Speech

Democracy & Rights: Working together to turn hope into action

Speaker
Sirpa Rautio
FRA Director Sirpa Rautio gave the EU perspective on the state of democracy and fundamental rights during Nyt Europe's conference on Democracy and Rights: Working together to turn hope into action. She highlighted the main challenges and opportunities in defending civic space, protecting rights, and enhancing democratic resilience. She emphasised the pivotal role of civil society in driving renewed efforts to address threats to democracy. The conference took place in Copenhagen from 6 to 7 November.

Dear colleagues and friends,

Let me begin by congratulating Nyt Europa and Global Focus for organising this conference at such an opportune moment, and for focusing on an area that is ripe for action. I’m proud that the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights is among the partners supporting this event—because today, more than ever, unity in this shared mission matters.

The European Union is not just a common market or a political arrangement. Under the founding Treaties, the core values of the EU include respect for fundamental and human rights, the rule of law and democracy. In the EU context, the interrelationship between these values have been likened to a tripod: if any one of them is abandoned, the whole tripod will topple.

Today, democracy faces unsettling and myriad challenges. Across the globe—and here in Europe—democratic systems are under siege. Authoritarian forces, foreign interference, disinformation, and cyberattacks threaten the foundations upon which our societies have thrived. The rule of law, judicial independence, media freedom, and a vibrant civic space cannot be taken for granted. Democracy must be defended with a constant vigilance.

The Fundamental Rights Agency, or FRA, is the EU’s independent advisory body on human rights. For almost 10 years now, we have been working on civic space, the rule of law and democracy issues, due to their close link with human rights. For 18 years, we have hosted our Civil Society Platform, which today brings together over 1,200 civil society organisations. This long-standing cooperation gives us both robust evidence and direct insight into the daily struggles of those working on fundamental rights, democracy, and the rule of law.

The agency conducts annual research on civic space, including a consultation with civil society on their experiences. The findings of the 2024 consultation, published earlier this year, illustrate the threats and challenges faced by 453 responding organisations across the EU and FRA’s three observer countries. Given the audience here today, allow me to highlight some findings:

  1. 55% of responding EU CSOs say that the conditions for civil society in their country deteriorated in the past year. For 12 %, conditions greatly deteriorated.
  2. 44% experienced unexpected funding cuts in the past year. These cuts came mostly from their own national governments, and from the US.
  3. Asked if funding concerns will threaten their work in the next 12 months, 48% of organisations from across the EU say that such concerns will threaten much, or all of their work.
  4. Human rights CSOs experienced threats and attacks, ranging from verbal threats offline and online to smear campaigns in the media. They experienced criminalisation and surveillance to excessive administrative controls. Increasingly worrying are the limitations to the right to protest in several EU Member States. There have also been several attempts to uphold or introduce disproportionate foreign funding laws.

In collating statistics, we should also highlight the individual voices. We heard from a civil society worker forced to move house after massive threats. From an organisation that supports migrants whose office was destroyed. From an NGO that discovered spyware secretly installed on its devices. From humanitarian groups prevented from entering refugee camps.

These are not isolated or once-off incidents - we see compounding trends and patterns each year. They do not occur because individual citizens disagree with the work of a CSO; state actors and right-wing groups are indicated most frequently as being responsible for incidents. No one can remain complacent – our consultation with CSOs show that these incidents take place across Europe.

FRA undertakes this work because we recognise that, without a strong civil society, the pillar of democracy will collapse. Without a well-resourced, protected and empowered civic space, who will step into the role of ‘watchdog’, checking government power and ensuring fundamental rights remain at the heart of legislation and policy? Without CSOs, who can ensure a whole-of-society representation in policymaking? Who will ensure the voices of children, of women, of disabled people, of minorities are heard? Who will demand the broad participation which is necessary to build trust and stability in our institutions?

Finally, without civil society, who will take on the responsibility of ensuring information integrity? Disinformation, hate speech, and echo chambers undermine elections and debate. Civil society helps to fact-check, debunk, and boost media literacy. If we want a strong democracy, we must ensure the integrity of our information. The European Defence of Democracy package underlines the importance and potential for civil society to contribute to fact-checking, pre-bunking and de-bunking, and increasing media and digital literacy.

The challenges may seem daunting, but I take hope from the many examples of democratic resilience I have seen over the past decades. I have witnessed the renewal and growth of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe since the 1980s and 1990s. Elsewhere - Spain, for instance - we saw democracy emerge from autocracy at the end of the seventies. The difficulties were staggering, but so too were the efforts of grassroots movements, civil society organisations, and countless individuals committed to freedom and democracy.

