Defending Democracy: Navigating and Addressing Shrinking Civic Space

The global trend of shrinking civic space is not just an abstract issue – it is a direct threat to the fundamental rights that underpin democracy itself. As citizens and civil society actors face increasing restrictions on their freedoms of expression, association and assembly, democratic decline intensifies, exacerbating the difficulties and opportunities available to individuals and communities. At its core, the concept of civic space refers to the environment in which people and organisations can freely express themselves, engage in public policy discussions and protect democratic values.

In an ideal world, a healthy and inclusive civic space – both online and offline – is the bedrock of good governance and transparency. It empowers individuals, strengthens accountability and builds the resilience of civil society. Yet, with rising pressures on civil society organisations (CSOs) and human rights defenders, this space is increasingly at risk.

The policy report, “Exploring EU and Member States’ approaches and options to addressing the shrinking of civic space,” produced by ECDPM¹ in the framework of TED, examines responses to the shrinking of civic space. It explores how the EU and Member States (MS) can refine their approaches to address this issue, offering general reflections on potential ways forward. Drawing from an extensive literature review, policy research, a targeted survey and key informant interviews, the report provides both immediate and long-term solutions for action. It highlights the need for a strategic, adaptable and coordinated approach to ensure the EU and MS remain effective in defending democratic space worldwide. 

The closing of civic space is not a uniform global phenomenon; it is a dynamic and context-specific issue that requires immediate, tailored responses. 

The report suggests that EU and MS can deploy a wide array of short-term tools to protect this vital ecosystem. They can:

1. Strategically and sustainably support CSOs to build-up capacity and resilience against shrinking civic space, while ensuring partner organisations remain self-directed rather than donor-driven.
2. Leverage the Team Europe Democracy network and identify points of entry where they can more effectively execute actions to protect civic space, such as the Global Gateway strategy, to further promote democracy and go beyond the do no harm approach.
3. Support people-to-people exchanges across various sectors. This provides regular updates on the civic space developments and can be further used by the EU and MS to adapt their responses.
4. Leverage existing dialogue platforms and other mechanisms, such as civil society roadmaps and human rights dialogues, to broaden the narrative on defending civic space within the context of democratic backlash, establishing a strategic vision with clear red lines and monitoring indicators to assess their impact at the country level.

While short-term interventions bring quick-wins and remedies, long-term strategies are essential for creating the enabling environment in which civic space can thrive. The EU and MS should: 

5. Broaden their engagement with the full ecosystem of civic space actors by proactively exploring the realm of actors that are not the “usual suspects”, strengthening cooperation among focal points and conducting political economy analyses at the country level to better understand and address civic space challenges, while fostering closer collaboration between political and operational sections in EU Delegations and Embassies for greater impact.
6. Where and when possible and relevant, support the consolidation of an enabling environment at partner country level by accompanying governments in working on legislation and regulatory measures to enable civic space to grow and by supporting democratic institutions. Approaches, however, will need to be adapted to the country’s reality and context. 
7. Use Team Europe approach’s untapped potential by scaling up the coordination of the interventions of the EU and the MS present and/or active in a country and by taking into consideration the execution of joint actions.

The growing challenges to civic space demand urgent and decisive action from the EU and MS. The threats to democratic rights are immediate and tangible, with significant consequences for individuals, communities and countries. By adopting strategic, targeted measures now and reinforcing them with long-term commitment, the EU and MS can protect the integrity of civic space - both online and offline - and ensure it remains a vital pillar of democracy and human rights. In this effort, the TED network can play a critical role by facilitating the continued exchange of best practices and lessons learned, supporting the EU and MS in their efforts to strengthen civic space and enhance the impact of their actions. 

¹ European Centre for Development Policy Management