Civil Society Europe Newsletter
April 2025
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Welcome to CSE’s April 2025 newsletter! In this edition, we bring you crucial updates on our work against NGO funding attacks, what we got up to at Civil Society Week, and more. Read on to find out!
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CSE Releases Statement Against NGO Funding Attacks
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On April 7th, CSE released our statement on attacks against civil society from certain Members of European Parliament and far-right groups. With support from over 570 civil society organisations at EU and national levels, we take a strong stance against these attacks and advocate for the clarification of this misleading narrative. We call for a clear commitment to funding CSOs and a countering of these harmful ideas.
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Please note that due to continued interest, our statement remains open for signatures until April 30th. If your organisation hasn’t signed and/or you wish to spread the word in your networks, please find the signature form here.
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CSE Reaction to the ECA Report on the Transparency of EU Funding
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Together with Transparency International EU and the European Environmental Bureau, CSE issued a press release following the publication of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) report on the transparency of EU funding to NGOs. The findings of the report confirm that there is no evidence of irregularities or misuse in how NGOs are selected or how EU grants are used.
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The report also affirms that EU funding may legitimately support public interest advocacy as part of transparent and ongoing dialogue with civil society organisations. At the same time, the report identifies areas for improvement of the EU’s Financial Transparency System (FTS), the public database covering all EU funding managed by the European Commission.
Read the press release here.
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CSE Releases Updated Analysis on the Transparency of Permanent Representations to the EU
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In 2023, CSE carried out a comprehensive assessment on the level of transparency of all Permanent Representations to the EU, using publicly available information from their websites as the information source. Our updated analysis looks to identify if any improvements have been made since then, or if transparency has worsened across the Permanent Representations.
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While we welcome several Permanent Representations bettering their transparency efforts and some even achieving full transparency, improvements must be made across the board to ensure transparency is consistent. Read the full press release here and analysis here. |
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CSE at Civil Society Week 2025
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CSE played a crucial role in this year’s Civil Society Week, titled ‘Strengthening Cohesion and Participation in Polarised Societies’. We co-organised the workshop “ Towards a European Civil Society Strategy” on March 20th, in collaboration with Philea & European Civic Forum. The workshop brought together representatives from national and EU-level CSOs, the European Parliament and the European Commission to exchange on challenges and next steps in light of the announced development of a Civil Society Strategy in the European Commission Work Programme 2025.
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CSE’s President Gabriella Civico also took part in the closing session of Civil Society Week, highlighting steps needed for more cohesive societies.
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CoQuality & CSE Launch Survey Results - What is the Role of Quality in Strengthening Civil Society in Europe?
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At a time when social divides are deepening and trust in institutions is eroding, the role of civil society has never been more critical. Across Europe, NGOs serve as pillars of democracy—defending human rights, fostering inclusion, and holding power to account. But too often, their potential is hindered by systemic challenges. 71% of small and medium-sized organisations in our new survey cite gaps in quality management as a barrier to greater impact.
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CoQuality (a European network promoting quality culture in the third sector) and CSE joined forces in 2024 to assess how NGOs perceive and prioritize quality standards, and learn about shared challenges in our survey “QUALITY STANDARDS AND QUALITY COMPLIANCE FRAMEWORKS FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATIONS”.
Read our transformative findings here.
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CSE's Work on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)
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CSE recently published our common civil society position paper on the outline of the 2028 - 2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, the 7-year budget of the EU. Produced in collaboration with several civil society organisations, this paper calls for an open and rights-based approach in the development of the next MFF to ensure full support for the fundamental pillars of the EU. Read the full paper here. |
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Furthermore, CSE recently took part in the EESC’s high-level debate ‘The Road to the Next Multiannual Financial Framework’ on April 15th. Carlotta Besozzi, CSE Director, shared civil society’s perspective and discussed how the next EU budget must give adequate financial support to civil society.
Lastly, CSE was invited by the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) to present the architecture of the Multiannual Financial Framework, and the avenues of participation for civil society organisations. As the MFF will decide the future of the EU programmes, civil society organisations must be ready to engage in the negotiations to ensure that citizens’ priorities are reflected in the new programmes.
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CSE Holds Extraordinary General Assembly
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On April 11th, CSE brought its membership together online and at Mundo Madou to hold its extraordinary general assembly. Throughout the session, members voted on key organisational matters for the next year, and shared knowledge on crucial issues such as navigating an increasingly complex political environment. CSE also provided updates on our work on funding and the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
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CSE at the Renew Europe Event and S&D Group Meeting
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CSE participated in two events related to the attacks on NGO funding by certain groups in the European Parliament. First, CSE participated in an event organised by the Renew Europe Vice-President Irena Joveva on the attacks on NGO funding. CSE was also a speaker at the S&D group meeting session on the 26th March that focused on the ongoing attacks on NGOs in the European Parliament. This collaboration of democratic groups is essential to avoid Trump’s playbook against civil society structurally permeating in the European Parliament.
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Our Recent Event with Philea & ECNL: ‘Unpacking the EU AML/CFT Package’
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During Civil Society Week, we held an event in collaboration with Philea & the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law to explore the potential impacts of the EU’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Package. Taking place in the European Economic & Social Committee on March 19th, participants gained knowledge on the contents of the package, with a specific focus on the need for clarification surrounding the fundraising efforts of NGOs as the legislation introduces new requirements for non profit crowdfunding platforms.
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Questions were also raised on if NGOs will be considered obliged entities, and if so, how this could bring forth a significant administrative burden. The effects this could have on organisations working in restricted contexts (notably as regards crypto assets) was also an important discussion point.
Please find here the link to the powerpoint presentation and the briefing on the new anti-money laundering and counter terrorism rules and its potential impact on civil society.
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Events you don't want to miss
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Civil Society as a Factor of Resilience/Preparedness for Crisis Phenomena in Contemporary EU
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On June 9th and 10th, 2025, this international conference on the role of civil society in strengthening the EU’s resilience to current crises will take place in Gdansk, Poland. The two-day conference will bring together experts, representatives of NGOs and public administration from EU countries to discuss the challenges of civil society during crises. Learn more about this event here.
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EU4Health Civil Society Alliance Open Letter to Ursula von der Leyen: Avoid Defunding Health CSOs!
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The EU4Health alliance published an open letter to the President of the European Commission, urging the institution to immediately adopt the 2025 EU4Health Work Plan, and approve full-year funding for civil society under existing Framework Partnership Agreements. This delay in adopting EU4Health 2025 is not a technical one. It is a direct threat to implementation of the public health policies and to reaching EU4Health’s objectives. Equally, it is a direct threat to the stability and function of civil society actors who rely on annual grants to operate.
Read the open letter here.
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SOLIDAR Launches Nomination Call for 2025 Silver Rose Award
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SOLIDAR has launched the call for nominations for the 2025 Silver Rose Awards. This year, the theme of the Just Transition Award is 'Advancing a socially just transition in the face of political challenges.' Civil society organisations, trade unions and activists are eligible for the award and nominations can be made until 30 June. More information can be found here. |
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