The EESC’s 15th Civil Society Prize has honoured three winners, from Slovakia, Belgium and France, for their inspiring work in tackling negative polarisation across Europe. The winners were revealed on 20 March at an award ceremony during Civil Society Week.  

The prize money was shared among the three front-runners, with the first prize receiving EUR 14 000. The second prize went to two runners-up, each receiving EUR 9 000.

FIRST PRIZE: Slovak Debate Association in Slovakia for The Critical Thinking Olympiad

The Slovak Debate Association (SDA) is an NGO in Slovakia. Their mission is to promote open-mindedness and critical thinking, and to foster active citizenship among Slovak youth. Through a series of programmes, the SDA teaches young people to assess facts and opinions, to formulate their own arguments and to think critically about media output to find credible sources of information. In doing so, the organisation forms a space for open and public debate about key issues faced by Slovak society.

One of the most successful programmes, launched in 2021, is the Critical Thinking Olympiad (CTO). It has already been widely adopted, with almost 9 000 students from over 300 schools taking part last year. This innovative project is a competition that builds resilience against misinformation among students. Disinformation is rife in Slovakia: 61% of Slovaks distrust the media and over half believe in some conspiracy theories. The CTO works to directly confront this challenge by building media literacy and changing consumption habits among young people.

The competition is aimed at three student age groups (grades 8-13), in which participants face a range of real-world media challenges in three rounds. The tasks are designed to mirror content that students may be exposed to in their everyday lives. They analyse TikTok videos, fact-check AI-created content and evaluate Instagram posts, and try to distinguish between reality and misinformation. Students also take part in a public speaking round, where they must present their arguments to their peers.

‘The Critical Thinking Olympiad helps depolarise society by teaching thousands of students to engage with diverse perspectives, recognise cognitive biases and articulate their views constructively,’ said Richard Vaško, the founder and coordinator of the programme. ‘By strengthening critical thinking and media literacy through this skill-based intervention, we empower young people to resist misinformation and navigate societal debates with nuance.’

SECOND PRIZE: Reporters d'Espoirs in France for Prix Européen Jeunes Reporters d’Espoirs

Reporters of Hope is a French non-profit organisation formed in 2003. It kickstarted the ‘solutions journalism’ approach, now a widely practiced form of journalism that seeks answers to the challenges faced by society today. The organisation encourages journalists to adopt this positive mindset and honours the best reporting and editorial innovations of journalists and young people through a series of awards.

The Prix Européen Jeunes Reporters d’Espoirs is an initiative to both reward and train journalists in solutions journalism in the French language. The multi-faceted programme offers candidates the opportunity to learn solutions journalism through an online course run in conjunction with the Aix-Marseille School of Journalism. Each candidate is also paired up with a mentor to help improve their writing and speaking skills and trained in the art of pitching. Winners are also invited to Paris for a 48-hour learning trip during which they meet other like-minded journalists and experts from around Europe. Six winners are then awarded prizes totalling €10 000.

‘Combating polarisation is inherent in the method of solutions journalism: it consists of showing the complexity of the world, the diversity of actors who act at all levels and in all countries, together or separately, while describing the capacity for localised initiatives to spread,’ said Gilles Vanderpooten, director of Reporters d'Espoirs.

During its first three editions, the prize received over 400 applications from 25 countries. The current 4th edition is on track to exceed 300 applications. The organisation has already supported over 75 candidates to master their written and spoken French.

The idea is easily replicable, and the team is already in discussion with journalists in Spain, Italy and Belgium to partner with them and spread the prize further.

‘Our ambition is to expand the prize from the French-speaking world into other European Union languages,’ said Mr Vanderpooten. ‘This is the key to getting more and more young people involved in the ‘Europe of solutions’.

THIRD PRIZE: FEC Diversité asbl in Belgium for their project ESCAPE GAME EXTREME DROITE pour se désintoxiquer

In Europe and around the world, right-wing ideologies are taking hold. Far-right parties are gaining ground and populism is on the rise. The Belgian non-profit organisation FEC Diversité devised a way to counter these views among teachers, unions and ordinary citizens.

