European Economic
and Social Committee
Empowering Civil Society in the EU Security
The European Economic and Social Committee is preparing an own‑initiative opinion on “Empowering Civil Society in the EU Security: advancing the civilian Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Compact and the European Civilian Peace Corps.”
In this context, the EESC is organising a public hearing in the framework of the first meeting of the Study Group dedicated to this topic.
The hybrid event will take place on Wednesday 8 July 2026, 9:30-13:00, at the EESC in Brussels, (online connection via interactio system, with English, Italian and Ukrainian interpretation).
The objective of the hearing is to gather expertise and stakeholder perspectives to feed into the preparation of the EESC opinion and to contribute to ongoing reflections on the role of organised civil society in EU security and peacebuilding.
The expert panels will, in particular, debate:
- how to strengthen the integration of civil society actors into the EU’s civilian crisis management framework under the CSDP;
- how EU institutions and Member States can better support inclusive and effective approaches to conflict prevention, mediation and long‑term peacebuilding;
- the added value, feasibility and possible design of a European Civilian Peace Corps;
- lessons learned from existing national and international experiences in civilian peacebuilding and crisis response.
The hearing will bring together representatives from EU institutions, Member States, think tanks and civil society organisations to contribute to this exchange and inform the work of the Study Group.
Detailed agenda is available below:
Please register here by 7th July at noon: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/EESC_Public_Hearing_Empowering_Civil_Society_in_CSDP_EU_Civil_Peace_Corp
For further information, please contact the REX Section Secretariat.