Building Movements and Narratives for Civic Space in Europe

At the invitation of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, we participated in a networking and exchange event in Sofia: Building Movements and Narratives for Civic Space in Europe.

 

We explored the most pressing challenges facing civic space in Europe and reflected on the strategies needed to defend and expand it. The sessions we ran served as a space to collect and inspire input for the currently open consultation on the EU Civil Society Strategy, ensuring that local voices are heard in shaping Europe's civic future.

 

We had the opportunity to get acquainted with two important European campaigns and hear current examples of how building campaigns and movements around key issues can create real change. It is a campaign for safe and accessible abortion in Europe: My voice My choice, which was designed and started by the organization 8. Mart from Slovenia. Also, a colleague from the Dutch Oxfam presented us with their campaign Not in My Name, which in May gathered over 100,000 Dutch people who drew a red line to tell their prime minister and other politicians that they had enough of the silence about the genocide in Gaza and that they should urgently do something to prevent it.

 

 

The event was organized for experts from the Catalyst for Change project countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia) and other experts from Europe, including those from the Netherlands.

 

This event was held in parallel with the civil society conference and the gathering of Recharging Advocacy for Rights in Europe, which brings together a significant number of advocates of the rule of law and human rights defenders in the same place. Together with them, we participated in a panel discussion on the European Civic Space with the aim of connecting and building stronger alliances for the defense of rights in Europe.