Newsletter Liaison Group

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Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks December 2024

1. Editorial

2. News from the CSO Members of the Liaison Group

3. Past events

4. News from the EESC

5. Past events

6. EESC Plenary Session

7. Civil dialogue in the EU and European Citizens' Initiatives

8. Citizens' Engagement Platform

9. Link to our members' newsletters

Editorial

Dear members and friends of the Liaison Group,

Over the last 20 years, the Liaison Group has championed participatory democracy, fostered inclusive debates and brought the voices of civil society to the forefront of EU policymaking. Initiatives such as the Civil Society Days – now expanded into the EESC Civil Society Week – are a testament to our shared commitment to addressing pressing societal challenges, from social cohesion to democratic backsliding.

The establishment of the Liaison Group in 2004 marked a bold step forward for the EESC. Recognising the growing dynamism of European civil society, the Committee sought to create a permanent, inclusive mechanism that would amplify the voices of organised civil society within the EU’s institutional framework. What began with 12 pioneering organisations has since grown into a vibrant platform for dialogue, collaboration and policy co-creation, now encompassing more than 40 member organisations.

As we celebrate this anniversary, we also look to the future. The challenges we face today - shrinking civic spaces, polarised societies, and threats to democratic values - demand a reinvigorated partnership. We are committed to building on the foundation of the Liaison Group to establish a more strategic framework for civil society engagement, championing a vibrant civic space within and beyond the EU. European civil society organisations are deeply grateful to the EESC for providing an invaluable platform to amplify their voices and foster effective collaboration. There is a shared recognition that this platform must be continuously improved and strengthened to address emerging challenges, ensure greater inclusivity, and enhance the impact of civil society engagement across Europe.

It is with great pride and gratitude that we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Liaison Group in Atrium 6 at the EESC on 11 December, from 15:30 to 18:00. This milestone is not just a testament to the enduring collaboration between the EESC and European civil society but also a celebration of the democratic values that bind us together. We invite you to join us via web-stream and watch our video statement here.

We are honoured to welcome Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament, who will deliver a keynote speech at the event, setting the tone for our reflections on the path forward for the Liaison Group. This gathering will also bring together founding members, esteemed former EESC presidents and civil society partners, offering us an opportunity to collectively commemorate the progress we have made over the last two decades.

On this special occasion, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed to this journey. Your expertise, passion and dedication inspire us to continue this important work. Together, we can rise to the challenges ahead and shape a more democratic, inclusive and sustainable Europe.

We look forward to celebrating this special occasion with you.

Oliver Röpke

President of the EESC

Brikena Xhomaqi

Co-chair of the Liaison Group

News from the CSO members of the Liaison Group

Liaison Group: 20 years of strengthening civil society! 11 December 2024, EESC

On 29 September 2004, the EESC Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks held its constitutive meeting. This laid the foundation for the first ever forum for regular dialogue between an EU institution and external civil society networks. 20 years on, having overcome early growing pains, navigated teenage challenges, and experienced both successes and setbacks, the Liaison Group stands strong as a reliable and trusted partner, offering consistent value and expertise to the EESC. We will celebrate this special occasion on 11 December, from 15:30 to 18.00. Check out the programme here and follow the anniversary event via web-stream.

IUT: Apply for the 2025 ERHIN Awards in Dublin – Deadline 19 January 2025

The International Union of Tenants, together with their partners Housing Europe and Delphis, would like to announce the 2025 edition of the European Responsible Housing Awards. The call is now open! The purpose of these awards is to highlight the best in public, cooperative and social housing, showcasing sustainable, affordable and community-driven homes that deserve recognition for outstanding achievements in the not-for-profit housing sector in Europe. The awards create an opportunity for networking with like-minded practitioners and experts, and a platform to advocate for increased action. The housing projects will be allocated into six categories based on the Code of Conduct. The call closes on 19 January 2025.

