ALDA participated in the webinar Civic Pulse: Roots, Barriers and the Future of Civic Space in Europe, organised within the framework of the project Regional Ownership of Our Tomorrow: Citizens and Civil Society Growing EU Values in the Western Balkans (ROOT WB). The event brought together prominent voices from European institutions and civil society to reflect on the state of civic participation and the challenges facing democratic engagement across Europe and the Western Balkans.
The discussion was moderated by Katica Janeva, Director ofALDA Balkans, who emphasised the timeliness of the debate, noting that it coincided with the Civic Dialogue Forum at the European Parliament in Brussels. Janeva stressed that civic space, citizen participation, and the role of civil society remain central to the European agenda, particularly at a moment when democratic values are under pressure.
The webinar opened with a video message from Alessandra Moretti, Member of the European Parliament, who underscored the importance of expanding civic space to ensure that democracies are not merely symbolic but genuinely participatory. Moretti pointed to Serbia as a case where local movements and women’s rights organisations fill gaps in public policy, offering support against gender-based violence and promoting social inclusion. She warned that restricting civil society organisations undermines community rights and regional modernisation.
According to Moretti, EU integration must be based on shared values and the protection of dissenting voices, including environmental defenders and independent journalists, which she described as non-negotiable political conditions.
Hanna Surmatz, Head of Policy at Philea – Philanthropy Europe Association, echoed these concerns, noting that since 2015 civil society space has been shrinking. She welcomed the EU civil society strategy published last year as a breakthrough, recognising the political role of civil society organisations in policymaking. Surmatz emphasised that the strategy should not only react to restrictions but also anticipate them, aiming to detect early signs of shrinking space and respond proactively.
Elena Calistru, President of the ECO Section at the European Economic and Social Committee, brought insights from Romania, stressing that the Western Balkans, Ukraine, and Moldova remain young democracies vulnerable to global trends of diminished civic space. She recalled recent attacks on NGOs in Romania, where blacklists targeted organisations critical of the judiciary. Strong reactions from civil society, media, and European partners helped counter these measures, but Calistru insisted that unity, resources, and mechanisms are vital to respond effectively to such threats.
Anja Bosilkova-Antovska, Acting Executive Director of the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), highlighted that civic space challenges in the Western Balkans are no longer isolated incidents but part of a broader regional pattern. BCSDN’s monitoring matrix, used for over a decade, shows that while legal frameworks align with European standards, implementation gaps, political pressure, funding insecurity, and attacks on independent voices persist. She warned that restrictions increasingly take the form of smear campaigns, lawsuits, administrative harassment, and online attacks, particularly targeting organisations working on anti-corruption, gender equality, human rights, and environmental protection. Serbia was again cited as an example of rapid deterioration, with police raids, financial investigations, and growing restrictions creating a climate of intimidation.
Natacha Kazatchkine, Secretary General of the European Civic Forum, presented eight key trends of democratic erosion across Europe, including criminalisation of solidarity with migrants, restrictions on protests, and proposed EU directives targeting foreign-funded NGOs. She cautioned that such measures risk encouraging similar restrictions at national levels, further weakening civic space.
Dženana Dedić, Director of the Local Democracy Agency Mostar, shared findings from a two-year research project on civil society space in Europe. The study revealed that while normative frameworks exist, practical implementation remains weak. Key challenges include legal guarantees failing to translate into meaningful participation, financial sustainability issues due to heavy reliance on EU funding, and declining trust that undermines civic engagement.
Nevenka Vuksanović, Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), presented ROOT WB baseline mapping results. The survey showed that 65 percent of CSOs report unstable funding, with 67 percent dependent on international donors. Participation effectiveness was rated only 2.80 out of five across surveyed countries, underscoring the fragility of civic engagement and the urgent need for structural support.