Civil Society and Self-Determination: EFA Endorsement of Civil Society Europe

EFA believes that all people, in their diversity, are equal in dignity. For this reason, social justice is a key priority in our programme. The EU must combat social insecurity and growing inequalities by giving more guarantees for social justice, combatting child poverty, the gender gap, generational poverty and social exclusion. These issues disproportionally affect some regions, peoples, and stateless nations in Europe. 

In order to tackle these issues on a European level, civil society is essential. Civil society facilitates and enables organisations and policy-makers to work bilaterally in order to solve the most pressing social issues. EFA shares the urgent need to reconnect European institutions with civil society organisations. With our inclusive vision of Europe, we try to foster its diversity and plurality. By being profoundly pro-European, we support a Europe for everyone. 

Today, we announce our support and endorsement of Civil Society Europe’s ‘Joint Civil Society Declaration’. The declaration calls on European institutions to use the Conference on the Future of Europe to create a link between civil society organisations and European institutions, in order to create and ambitious, structured, and forward-thinking agenda. It calls for citizen’s proposals and concerns to be considered in the agenda and discussions, and for adequate and concrete policy and legislative action to be taken afterwards. 

Civil Society Europe (CSE) brings together 28 European networks of civil society organisations (CSO) working towards regenerating the European project around the shared values of Equality, Solidarity, Inclusiveness and Democracy. Find out more about CSE here.