Image © Responsible Housing

CEV: 2026 European Volunteering Capital winner

On 29 November 2024, at the closing ceremony for the 2024 EVCapital Trento, the Portuguese municipality Maia was announced EVCapital for 2026. We send our congratulations to Maia and the other candidate municipalities, Ballina (IE) and Rzeszów (PL), for their achievements and their vital support to volunteers and volunteering. The 2027 edition of the awards will be launched in February 2025. Find more about the competition and the jury feedback for each candidate here.

Image © Centre for European Volunteering (CEV)

European Youth Forum: The 2027 European Youth Capital will be Parma, Italy

Anyone who has ever been to an Italian piazza (town square) knows that these piazze are where life happens in every Italian city, town or village. They can be big or small, but what they always have in common is their civic importance. They’re always full of people, debates and late-night conversations. That’s how Parma took these iconic squares, converted them into a metaphor for youth engagement and won over the jury. Read more about Parma and apply for the 2028 Youth Capital.

Image © Christophe Vander Eecken / Imagestories

Eurochild: Early childhood development and climate change: prioritising the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all children

This #FirstYearsFirstPriority campaign scoping paper examines the right of all children to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a fundamental right, and underscores the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change on very young children, who are often invisible in policy and decision-making processes. It attempts to gather available information on some of the current and future implications of climate change for very young children. It also underscores the importance of including young children and their families and caregivers in policies, programmes and initiatives to prevent, respond and adapt to the climate crisis. The paper draws on existing worldwide research and analysis in this area.

ECF: Civic Pride Month - Celebrating Civic Activism

This year, the European Civic Forum is holding the first Civic Pride Month, celebrating three of 2024’s most inspiring, but also most heavily repressed, movements: Climate Justice, Palestine Solidarity and Migrants' Rights. With Civic Pride Month, we want to champion the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association and expression as essential components of democracy. We have collected video testimony from activists involved in these movements, talking about mobilisation, repression, resilience and hope, in order to challenge the often negative portrayal of activists and human rights defenders and give them the chance to tell their own stories. Find out more and watch the testimonies!

Image © European Civic Forum, 2024

ECAS Digital Inclusion Guidelines

This report follows extended consultations with about 1 200 CSOs across the EU to develop recommendations for the Digital Transformation cluster, chaired by ECAS (European Citizen Action Service), under the Civil Society Convention on the Future of Europe. The report also includes Digital Inclusion Guidelines, which results from the collection and analysis of the recommendations of EU citizens gathered during co-creation events in 10 Member States in five focus areas: Digital Democracy, the Digital Economy, Digital Safeguards, Digital Rights, and Digital Education. Read more here.

Image © Ecas

Past events

Philea – EuroPhilantopics 2024: New EU Mandate, New Partnerships with Philanthropy, 3 December 2024

EuroPhilantopics 2024 took place in Brussels on 3 December 2024 under the heading ‘New EU Mandate, New Partnerships with Philanthropy’. EuroPhilantopics serves as a crucial platform for identifying common goals, sharing best practices and forging partnerships to address shared challenges together. This annual flagship event brings together representatives of the EU institutions and philanthropic organisations to explore common values, partnerships and more. Read more here.

LLLP: LLLWeek 2024, from 18 to 22 November 2024

The Lifelong Learning Platform’s 14th LLLWeek took place from 18 to 22 November and explored the current challenges facing the teaching profession across 20+ workshops, events and networking opportunities. Check out the programme.

COFACE breakfast webinar: spotlight on care and support for families with hearing disabilities, 20 November 2024

This breakfast byte webinar put the spotlight on support for families with hearing disabilities, starting with a deep dive into a programme developed by FIAPAS, based on a network of more than thirty Family Care and Support Services across Spain. This was an opportunity to learn more about this network in Spain and also to share practices and views on family support. Read more here.

