As the European Commission develops its new policy, a civil society strategy, Connect, the macro-regional civil society network has stepped forward with a clear message: Europe’s future depends on strong, independent, resilient and well-supported civic actors. It was presented within the frame of the public consultation ended on 5 September 2025.
Connect brings together for the first time civil society organisations from across the EU’s four macro-regions – the Baltic, Danube, Adriatic-Ionian, and Alpine – covering 27 countries and over 340 million people. Its recent contribution to the public consultation lays out 11 key challenges and proposals for making the strategy meaningful, practical, and future-oriented.
At the core of Connect’s vision is the partnership principle: civil society must not be sidelined but fully integrated into EU and national policy-making. This means moving beyond symbolic consultations to real collaboration, grounded in European values and democratic legitimacy.
The Connect position highlights several pressing issues with a testing-field potential:
- Meaningful civil dialogue: Adequate provisions should be established to ensure permanent and structured civil dialogues at all levels, including at macro-regional, based on commonly shared European values.
- Cross-border barriers: CSOs face red tape and legal uncertainty when working on EU-level. Connect proposes EU-wide recognition of CSOs’ legal status.
- Funding gaps: Project-based grants that exclude operational costs undermine stability. Connect urges long-term, regular and transparent funding for CSOs in the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
- Youth and intergenerational solidarity: Building safe, fair, and inclusive societies requires strengthening solidarity between generations and giving young people a stronger voice.
- Enlargement: Civil society must be empowered to contribute actively to the EU’s enlargement process.
- Combating disinformation and extremism: CSOs and EU institutions should work hand in hand to counter anti-European narratives and policies.
Connect also underlines that the Civil Society Platform should not remain a digital façade but evolve into a vibrant hybrid structure, combining online tools with in-person exchanges and participatory monitoring. Its modus operandi should be worked out by the CSOs themselves.
The message is clear: a strong EU civil society strategy must enable organisations to cooperate across borders, secure fair and predictable funding, and play a real role in shaping Europe’s democratic future. In Connect’s words, this is about building a sustainable partnership between citizens and institutions – an alignment that Europe cannot afford to ignore.
