It is a yardstick for a healthy democracy: creating the space for free debate to flourish, and ideas and policies in the public interest to germinate.
Yet across Europe, civic space is shrinking. Autocratic leaders elected on populist agendas have clamped down on the space in which independent, public interest groups and the media can operate, and democracy has declined. This decline is unfolding in Western, as well as Central and Eastern Europe. According to the Civicus Monitor, less than 20 EU member states have “open” civic space.
Civitates is the only pooled fund that was set up with the sole purpose of addressing democratic decline and closing civic space in Europe.
Empowering civil society in priority countries across the EU to anticipate threats to civic space and grasp the opportunities to expand it.
Connect civil society organisations across Europe who are working to expand civic space and create opportunities for them to learn from each other, collaborate and build their capabilities.
Develop activists’ and organisations’ resilience and sustainability, giving them the security and resources they need to defend civic rights and democratic freedoms.
Galvanise private and public funders towards more effective support for civic and democratic space in Europe.
Core support is combined with project support and capacity-building to enable anchor groups to mobilise wider civil society including youth groups and build public and political support for civic values.