EPA: General Assembly and Conference, Tallinn/Estonia, 15-16 November 2024

The European Parents' Association (EPA) held its General Assembly and International Conference on 15-16 November 2024 in the captivating city of Tallinn, Estonia, co-organised by the Estonian Parents' Association. It was an opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of Estonia's unique educational landscape, renowned for its forward-thinking approach and commitment to student success; and buckle up for a dynamic, thought-provoking conference themed "Embracing Change" - an interactive "lab" to equip participants with tools and strategies to successfully implement strategic transitions. Read more here.

News from the EESC

Mark your calendars: EESC Civil Society Week 17-20 March 2025

The European Economic and Social Committee, as the institutional partner of civil society, proudly returns with the second edition of Civil Society Week! Focussing on the theme of Strengthening Cohesion and Participation in Polarised Societies, the 4-day event will feature sessions led by the EESC Liaison Group with European civil society networks; the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) Day; the Civil Society Prize award ceremony and contributions from national Economic and Social Councils, youth representatives, journalists, as well as from civil society organisations from candidate countries. Registration will open in February 2025. More information coming soon on the #CivSocWeek webpage and social media channels. Stay tuned!

New EESC study on Affordable sustainable housing in the EU

With rising rental costs and house prices, access to housing is a growing concern for many Europeans. The Civil Society Organisations’ Group at the EESC has just presented a new study on Affordable and sustainable housing in the EU, which addresses this question. The study explores policy solutions for affordable and sustainable housing by investigating two emerging trends: digitalisation and the integration of social economy bodies into housing provision. The study was commissioned by the EESC at the request of the Civil Society Organisations’ Group and was carried out by the Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE). Download the study here and read the press release here.

Photo exhibition ‘Powerful Encounters: Picturing an end to energy poverty’, 4-16 December 2024

The EESC presents the photo exhibition ‘Powerful Encounters: Picturing an end to energy poverty’ on the initiative of its Civil Society Organisations’ Group and in cooperation with Friends of the Earth Europe. The work of photographer Miriam Strong will be exhibited from 4 to 16 December 2024 at the EESC’s premises in Brussels. Read more here.

Online debate: Towards a result-oriented cohesion policy. What is the role of the civil society?, 18 December 2024

The EESC is organising this public debate to discuss how civil society partners can use a results-orientation approach in cohesion policy for the next programming period. Are the principles of multi-level governance and shared management contradictory or complementary to the results-focused cohesion policy? Read more here.

Past EESC events

European Consumer Day 2024: Water challenges: Exploring consumer perspective - Moving ahead on EU Blue Deal, 9 December 2024

The topic of the European Consumer Day 2024 was "Water challenges: Exploring consumer perspective - Moving ahead on the EU Blue Deal". This covered, on one side, consumer protection in terms of ensuring access to water at an affordable price, including vulnerable consumers, touching also upon the aspects of water quality and quantity. On the other side, it involved water-efficient consumption, with a focus on changing consumer habits in order to make the water consumption more sustainable, making use of innovative tools and technology. Read more here.

Conference: Citizens can defeat disinformation: Civil society for an open democratic debate, Athens (Greece), 27 November 2024

This conference in Athens was the third event on disinformation being hosted by the EESC as part of its ongoing project aiming to fight disinformation with the help of civil society. Read more here.

The EESC at COP29, Baku (Azerbaijan), 11-22 November 2024

As in the previous years, the EESC actively took part in the annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP29, which this year took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 11 to 22 November 2024. Read more here.

Annual Conference on Fundamental rights and the Rule of Law: Five years of civil society perspectives, 6 November 2024

The fifth EESC FRRL Group's annual conference provided a platform for debate of the fifth EC rule of law report, and the final report of the 2018-2024 first cycle of FRRL Group country visits to all EU Member States (as well as the report on the 2023-2024 visits). Read more here.

EESC Plenary Session, 04-05 September 2024

The plenary session in December took place in in-person form.

