Civil Society Europe Newsletter

January 2026

Welcome to our January 2026 newsletter! In this edition, find out about our open letter on the European Cross-Border Associations Directive, our recent event on the role of civil society and civil dialogue, and more.

What has CSE been up to?

250+ Civil Society Organisations Call on the European Commission to Allow Cross-Border Collaboration for Non-Profits

Non-profits should be able to operate across borders. The European Cross-Border Associations (ECBA) Directive would allow exactly that – non-profits with members across Europe could be recognised and allowed to operate in all Member States.

After decades of advocacy by civil society to make this a reality, why does the European Commission want to get rid of it?

250+ civil society organisations have joined us in calling for the Commission to reverse its decision to withdraw the Directive. Read more on our website and find the full open letter here.

“The Role of Civil Society in Protecting Democratic Values” & Civil Dialogue Award Ceremony

On 3 December 2025, CSE organised the event “The Role of Civil Society in Protecting Democratic Values”, with the support of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The event brought together CSOs, policy makers and other stakeholders to discuss how civil society contributes to democracy and what concrete support instruments the EU can put in place.

The event also featured the Awarding Ceremony of the Civil Dialogue Award 2025. The Award went to the Fundamental Rights Policy Unit of DG JUST, while the other finalists included the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

Read more here.

CSE's Annual Report July 2024 - July 2025 is Out!

Our annual report for 2024/2025 is here!

Read now: https://bit.ly/3Z3i5kT

This edition takes a look at:

How CSE developed during this period;
Our key work areas from work on funding, cross-border cooperation, the EU Civil Society Strategy and more;
Developments with our members;

...and much more.

Events you don't want to miss

Pre-Register for the MFF Webinars for National Organisations!

Civil Society Europe and the European Civic Forum, in collaboration with the MFF thematic civil society hubs, are organising a series of webinars aimed at national civil society organisations (CSOs) who are working (or would like to work) on the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework.

The webinars (one per EU macro-region) will allow civil society organisations from the same country to connect across sectors, and then to share experiences with other national CSOs from the same macro-region.

The webinars will be organised in the second half of February. You can already reserve a spot by registering here.

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Tel. +32 (0)2 721 40 69

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