Welcome to the March newsletter.
Two weeks ago, I saw my belief in collective action come to life.
For three days in March, around 170 Civitates’ grantee and foundation partners gathered in Bruges to explore the future of European democracy, and how we can protect it.
It’s taken me a few days to gather my thoughts and reflections, and to recover from the intensity of the forum, as well as the work it took to make it happen.
Looking back, my overwhelming feelings are of gratitude and pride.
I’m grateful for the trust our partners placed in us; the brilliant way they engaged with each other and the programme; how they came together in a safe space to build connections, challenge each other constructively and strategise on how to tackle the common challenges they face in different contexts.
I’m also proud of my small team who worked tirelessly to bring this community together for the first time, and of our facilitators, who, with the participants, helped shape the programme.
The health of democracy worldwide is threatened more than at any time in the last half century. The pattern is the same in Europe.
Yet despite the colossal challenges this presents, at the end of the three days I was left with a renewed sense of hope and solidarity. The energy that comes from being together in one place was palpable: a living demonstration of how we can achieve our common goals by working together.
One thought, in particular, has remained with me.
During the forum, the Russian human rights lawyer and scholar Grigory Vaypan was asked if there was a single tipping point in Russia’s slide into authoritarianism. His answer was simple: every day was a tipping point.
For me, this is both a warning and a call to action to funders: day in and day out, we need to increase the ambition, the reach and the scale of our support to protect democratic institutions (independent media and courts) and to build resilient, cross-sectoral movements (grassroots organisers, intellectual leaders, etc.) through long-term, coordinated investments across Europe.
Vital funds
Having the funds to do this work is, of course, paramount, and the EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is currently being determined.
Starting in early 2028, it will total almost EUR two trillion spending over seven years. Given Europe’s shrinking civic space and the fundamental role civil society and independent media play in protecting democracy, the European Commission has proposed an increase of the overall AgoraEU budget to more than EUR 8 billion, which will support culture, media, democracy, civil society, and fundamental rights. Civitates is seeking another EUR 500,000 from its foundation partners in order to strengthen the coalitions of organisations that are advocating for a strong AgoraEU budget in Brussels and in EU capitals.
In the meantime, you can support those calling for greater EU funding for civil society by signing a letter to the EU Institutions here.
In solidarity,
ELISA PETER
Director, Civitates
In March, around 170 Civitates grantee and foundation partners gathered in Bruges for the first Civitates Forum. Grantee and Foundation partners from across Europe came together to reflect on shared challenges and explore new ways of working together.
Designed collaboratively with participants, the Forum created space for open exchange, collective reflection and new ideas — highlighting the value of bringing together people who don’t often meet, but share a common purpose.
Over four days, participants exchanged experiences, imagined future scenarios and strengthened connections across sectors. From peer learning to foresight exercises, the Forum created a unique space to explore both the current challenges and future possibilities for democracy in Europe. Read more about Civitates Forum here.
In the run-up to Hungary’s crucial parliamentary elections, the ACT Coalition’s Clean Vote 2026’s forums attracted huge interest: reflecting the desire for a free and fair poll. The Coalition—aHang, CKA, and TASZ— supports local groups and citizens with training and legal tools. Since the autumn it has toured Hungary, covering a total of 2,800 kilometres, and holding 10 sold-out forums. It also ran online workshops on protecting voters and fighting fraud.
Climática, the first Spanish media outlet specialising in climate and biodiversity reporting, has stopped publishing on Telegram, citing its threat to editorial independence. It follows Climática’s departure last year from Facebook, Instagram and X, and can be seen as part of a wider movement of independent media outlets moving away from some social media platforms to publish their articles.
Le Fonds pour une Presse Libre (FPL) has published their first book, ‘The Bolloré trial: Hate media on trial’. The book highlights how private media interests “distort public debate, divide society [and] single out new scapegoats”. The book is available in French here.
On 18 March, Wikimedia Europe and Wikimedia Belgium hosted a celebration in Brussels marking 25 years of Wikipedia. Community members, partners, and policymakers reflected on the value of free, human-created knowledge and the volunteers who make it possible. Read more about the event here.
The joint project by Wikimedia Europe, the University of Amsterdam, and Eurecat has published its policy recommendations for the EU framework addressing election disinformation. It draws on research on Wikipedia’s moderation and fact-checking practices to support a more resilient and pluralistic information ecosystem in Europe. Read more here.
PressOne and two other independent media outlets recently organised a discussion on the state of Romania’s independent media. including opportunities to bolster their financial sustainability, such as the creation of cooperatives to pool resources into a coordinated publishing network.
Arsonist Country, an investigative podcast series by Divergente, has won two journalism awards. The Voices 2026 Award, in the ‘Journalism — Radio and Podcast’ category and, for the second time, the King of Spain Journalism Award 2026, in the “Environmental Journalism” category.
AI Forensics’ report on Apple Intelligence, the artificial intelligence suite built into hundreds of millions of iPhones, iPads, and Macs, revealed systematic racial bias and fabricated gender stereotypes when summarising users’ personal messages. The findings were widely covered by the media.
Despite YouTube ‘s rules theoretically banning the monetisation of climate misinformation, Fundación Maldita.es’ last investigation shows that the platform is doing so. Maldita found that 20 channels with an aggregated 21 million subscribers are making money from YouTube as the platform runs ads of the videos where they promote climate falsehoods. Maldita flagged these violations to YouTube using the channels provided by the DSA. So far the platform has failed to acknowledge the complaints.