The following debates took place:

Debate about Priorities of the upcoming presidency of the European Council: presentation and exchange of views, with António Costa, President of the European Council
Debate about EESC Housing Forum linked to the adoption of the opinion TEN/841 Social housing in the EU – decent, sustainable and affordable
Debate about Democracy in Africa with Kyeretwie Osei, Head of Programs at African Union Economic Social and Cultural Council; Louis Cheick Sissoko, Chair of the ECOSOCC Cluster on Political Affairs; and Sifa Chiyoge Buchekabiri, Regional Director and CEO of the International Cooperative Alliance-Africa (ICA-Africa) linked to the adoption of the opinion REX/584 Democracy in Africa – current situation and future perspectives. What role for the EESC?
Debate about International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and celebration of the Olympic spirit

Amongst others the following resolution and opinions were adopted:

Resolution on the European Economic and Social Committee’s contribution to the 2025 European Commission’s work programme
Factual and legislative analysis of the migration flows' integration in the EU labour market (SOC/794)
Towards a just transition legislative proposal and EU policy tools that enable a more social European Green Deal (NAT/933)
Industrial changes in the health sector in the face of multiplying crises (CCMI/235)
Professional services in the green transition (CCMI/231)
Water politics: Empowering youth, women, and indigenous and local communities (REX/585)
Democracy in Africa – current situation and future perspectives. What role for the EESC? (REX/584)
Regional Emergency Support – RESTORE (ECO/658)
Labour and skills shortages in transport, energy, infrastructure and the digital sector (TEN/836)
Social housing in the EU – decent, sustainable and affordable (TEN/841)

The EESC opinions adopted can be consulted here.

Civil dialogue in the EU and European Citizens' Initiatives

ECI Day 2025: Mark your calendars for 18 March!

The next edition of the traditional European Citizens´ Initiative (ECI) Day will take place on Tuesday 18 March 2025 as part of the Civil Society Week organised by the European Economic and Social Committee under the title ‘Strengthening cohesion and participation in polarised societies’. More information on the event, and the ECI Day in particular, will follow soon on the EESC webpage and social media accounts. Save the date and stay tuned!

Meet the interactive version of the European Democracy Passport

With thousands of copies of the latest edition of the EESC´s popular brochure on the European Democracy Passport being distributed now all over the Europe, you might be wondering if the publication is available in electronic format. The answer is yes! Check out the interactive online version of the passport with videos, quizzes, maps and more (currently available in 13 languages, while more linguistic versions will be added in 2025), and find out more about how you can genuinely make a difference! 

Open for signature collection now 

Following its registration a few weeks ago, the ‘ECI for a Water-Smart and Resilient Europe’ just started a 1-year-long period for collecting of signatures in support of its objectives, such as the action plan for water in Europe, setting water as priority in the EU framework, water-efficient industry and agriculture, skills for a water-smart economy and the right to clean and safe water and sanitation. Read more about this one, and check out all the other ongoing initiatives on the ECI registry website.

Image © Shutterstock (libre de droits)

Successful ECI on ‘Fur Free Europe’ – follow-up

Since the Commission’s response to the ‘Fur Free Europe’ initiative in December 2023, extensive follow-up work has been carried out. On-site visits to fur farms were conducted in Finland, Poland, and Spain, and a survey on fur animals was sent to Member State authorities to gather factual information and data to feed into Commission’s evaluation of the actions outlined in its communication. Additionally, a stakeholders’ workshop was held in October in the framework of the Textile Labelling Regulation revision.

Image © ECI ‘Fur Free Europe’

Join the ECI Facebook Group

With over 1 800 members already, the ECI Facebook group offers updates on ECI Communicators’ activities and a space to share your own ideas and interact with other ECI stakeholders. Join today, invite 3 friends to do the same and help the ECI community grow further!

Get ready and apply for EU funding!

Having a project related to citizen involvement, promoting diversity and civil rights, or empowering citizens in democratic processes, and seeking EU funding for this purpose? Then the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme is an important EU funding opportunity to consider. A new call for citizens’ engagement proposals has been just published – you can start preparing your application now and submit it between mid-January 2025 and 29 April 2025.