On the 4th of June the Net4Defenders project organized a cross-party event in the European Parliament in which the Civic Space Report was presented. The event brought together civil society partners and HRDs from across Europe, Brussels-based networks, high-level policymakers from the European Commission and members of the European Parliament. The report documents the space for civil society in EU and Western Balkans states and has become the go-to guide for understanding the state of civic space in Europe. During the event, ECF will present its key findings from the report, followed by a roundtable discussion amongst policy makers, HRDs and civil society, which will focus on unpacking strategies to protect the shrinking civic space in Europe. This includes the need for an EU-wide protection mechanism and Early Warning and Alerts system, as well as reflections on the upcoming Civil Society Strategy and Democracy Shield. The event is being organized as part of the Net4Defenders project, co-funded by the European Union, which aims to build the capacities of activists on the ground to monitor and respond to civic space restrictions and illiberal tendencies; developing national protection hubs to provide support to civil society under attack; and advocating for a thriving civic space. The project partners will share their expertise on needs, gaps and strategies to protect HRDs and civic space.
