C 323/14
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
26.8.2022
1.7.
The EU should have zero tolerance when it comes to Member States (MS) in which the civic space is shrinking.
A system in which civil society’s voice is being silenced, particularly those taking a critical view of how the government is operating, is one that is actively undoing the dynamic of policy-makers serving the interests of their citizens.
It instead becomes a system where those in power act in their own interest alone.
This approach is a threat to democracy within the EU and has no place within the values of Europe outlined in the Copenhagen Criteria (1).
1.8.
Ensuring that MS uphold their EU values is not only about being open to engaging with civil society; it is also about facilitating the existence of civil society even when they are critical of your policies or politically opposed to you.
There must be freedom and independence for all Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the EU.
MS that accept dialogue only with specially selected and government-sympathetic organisations, as a box-ticking exercise, are as guilty of undemocratic practices as governments that do not engage with civil society at all.
1.9.
Policy-makers should ensure the meaningful participation of civil society, and not only at a superficial level.
This means involving them in all parts of the decision-making process.
It means hearing the views of civil society during the process of conceiving new legislation, projects or initiatives, and regularly consulting them as they take shape, and are adopted and then implemented.
Too often civil society is asked for its opinion when legislation or projects are near completion.
This makes it impossible for policy-makers to take on board any proposals and sets a precedent where civil society is simply expected to rubber stamp the proposals put before them.
1.10.
Policy-makers at all levels should make their consultation processes easy to find and to access.
The EESC commends the EC’s system for public consultation in the sense that it is open to all CSOs, as well as individual citizens, and the fact that all of the consultations are systematically published on the same webpage (2).
On the other hand, the EU-level consultations can at times be restrictive regarding the type of input they allow.
1.11.
There is potential for civil society to assist policy-makers in essential tasks such as monitoring.
However, if the role of civil society in monitoring the implementation of new policies and initiatives is to be taken seriously, then the EU, national and local authorities should support the operational costs of these organisations.
This is all the more important given the uncertainties around financing and project funding because of COVID, as well as increases in operating costs.
In order to receive the best quality and most constructive support from civil society, it is essential that offering funding for operating and capacity building must not put into question the independence of CSOs.
1.12.
There are a number of measures the EU could take to embrace the input of civil society.
It could start by defining a participatory status.
It could also agree on guidelines and common standards on the right to association and civil dialogue to be implemented in all relevant processes, as well as adopting an interinstitutional agreement on civil dialogue.
Recognising and promoting the role of associations and NGOs in the European Union framework would also be vastly beneficial to improving the partnership between policy-makers and civil society at EU level.
1.13.
CSOs also have their own set of responsibilities to live up to in the name of good policy-making.
First of all, organisations should be constantly receptive to the reality of the people they represent, and make sure that their advocacy responds to their needs.
It is particularly important to foster youth engagement in civil society and to ensure a future for the movement.
It is also crucial for civil society to be constructive with their input, and clear with their recommendations, to assist in shaping new policies in a way they see best for their constituents.
Input should not only focus on what is being done poorly, but also suggest concretely how improvements can be made.
2.
General comments 2.1.
In this document the term ‘civil society’ also refers to social partners, although it must be noted that social partners operate in a unique and specific way in the protection of rights.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) also advocate on behalf of groups who cannot influence policy through suffrage, such as children, persons with disabilities denied their right to vote, or migrants and refugees, and foster their engagement in democracy.
Dialogue between civil society and policy-makers is therefore key to understanding the needs of society and forming effective policy responses.
(1) (2)
Accession criteria, https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/enlargement-policy/glossary/accession-criteria_en https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations_en