17
May
2018

Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU – Summary

Civil society organisations in the European Union play a crucial role in promoting fundamental
rights, but it has become harder for them do so – due to both legal and practical restrictions.
This summary outlines the main
findings and FRA’s opinions on the different
types and patterns of challenges faced by civil society
organisations across the EU,

While challenges exist in all EU Member States, their exact nature and extent vary across countries. They include: disadvantageous changes in legislation or inadequate implementation of laws; hurdles to accessing financial resources and ensuring their sustainability; difficulties in accessing decision- makers and feeding into law and policymaking; and attacks on and harassment of human rights defenders, including negative discourse aimed at delegitimising and stigmatising CSOs.

FRA’s full report on this issue looks at the different types and patterns of challenges faced by civil society organisations across the EU, and highlights promising practices that can counteract these worrying patterns. This summary outlines the report’s main findings and FRA’s opinions on the issues these raise.