The annual Euro-Mediterranean Summit of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions provides civil society organisations (CSOs) from the UfM Member States with a platform to debate common challenges and opportunities and to exchange best practices. The event gathered around 120 participants, notably representatives of a wide range of CSOs from the Euro-Mediterranean region, youth representatives, EU and MENA government representatives, guest speakers and representatives from embassies and the media.
The EESC recalls the importance of civil society for democratic societies, and calls for a strengthening of in civil dialogue and civic participation at European level, including of the EESC's own role. It calls for a the adoption of an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue to ensure consistent civil dialogue practices across EU institutions, and proposes launching a pilot project for a civil society platform, which should among others monitor civil dialogue through an annual scoreboard and host an annual event on civil dialogue.
