EESC to help shape discussions on EU values in upcoming civil society platform

The pressure on civil society across Europe is growing. To help organisations stay strong, the EU needs closer and more practical cooperation between EU institutions and civil society groups. The announced civil society platform is designed to create a regular, structured space for this dialogue, with the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) aiming to play a key role in it.

These issues were at the centre of the Annual Conference on Fundamental Rights and the Rule of Law organised by the EESC and held on 25 November in Brussels. The event of the EESC’s Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law Group (FRRL Group) gathered EESC members, other EU institutions and civil society representatives to discuss the state of democracy and civic freedoms in the EU and in countries preparing to join the EU.

A major focus of the discussions was the European Democracy Shield and the EU strategy for civil society, presented by the European Commission on 12 November. The first concrete step in implementing this civil society strategy will be establishing a civil society platform by 2026, intended to support dialogue on protecting fundamental rights and the rule of law, and strengthening democratic participation. The EESC adopted an opinion in July 2025 clarifying the role it intends to play in shaping and developing such a platform.

‘The EESC adds value to the EU by representing the diverse socio-economic and civic perspectives of our union. Each year, we produce almost 200 opinions for EU institutions to help align policies with real-world needs and support more inclusive policymaking. This is why we are pleased to co-organise the annual summit of the civil society platform, and we look forward to bringing our experience in participatory democracy to the entire process’, said Marija Hanževački,EESC Vice-President for Communication.

Michael McGrath, Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, underlined the EESC’s contribution to the new strategy and the upcoming platform: ‘The EESC is a crucial partner in our mission to empower civil society and implement the EU strategy for civil society. You represent key elements of our societies and help bring local and national voices to the EU level. In my view, your role is more important today than ever’, said Commissioner McGrath.

Speakers in the first dialogue on policy developments represented key European CSO networks who noted that many civil society organisations face legal, financial and political pressure, including limits on the freedoms to organise, protest and speak openly. Participants called for early warning systems that gather information directly from civil society groups, so that threats can be identified sooner and tackled more quickly. Bringing the workers’ voices to the table, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) explained how trade unions face the exact same challenges as CSOs, and underlined the relevance of the economic and social context and the impact of the rule of law and the importance of including fundamental social rights in the Commission’s rule of law monitoring.

While the civil society strategy recognises the strategic importance of civil society in defending fundamental rights, speakers called for concrete action to provide broad, long-term support for CSOs, covering everything from the digital environment to psychological support. According to the European Commission, the AgoraEU programme, proposed as part of the 2028-2034 multiannual financial framework (MFF), should help alleviate financial pressures.

The discussions then turned to what is needed to make the strategy work in practice, including clearer processes for civil society to contribute to EU decision-making. ‘I think we must move beyond symbolic consultations. We have had Article 11 TEU [on dialogue with civil society] for so many years. It’s not just a principle. It is a mandate for which we need meaningful infrastructure and engagement. The new EU civil society strategy must therefore lead to shared agenda setting, responsibility and ownership between institutions and within civil society’, said Piotr Sadowski, Secretary General of Volonteurope and co-chair of the EESC Liaison Group.

The conference also reviewed recent developments in fundamental rights and the rule of law in Member States, based on the European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report and the FRRL Group’s findings from visits to several countries over the past year, including Moldova, Romania, Italy, France, Serbia and Austria.

José Antonio Moreno Díaz, president of the FRRL Group, noted that since the FRRL’s first country visit reports in 2019, the trend remains worrying: ‘There has been a slow but continuous deterioration in human rights and the rule of law. It is not easy, but civil society must remain vigilant and continue to act as a guarantor for fundamental rights’.

A video recording and summary of the conference will be made available on the event’s webpage.

Background

EESC FRRL Group

The conference was the sixth annual conference organised by the EESC Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law (FRRL) Group. This group is a horizontal body within the EESC tasked to provide a forum for European civil society organisations to meet and share their assessment on the state of fundamental rights, democracy and rule of law in the Member States.

In its work, the FRRL group focuses on key fundamental rights and rule of law issues that are particularly relevant to civil society. While this is done through visits in all EU Member States and contacts with the national civil societies, the objective is to highlight trends in Europe in order to offer the basis for constructive dialogue amongst all stakeholders.

Conference

Besides the European Commission and the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), speakers in the conference's first dialogue on policy developments represented key European CSOs networks such as Civil Society Europe, the European Civic Forum, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)/the Human Rights and Democracy Network (HRDN), Volonteurope/the EESC Liaison Group, and the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)represented the voice of workers. EESC Members also presented the Committee's opinion on the EU Civil Society Strategy.

The second dialogue, on national trends and EU responses, benefitted from contributions by representatives of Gradjanske Inicijative (Serbia), the Italian Council for refugees, the Center for Policies and Reforms (Moldova), Expert Forum (Romania), Reporters Sans Frontières, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties), and the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).