Dear all,
Last week, CIVICUS announced that it was downgrading France, Germany, and Italy’s civic space ratings from narrowed to obstructed—placing these long-standing democracies on the same level as countries like Hungary, Morocco, and Indonesia.
The UK and the US experienced similar downgrades last year.
It is difficult not to ask ourselves: ten years from now, will we look back on 2025 as the moment when Europe normalised violence against its civil societies and took a decisive turn toward authoritarianism?
Unprecedented funding cuts
An obstructed civic space stems from a wide array of legal, political, administrative, and economic tools used to silence dissent and weaken democratic counterweights. In 2025, funding cuts dealt a particularly heavy blow. US support for independent public-interest media and civic organisations in Europe vanished overnight, revealing just how deeply the integrity of our information ecosystem—and the strength of Europe’s civil society—had been reliant on US taxpayers for decades.
While Civitates moved quickly to help mitigate the worst impacts through our emergency media fund, the long-term viability of independent journalism in Europe remains under severe strain. Philanthropy must step up. And so must the EU. The ongoing negotiations around the new seven-year EU budget (MFF) offer a crucial opportunity to increase support for the organisations that safeguard the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and media pluralism—an investment that will strengthen the EU’s geopolitical leadership and long-term security.
Signs of progress
There are also reasons for hope. The EU continues to lead in essential ways—from its pioneering tech regulation to the long-awaited endorsement of an EU Civil Society Strategy. This month, the European Commission fined Elon Musk’s X platform €120 million for violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The legal battle is far from over, but the decision itself signals the EU’s resolve to uphold its democratic principles. Civitates has long supported civil society organisations working to ensure meaningful DSA implementation, and their efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
Diversifying and growing the pooled fund
Today, 33 foundations—from Portugal to Greece, and from the Czech Republic to Poland—are pooling their resources through Civitates. Our budget is at its highest level ever. This has enabled us to triple the number of grantees we support and expand our focus to new priority countries, including Lithuania and Cyprus. We are growing not only in size but in diversity and reach: becoming a truly pan-European philanthropic community committed to defending democracy.
These achievements are the result of an extraordinary team—as well as our tireless Foundation Partners, whose trust and sustained engagement make this work possible. Together, we will continue to analyse the trends shaping European democracy and explore how best to protect it, as we recently did at our Steering Committee meeting in Athens.
Looking ahead to 2026
The coming year will bring both challenges and opportunities—from elections in Hungary, to the continuation of MFF negotiations, to the US midterms, to evolving debates around the EU’s technological sovereignty.
Civitates will remain steadfast. And for the first time since our founding, we will bring together all our grantee and foundation partners at our flagship Civitates Forum—a gathering designed to strengthen collaboration, solidarity, and collective impact.
At a time of profound uncertainty, connecting with one another is what will help us sustain hope, imagination, and resolve.
In solidarity and with warm wishes for a joyful holiday season and a hopeful year ahead,
ELISA PETER
Director, Civitates