We can take hope and pride from recent examples of democratic resilience through civil society in parts of Europe that are facing particularly difficult times:

  • Earlier this year, Viktor Orban’s government prohibited the Pride Parade in Budapest, in clear violation of the fundamental freedoms of peaceful assembly and expression. In defiance of this, 200,000 people from across Europe denounced that prohibition and marched, not only for the rights of LGBTIQ people, but also for everyone’s right to come together and peacefully express their views, including in opposition of government policy. This was democratic resilience in action.
  • Another recent example was seen in Moldova, an EU candidate country. In the lead up to elections in September, this country suffered unprecedented hybrid threats coming from Russia including disinformation campaigns, illegal financing and cyberattacks aimed at undermining free and fair elections. As the OSCE put it “the nation’s democratic tenacity prevailed and helped to ensure the integrity of the vote.” That is democratic resilience in action.

Dear colleagues,

The timing of this conference coincides with the upcoming adoption of the European Commission’s Civil Society Strategy. We sincerely hope that the forthcoming Strategy sets a tone, leads by example, and acts as a catalyst for further efforts. Let me highlight four ways in which it could make a difference:

  1. The planned EU Civil Society Platform is a welcome step for the EU to engage with civil society. Civil society often finds that consultations are too late in the process to make a difference, or that there is no feedback on how their input was used. Marginalised groups face even bigger hurdles in being heard.

At EU level, we do have transparent public consultations, but the question remains: do they meaningfully shape proposals? FRA’s data shows that, all too often, civil society finds that their input is not taken into consideration, some laws are adopted in a rush, and some may even have unintended impacts that shrink the civic space.

The planned EU Civil Society Platform is therefore a welcome step. It helps to implement Article 11(2) of the Treaty on European Union, which requires open, transparent, and regular dialogue with civil society. FRA stands ready to support this new Platform with our expertise, in complementarity with our own long-running civil society network.

We see real value in developing practical guidance for EU institutions on what meaningful and effective engagement looks like – and how it differs from simple consultation.

  1. Secondly, a set of Guidelines on the protection of human rights defenders inside the Union – mirroring those that exist externally – would be a strong signal. As I mentioned earlier, FRA’s findings confirm what civil society has long reported: threats and attacks are on the rise. A dedicated protection mechanism could be considered, encompassing a reporting system, emergency protection funding, legal support, and capacity building on physical and digital safety. We should also not forget those human rights defenders who are in exile in the EU. Their situation requires more specific protection, as well as targeted support to continue their human rights work.
  2. Thirdly, on sustainable support: Civil society cannot function without resources. FRA’s consultation found that 86% of organisations believe funding concerns threaten their work. The new Multiannual Financial Framework must ensure sufficient sustainable, accessible and transparent funding for the democracy and rights work of civil society organisations, as the Agency put forward in its submission to the public consultation on the post-2027 MFF. Furthermore, the Civil Society Strategy must come with adequate resources for its implementation by the institutions.
  3. Beyond funding, legal frameworks matter. Generally, it is important that the Strategy be grounded in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Human rights impact assessments of new legislation and policies are one practical tool to avoid unintended harm to civic space.

We are all here today because we understand that progress and success over these challenges requires action through collaboration. This must be our defence against those seeking to erode democratic norms, because, individually, we cannot succeed. When diverse participants exchange views and strategies, we develop comprehensive responses and broaden our expertise. We must pool our resources in order to tackle the challenges, particularly those that are still emerging and may not be fully understood. In this regard, new partnerships will be vital, including with those working on AI and digitalisation issues.

I wholeheartedly welcome the rich and innovative discussions to be held in today’s skills and capacity labs. The focus on data is one I am especially keen to see, given our work in this area, and our belief that data transforms opinions into evidence. The workshop on meaningful youth participation is one I am sure I will learn from, given that FRA is currently piloting a Youth Advisory Panel, of which two members are here today. The workshop on the MFF is extremely timely, and so important – we must band together to ensure that, at the heart of all discussions around EU funding, remains an explicit commitment to a human rights-based approach, grounded in participation, accountability, and non-discrimination.

To conclude, let me say that Europe’s democracy is only as strong as the people who defend it—those who hold decision-makers accountable, advocate for rights, foster civic participation, and give voices to the marginalised.

The forthcoming EU Civil Society Strategy is a vital opportunity. It’s a chance to ensure that defenders of rights and values can work safely, sustainably, and meaningfully. FRA’s upcoming Annual General Meeting will focus on implementing this strategy. Join us - be a part of the Platform, and attend the meeting. 

What unites us is not just institutions and treaties, but a belief that every person’s voice has worth. Truth, respect, and dialogue are stronger than fear. Democracy is not guaranteed – it is built, protected, and renewed by all of us, together.

Thank you.

See also