At a BCSDN online roundtable on the new EU democracy instruments: EU Civil Society Strategy, the European Democracy Shield, and the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework and WBT civic space, experts highlighted opportunities for engagement, protection, and support for CSOs, but warned of risks from security-driven approaches that could restrict civic space. While the EU Civil Society Strategy promotes a rights-based and enabling approach to civic space, its impact will depend on how it is operationalised in practice. The Democracy Shield’s focus on foreign interference and resilience may shift policy toward control and surveillance, while funding consolidation under the MFF could reduce predictability and independence for civil society. Speakers stressed the need for enforceable conditionality, independent funding, and protection measures, including legal and digital security support, alongside the strategic involvement of civil society to ensure these instruments expand, rather than restrict civic space. Read more here.
Source: BCSDN
