Study on Finding a new consensus on European civil society values and their evaluation

BACKGROUND

EU values are enshrined in Article 2 TEU. They are the foundation of our European model of society and, as such, form an integral part of the everyday lives of European citizens. Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role both in the promotion of these values and in their implementation. However – as clearly emerges from the study commissioned by the EESC in 2015 entitled "The future evolution of civil society in the European Union by 2030" – one of the common challenges that European CSOs are currently facing is the decline  of  their advocacy role. Indeed, despite the varying histories and general differences among European CSOs, CSO sectors across Europe are becoming increasingly similar in the way they respond to the five major societal trends identified in the above study, and which have had the greatest effect on European CSOs (demographic changes, economic crisis, populism, shrinking civic space and digitalisation).

As a result of this, EU values seem to be losing ground in favour of other ideas.

The focus of the study will be on EU values (a few specific values will be selected) and the main question relates to which core values drive citizens and societal change and whether the CSOs at national level will be able to endorse them in 2030 and beyond. In particular, the study will assess the capacity – or otherwise – of CSOs to reflect and promote these values and the reasons for their (lack of) capacity. It will therefore indicate the state of play regarding the endorsement and promotion of the European values, make predictions about possible future changes (e.g. which values are endorsed to a greater or lesser extent), and explore factors that will enable CSOs to promote them and fulfil their advocacy role now and in the future.

Part of the study will be based on already existing documentation (EESC opinions and studies, materials produced by other EU institutions) as well as studies and surveys from other relevant bodies.

Access to the above data and the ability of the potential contractor to provide a clear indication of the added value of the study is paramount. This could include, for example, providing an idea of what is missing from the existing work and what the study could contribute in this regard and, in this context, which values should be explored.

The potential contractor will also ensure the representativeness of the outcomes, i.e. that the geographical coverage, the variety of the typology and the number of CSOs reached will reflect the rich diversity of CSOs in Europe.

As the contract will be awarded following a procedure involving negotiation, potential contractors should demonstrate – on the basis of their previous experience – their creative aptitude, their ability to be innovative and their academic knowledge and expertise regarding the composition, organisation, governance, communication processes, etc. of civil society.

Languages/geographical area

The study should be carried out in English.

Indicative calendar (schedule may be subject to change)

  1. Launch of the invitation to tender: estimated week of 22 July 2019
  2. Deadline for submission of offers: end of September 2019
  3. First preliminary results: mid-December 2019
  4. Final report: end of March 2020

Contact

Deadline

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 - 21:59