ESCAPE GAME EXTREME DROITE pour se désintoxiquer is an escape game that lets players ‘decontaminate’ themselves from the ideas of the far right, in a fun, engaging way. Players are informed they have been infected with far-right ideologies and must decontaminate themselves through a series of tasks. In doing so, they learn how far-right ideas are spread and amplified through society.

The game is made up of four districts, each with specific tests that players must pass. In District A, participants engage in discussions on the impact of the extreme right in the workplace, through interactions with 19 objects. In District B, players read from real testimonies of migrants to understand their journeys into Europe. In District C, audio of a ‘speech on the far right’ is accompanied by a series of images. District D sees players engage with a report on a far-right party, before completing crossword puzzles.

The immersive game includes coaches dressed in anti-gas suits and masks, with altered voices. The idea through the various challenges is to engage all five senses to truly bring the experience home and raise awareness of what is at stake for democracy in Europe.

Since its launch in June 2023, almost 1000 players have been ‘detoxified’, and word has spread among workers’ unions, organisations and schools in Belgium and beyond. Participants from France and Bulgaria have come to play the game with a view to recreating it elsewhere.

‘We are proud of having developed an innovative educational tool that tackles the issue of far-right ideas in an engaging and interactive way,’ says Malika Borbouse from FEC Diversité. ‘By fostering dialogue and collective reflection, our initiative has helped reduce tensions and promote a more inclusive society.’

The EESC's flagship Civil Society Prize has been awarded 15 times to date. It rewards projects that take a particularly creative and innovative approach to issues that are very relevant to the EU.

Applications can be submitted by any civil society organisations officially registered within the European Union and acting at local, regional, national or European level. The prize is also open to individuals who reside in the EU, as well as to companies registered or operating within the EU, provided that their projects are strictly not-for-profit.

All eligible initiatives and projects have to be carried out in the EU. They must have already been implemented or be ongoing before the closing date for applications.

The aim of the prize is to raise awareness about civil society's outstanding contribution to creating a European identity and citizenship and promoting the common values that bolster European integration.

A different topic is chosen each year. In 2023, it was projects that focused on mental health. In 2022, the EESC exceptionally awarded a prize for two topics: youth and Ukraine. In 2021, the prize honoured climate projects promoting a just transition. In 2020, the EESC replaced its Civil Society Prize with a one-off Civil Solidarity Prize dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. Other topics in the past have included gender equality and women's empowerment, European identities and cultural heritage, and migration.

In October 2024, the EESC launched its 15th Civil Society Prize on combating harmful polarisation of European society.

The theme of polarisation is more urgent than ever. Amid multiple overlapping crises — including the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war in Ukraine and widespread social and economic instability — mistrust in public institutions and authorities has grown, breeding harmful polarisation.

Civil society plays a key role in combating this mistrust and monitoring hotbeds of online and offline polarisation, improving social cohesion and upholding democratic ideals. Together with public authorities and civil society, it may help protect liberal democracy from authoritarian trends.

For this reason, the EESC has decided to award its latest Civil Society Prize to non-profit initiatives that intervene effectively by implementing preventive, early-warning and (where needed) de-escalation measures which ensure that democratic values are upheld, polarisation does not become harmful and one-sided narratives do not lead to acts of violence.

The weight of strengthening cohesion to depolarise societies falls on the shoulders of civil society organisations, who have the strength and the motivation to protect civic and democratic spaces. This was the key message from Civil Society Week, hosted for a second year by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) to discuss the alarming trend of widespread polarisation across EU societies.

Over 800 people, including representatives from civil society organisations (CSOs), NGOs and youth groups, as well as stakeholders and journalists, gathered at the EESC from 17 to 20 March in honour of Civil Society Week to share views and discuss how to strengthen cohesion and participation in polarised societies.

