Europe is facing a pivotal moment. Social and economic inequalities, rapid technological change, anti-democratic forces and geopolitical instability are straining the foundations of the European project.
With democracy and civic space under mounting pressure, civil society organisations, human rights defenders and free media face growing constraints - from restrictive laws and disinformation campaigns to underfunding and public distrust. Deepening polarisation and eroding trust in institutions further undermine Europe’s democratic model.
In this opinion, the EESC calls on the European Commission to recognize that shrinking civic space and growing pressure on democracy and democratic values constitute structural barriers to poverty reduction and should be addressed in the implementation of the EU Anti-Poverty Strategy. To achieve SDG 1(No Poverty), the root causes of poverty must be addressed through a human-rights and democratic-resilience lens, shifting the discourse from providing charitable assistance to seeing poverty reduction as a shared public responsibility, as well as a fundamental human rights responsibility.
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Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Shrinking democratic space as a barrier to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the European Union – placing civil society at the heart of Europe’s fight against poverty (SDG1)
"Cohesion policy 2028–2034: A new fund, a new framework, a new role for civil society?" brings together EU institutions, social partners and civil society representatives to reflect on the future of cohesion policy in the next Multiannual Financial Framework. The hearing explores proposals for reforming cohesion funding and governance, assesses the implications of the new framework through the National and Regional Partnership Plans and examines how civil society organisations can play a stronger role in the design, implementation and monitoring of cohesion policy. The discussion aims to identify how cohesion policy can continue to deliver territorial, social and economic cohesion while responding to new challenges and transitions facing the European Union.
This study examines how social partners and civil society organisations in six Member States — Italy, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Sweden — view the effectiveness of current policies in raising employment levels and increasing adult participation in training. It also puts forward recommendations for improving policy outcomes.
The public hearing will examine how national, local and civil society actors will work together to foster collaboration through partnership principle and multi-level governance in order to deliver more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient outcomes across all regions.
Download — Udvalgets udtalelse: Establishing the European Fund for Regional Development including for European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg) and the Cohesion Fund
At its July 2025 plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted a pivotal opinion calling for the creation of a robust, rights-based EU Anti-Poverty Strategy (APS). This strategy, requested by the European Commission, aims to eradicate extreme poverty across the Union by recognising it not as an unfortunate by-product of economic systems, but as a systemic injustice and a violation of fundamental rights.
Believes the APS should be intersectional and gender-responsive, based on a multidimensional definition of poverty
Recommends setting ambitious, measurable targets, including the eradication of extreme poverty, and framing poverty as a violation of fundamental rights
