{"id":32298,"date":"2025-10-05T20:05:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T18:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epi.org.mk\/?p=32298"},"modified":"2025-10-05T20:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T18:06:21","slug":"submission-to-the-call-for-evidence-for-the-eu-civil-society-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epi.org.mk\/en\/post\/32298?lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Submission to the Call for Evidence for the EU Civil Society Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The global crisis of democratic legitimacy and the regression of the rule of law have pushed civic space into a downward spiral, with enlargement countries proving especially vulnerable. Weak institutions and geopolitical pressures leave civic actors more exposed to repression, co-optation, and marginalisation. Without a dedicated, context-sensitive approach, the EU risks weakening one of the few remaining sources of democratic resilience.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s civil society in enlargement countries is tomorrow\u2019s EU partners. Their early and structured engagement strengthens democratic integration and the legitimacy of policymaking.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, the upcoming EU Civil Society Strategy must look beyond member states and empower civil society in enlargement countries \u2013 or risk undermining both enlargement policy and the EU\u2019s role as a defender of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/law\/better-regulation\/have-your-say\/initiatives\/14588-EU-Civil-Society-Strategy-\/F3631294_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A coalition of 59 organizations<\/a>\u00a0from the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, EU member states, and international think tanks has submitted recommendations to ensure the upcoming EU Civil Society Strategy strengthens and empowers civil society in the enlargement region.<\/p>\n<p>Our key asks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Recognize enlargement CSOs as reform drivers &amp; equal partners in EU integration;<\/li>\n<li>Protect civic space from repressive laws, SLAPPs, surveillance &amp; GONGOs;<\/li>\n<li>Secure sustainable &amp; accessible funding, beyond IPA, including new EU programmes;<\/li>\n<li>Guarantee meaningful participation in policymaking, accession &amp; monitoring;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/epi.org.mk\/wp-content\/uploads\/v.2-Coalition-of-59-CSOs_-Submission-to-the-Call-for-Evidence-for-the-EU-Civil-Society-Strategy-v4.9.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full submission to the European Commission with 19 recommendations &amp; list of endorsing organizations.<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The global crisis of democratic legitimacy and the regression of the rule of law have pushed civic space into a downward spiral, with enlargement countries proving especially vulnerable. Weak institutions and geopolitical pressures leave civic actors more exposed to repression, co-optation, and marginalisation. Without a dedicated, context-sensitive approach, the EU risks weakening one of the [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":32302,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[106],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-106"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Submission to the Call for Evidence for the EU Civil Society Strategy - EPI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/epi.org.mk\/en\/post\/32298\/?lang=en\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"mk_MK\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Submission to the Call for Evidence for the EU Civil Society Strategy - EPI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The global crisis of democratic legitimacy and the regression of the rule of law have pushed civic space into a downward spiral, with enlargement countries proving especially vulnerable. Weak institutions and geopolitical pressures leave civic actors more exposed to repression, co-optation, and marginalisation. 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