On February 24, Polish NGO Panoptykon was among civil society experts, MEPs and European Commission officials debating how to make social media a safer space for people of all ages, including children. Panoptykon compared the world described in Very Large Online Platforms’ (VLOPs)’ official DSA reports and that documented by independent researchers or civil society organisations, and experienced by young people themselves, concluding that they do not match.
Point de Contact just published its first Transparency Report as a trusted flagger, analysing 122,317 reports, of which 45,086 were classified as illegal. While overall removal rates reached 97%, only 64% of non-consensual intimate images (NCII) were removed. The report highlights disparities across platforms.
The Investigative Center of Ján Kuciak (ICJK) was founded after investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnirová were murdered in Slovakia. ICJK’s new English e-book reveals what happened when journalists were leaked the entire investigative file. ‘Stories from the captured state’, the corruption case that led to the murder is available here.
ARTICLE 19 Europe has launched a monthly newsletter to highlight the stories, developments, and people that keep them motivated. Subscribe here.
At European Commissioner Justice Michael McGrath’s recent official visit to Bucharest, ACCEPT Association, the Euroregional Center for Public Initiatives (ECPI), and six other Romanian civil society organisations, delivered an open letter raising concerns about the deterioration of the rule of law and the rise of extremism and hate speech in Romania. The Commissioner confirmed that the European Commission will examine the matter.
02/04/26 – How can civil society defend itself? The EDRN pilot story
Location: online webinar.
A behind-the-scenes look at the European Democracy Resilience Network (EDRN) pilot, a joint initiative supporting civil society actors facing hybrid threats. The session shares key insights on protecting CSOs from disinformation, doxing, impersonation, and other digitally enabled attacks, and highlights why collaborative defence is essential. Part of a series of webinars by EU DisInfoLab. More information here.
09/04/26 – Civil society evidence under the DSA: lessons from AI Forensics
Location: online webinar.
This Community Insider webinar explores how civil society organisations contribute evidence under the DSA, drawing lessons from the X case to examine practical challenges, risks, and what effective engagement with the Commission looks like in enforcement proceedings. Part of a series of webinars by EU DisInfoLab. More information here.
23/04/26 – Case study – Decoding Russian intelligence: What medals and insignia reveal
Location: online webinar.
What can Russian military medals and insignia reveal about intelligence operations? This webinar explores how OSINT investigations using publicly shared images helped uncover the structure and specialities of the FSB’s 16th Centre and the GRU’s Information Operations Troops. Part of a series of webinars by EU DisInfoLab. More information here.
09/05/26 – Europe Day
Location: various
On May 9, many Europeans join in celebrating Europe Day, marking the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration in 1950, which laid the foundation for a new form of political cooperation in Europe. As in previous years the European Cultural Foundation hosts a central agenda including all Europe Day celebrations taking place around the day. More information here.
Jobs & Opportunities:
-
- The Allianz Foundation, which works with people and organiations committed to social justice, open societies, and a liveable planet, is looking for a Grants Manager (all genders), 90% to 100%, to start on June 1st, 2026 or at the earliest possible date at our office in Berlin at Pariser Platz. The deadline is April 14, 2026. More details here.
- The European Climate Foundation (ECF) is seeking a new EU Director, responsible for integrating and leading all ECF efforts to reduce the European Union’s climate impact. The role is based in Brussels. The deadline is April 7, 2026. More details here.
We Recommend:
-
- Journalism and Media Funding in Europe. Philea’s Journalism Funders Forum (JFF) survey on funding for journalism in Europe offers a snapshot of how some philanthropic organisations are funding journalism and media in Europe, revealing a landscape that is diverse, dynamic and evolving, while highlighting the need for more money for independent media and greater coordination among funders.
- Deepening Rule of Law Crisis in the EU Exposes Shortcomings of Commission Action. Liberties’ seventh annual rule of law report assesses governments’ respect for the rule across four areas: justice, corruption, media freedom, and checks and balances. It’s compiled by nearly 40 rights groups from 22 EU countries.
- Funding the future of local news — Greater Community Media. A global wave of journalism funds is rising to support a revival of local news. This new in-depth report documents how they work, the impact they’re having and the lessons learned. Civitates’ Eszter Szücs was among the experts interviewed.
- AI and Democracy: Perspectives from an Emerging Field This report by Michelle Shevin, Kelly Born, and Fiona Kirby is based on their research to understand how funders, researchers, advocates, technologists, and policy experts working at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and democracy are making sense of the issues involved.
- Final Report: Recommendations on the EU regulatory framework on election disinformation Partners of the DEM-Debate project gathered at the European Parliament to present the results of their 18-month research on Wikipedia’s role in tackling disinformation and strengthening democratic debate online.
- Digital Networks Act: Manufactured crisis that could break Europe’s internet. Corinne Cath-Speth and Raquel Renno have written an analysis for Article 19 on the EU Digital Networks Act (DNA).
- Palaudi is FACTA‘s new newsletter on Italy’s most neglected and precious natural environments. The newsletter is published weekly on Thursdays, and guides readers on Italy’s least known natural places. Paludi was launched with the support of the International Press Institute’s (IPI) New Media Incubator. Subscribe here.