Civil Society Week hosted 14 sessions organised by EESC Liaison Group members and European Citizens’ Initiative Day (ECI) partners, including the EESC Civil Society Prize award ceremony. Participants drew up a comprehensive set of actionable steps and key demands for more cohesive societies' including:

• Strengthen cohesion through education and culture;
• Provide affordable and sustainable housing;
• Strengthen public participation through the ECI;
• Secure an inclusive just transition and green-blue growth;
• Build a strong European strategy for civil society;
• Reinforce support and funding for civil society organisations;
• Engage young people in shaping a stronger, more resilient Europe;
• Boost innovation and technology for the common good.

At the closing session, EESC President Oliver Röpke said: ‘As we conclude this second edition of Civil Society Week, I am deeply inspired by the energy, resilience and commitment of civil society actors from across Europe. This week has demonstrated that when civil society comes together, we can forge solutions that strengthen our democracy, foster social cohesion and build a Europe that truly works for its people.’

From the European Commission, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President on Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, emphasised the crucial role that CSOs play in navigating societies using core European values.

Victor Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament, made a strong call to action, asking CSOs to show their strength and react to aggressive rhetoric: ‘We need a strong civil society and a real partnership between civil society and decision-makers in order to jointly build on a consistent society with real impact on people’s lives.’

Representatives from CSOs stressed that civil societies are more than service providers; they are an essential part of democracy and participation. Nataša Vučković, Secretary General at Serbia’s Centre for Democracy Foundation, expressed her optimism that civil society can play a vital role in fighting the root causes and the spread of anti-democratic and anti-European narratives, both in the EU and in candidate countries. This can be done by decoding the European Union and ensuring its benefits reach all citizens in their everyday lives. (at)

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has welcomed the European Commission's new 'Vision for Agriculture and Food,' a reform roadmap aiming to strengthen farmers' positions and build sustainable food systems. However, the EESC urges greater ambition in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The vision, debated at the EESC plenary on 27 March, includes measures to boost farmers' bargaining power, increase supply chain transparency and improve food policy dialogue. EU Agriculture Commissioner, Christophe Hansen, described it as a 'targeted response to calls for a competitive, fair and resilient agri-food sector,' and stressed the importance of working closely with all stakeholders, including civil society.

EESC President, Oliver Röpke, noted that the vision reflects many of the EESC's priorities. 'It recognises the key role of all agri-food actors in ensuring sustainability and competitiveness,' he said, adding that EESC recommendations had, in some areas, gone further than the Commission's proposals.

EESC members welcomed initiatives to strengthen producers' roles in negotiations and contracts. 'Written contracts with renegotiation clauses will boost transparency and farmer bargaining power,' said Stoyan Tchoukanov, rapporteur for the EESC's opinion Amendment of the Common Markets Organisation (CMO) Regulation on strengthening producers' position in the negotiation and conclusion of contracts.

The Commission also plans to enhance cooperation across the food system, promoting sustainable production and healthier diets. Emilie Prouzet, rapporteur for the EESC's opinion New rules on cross-border enforcement against unfair trading practices, sees this as a first step to support farmers while avoiding legal uncertainty.

The vision includes a commitment to a new EU-wide risk and crisis management system, aligning with the EESC's calls for stronger tools to handle environmental, market and climate-related shocks. A future strategy for generational renewal is also expected, which would support young farmers with land access, investment skills and rural infrastructure.

Despite broad support, concerns remain. Debate participants noted challenges in discussing post-2027 CAP reform without clarity on the next EU budget. The EESC also calls for stronger enforcement of social conditionalities and warns that the vision does not fully address issues like market concentration and financial speculation affecting food prices.

The EESC reaffirmed its role as a key partner in turning the Commission's vision into policy. It pledged continued collaboration to ensure the interests of farmers, producers, workers and consumers are upheld in shaping the future of EU agriculture. (ks)