades-long history of the European Community Organizing Network (ECON) is about finding its way. About finding ways to most effectively support people, community organizers and community leaders who are fighting for social justice to build a more equitable society. At its annual general assembly, the organisation elected Ökotárs as a new member.

Together with the Civilizstion coalition, Ökotárs also protested against merging the Equal Treatment Authority into the office of the Ombudsperson, as this violates the enforcement of equal treatment requirements.