Strengthening democratic participation in Southern Europe (Bulgaria, Italy, Greece and Cyprus) by empowering civil society organisations (CSOs) to denounce threats, monitor violations and build public trust.
Context
The narrowing of democratic space refers to the progressive restriction of freedom of expression, association and assembly, which makes it more difficult for civil society organisations to operate independently and safely. In many EU countries, civil society organisations and activists face increasing threats in the form of intimidation, disinformation, online and physical attacks, which hamper their ability to defend human rights and participate in public debate. The CivicChampions project aims to strengthen the protection of civic space in some southern European countries, focusing on Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Italy. In a context where civic space is shrinking, the project aims to develop tools to monitor and report on threats to fundamental rights, build public trust in civil society actors, and support civil society organisations and activists. Through analysis, capacity building and communication activities, CivicChampions contributes to the defence of human rights and democratic values in the European Union.
Objectives
Strengthening civil society’s resilience and capacity to face challenges such as shrinking civic space, disinformation and online threats.
The project is aimed at the following groups:
- Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Activists: Including NGOs, human rights defenders and other civic actors.
- Policy-Makers: Representatives from the governmental sector who can influence and support civic space.
- General Public: Engaged through awareness campaigns to build trust in civil society.
Activities
- Context analysis with relevant stakeholders, interviews and focus groups;
- Analysis of the current conditions for the registration of democratic space for CSOs in Italy, Bulgaria, Greece and Cyprus;
- Development of a risk register presenting country profiles and key risks and challenges identified;
- Development of a set of indicators to measure the situation of civil society in terms of freedoms, challenges, ongoing developments and emerging threats, including indicators covering the protected characteristics of victims of physical, verbal or digital attacks.
- Involvement of national intuitions, civil society organisations and media and initiation of informal networks for monitoring and early warning;
- Implementation of a series of 4 briefings with institutional, civil society and media representatives for the launch of the CivicChampions early warning mechanism in each focus country;
- Organisation of national conferences for the screening of the short documentary, presentation and validation of the findings of the national reports.
Resources
- Reports on the State of Civil Society in Southern Europe: In-depth analyses of the current legal and political landscapes, documenting the main threats CSOs in Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Cyprus face.
- Early Warning Mechanism for threats to civic space: An online information and awareness platform to identify and address challenges CSOs, NGOs and activists face when mitigating.
- Capacity Building Programme for CSOs: A comprehensive training programme to empower civil society practitioners on policy, advocacy and community engagement.
- Documentary: A video exploration and debunking of myths and negative narratives about CSOs.
Impact
- Raised awareness about the specific threats and challenges faced by civil society organizations (CSOs) in Bulgaria, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, leading to more informed public discussions and heightened attention to these issues;
- Improved the reporting of attacks and threats against CSOs thanks to the establishment of an alert mechanism;
- Contribution to a more resilient civil society sector, enabling CSOs and activists to sustain their activities, advocate effectively for human rights and democratic values, and foster greater public and institutional trust in the civil society sector.
Partner
- CSD – CENTRO PER LO STUDIO DELLA DEMOCRAZIA (Bulgaria, coordinator)
- KMOP – KENTRO MERIMNAS OIKOGENEIAS KAI PAIDIOU (Greece)
- CARDET – CENTRO PER L’AVANZAMENTO DELLA RICERCA E DELLO SVILUPPO NELLA TECNOLOGIA EDUCATIVA LTD (Cyprus)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)