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31
March
2026
Civic Space Update: Enabling civil society to uphold EU values and strengthen democracy
Civic space is a crucial component of democracy and of societies founded on respect for fundamental rights and the rule of law. Civil society organisations across the EU face increasing pressure that limits their ability to operate. This report presents FRA opinions on how EU Member States can better protect civic space and support civil society organisations in safeguarding fundamental rights. The findings are based on data and information collected by FRANET, FRA’s multidisciplinary research network, and FRA’s consultation with CSOs participating in its Fundamental Rights Platform. It is complemented by desk research, interviews, stakeholder meetings and exchanges with intergovernmental organisations. It covers all EU Member States, as well as Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia.
In international human rights law, the right to participate in democratic processes finds its roots in Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This provision requires states to give all citizens the right and the opportunity to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives. It was not originally intended to establish a binding obligation for government to consult with civil society or other stakeholders as a rule [161]
United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, CCPR General Comment No. 25: Article 25 (Participation in public affairs and the right to vote) – The right to participate in public affairs, voting rights and the right of equal access to public service, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.7, General Comment No. 25. (General Comments), 12 July 1996.
. However, since the 1990s, the understanding of democracy has shifted from a purely representative model to a model of representative democracy complemented by active involvement of people in decision-making processes [162]
Hämäläinen, H. and Salminen, J., ‘Inclusive participation in law-making: Good governance or a constitutional obligation?’, The Theory and Practice of Legislation, Vol. 13, Issue 2, Taylor & Francis Online, 2 June 2025, pp. 213-235.
. Direct consultation with stakeholders, including civil society organisations, is characteristic of such participatory democracy [163]
Recommendation of the Committee of Ministers to member States on deliberative democracy (adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 6 September 2023 at the 1 473rd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies).
. This is reflective of the open government and good governance movement that is based on the principles of transparency, integrity and stakeholder participation in support of democracy and inclusive growth [164]
OECD, ‘Recommendation of the Council on open government’, OECD/LEGAL/0438, 14 December 2017.
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Some specific human rights instruments at the UN level impose an obligation on states to consult with those who are affected by their implementation. For example, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires states to consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities through their representative organisations. Article 8 of the Aarhus Convention requires states to strive to promote effective public participation at an appropriate stage when drafting legally binding rules that may have a significant effect on the environment, and to take the results of the public participation into account as far as possible [165]
Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, Aarhus, Denmark, 25 June 1998.
. More generally, however, consultation with civil society is still primarily a matter of good lawmaking, not legal obligation, unless states have chosen to adopt such rules in their national systems. Nevertheless, even in relation to the national level, some scholars have recently argued that inclusive participation in lawmaking processes is more than just a matter of good governance, rather it should be viewed as a constitutional principle and obligation [166]
Hämäläinen, H. and Salminen, J., ‘Inclusive participation in law-making: Good governance or a constitutional obligation?’, The Theory and Practice of Legislation, Vol. 13, Issue 2, Taylor & Francis Online, 2 June 2025, pp. 213-235, page 3; European Law Institute, Charter of fundamental constitutional principles of a European democracy, 22 July 2024, Principle 20.
. The Council of Europe published ‘Guidelines for civil participation in political decision-making’ in 2017 [167]
Council of Europe, ‘Guidelines for civil participation in political decision making’, CM(2017)83 final of 27 September 2017.
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Also at the EU level, the importance given to participatory elements has increased over time. According to the Treaty on European Union (TEU), the functioning of the EU is founded on representative democracy, where citizens are represented directly in the European Parliament and through their democratically elected governments in the Council and the European Council. Additionally, however, Article 10(3) of the TEU provides that every citizen has the right to participate in the democratic life of the Union, and that decisions shall be taken as openly and as closely as possible to the citizen. Article 11 of the TEU requires that EU institutions hear citizens and their representative organisation in all areas of EU action, and maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society. The EU strategy to strengthen the application of the Charter, along with many sectoral EU action plans and strategies, call for the engagement of CSOs throughout the design, implementation and evaluation of relevant measures [168]
Such as: the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion and participation (2020–2030); the LGBTIQ+ equality strategy (2020–2025 and 2026–2030); the gender equality strategy 2020–2025; A Union of equality: EU anti-racism action plan 2020–2025; the European Green Deal and EU adaptation strategy; or the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021–2030.
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Engagement with civil society is also one of the three key pillars of the recently published EU strategy for civil society [169]
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee Of The Regions – EU strategy for civil society, COM(2025) 790 final of 12 November 2025.
. The strategy announces the establishment of a Civil Society Platform which will provide a regular and structured framework for dialogue on the protection and promotion of EU values, streamlining and strengthening engagement on fundamental rights, democracy, equality and the rule of law, and offering a space to address challenges faced by CSOs working in these areas. The strategy also proposes 10 guiding principles for dialogue between the Commission and civil society [170]
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee Of The Regions – EU strategy for civil society, COM(2025) 790 final of 12 November 2025, p. 3.
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Moreover, as part of the EU’s institutional architecture, the European Economic and Social Committee is an EU advisory body representing employers, workers and civil society organisations that is heralded as ‘the voice of organised civil society in Europe’ [171]
European Economic and Social Committee.
. At the EU level, the Have Your Say public consultations platform [172]
European Commission, ‘Have your say’, Public Consultations and Feedback website.
allows citizens and businesses to share their views on new EU policies and existing laws, while the Citizens’ Engagement Platform [173]
European Commission, ‘Citizens’ Engagement Platform’, European Commission website.
allows for individual to collaborate on input and also features the European Citizens’ Panels that bring together 150 randomly selected citizens from across the EU to make recommendations on key policies that affect everyone in the EU [174]
European Commission, ‘Citizens’ Panels’, Citizens’ Engagement Platform.
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In any case, the expectation that stakeholders will be consulted on public policy-making processes has become an established feature of European democracies. To gain a better understanding of the current situation and to inform and inspire national actors in finding the best way to incorporate participatory democracy into their law- and policymaking, FRA research examined the situation in 27 Member States and three FRA observer countries. As this chapter will show, throughout the Member States and FRA observer countries, the development of a model of representative democracy that is complemented effectively by a participatory democracy framework is still very much a work in progress. Despite improvements, channels for CSOs to participate effectively in policy and decision-making have yet to be fully developed. According to data from FRA’s civic space consultation [175]
FRA, ‘Civic space’, FRA website.
which are corroborated by other sources [176]
European Commission, ‘A thriving civic space to protect fundamental rights’, European Commission website; European Parliament, ‘Report on human rights and democracy in the world and the European Union’s policy on the matter – Annual report 2023’, 8 December 2023; European Partnership for Democracy, ‘Safeguarding civic space: Recommendations for an EU civil society strategy’, October 2025.
, the reported/perceived challenges in CSO participation include limited interest or time among policymakers to consult meaningfully, difficulties in accessing consultations, weaknesses in consultation processes, insufficient feedback on follow-up to consultations and insufficient capacity among organisations to contribute, including due to a lack of funding for such processes. Furthermore, cooperation is often ad hoc and incident specific. These challenges are exacerbated for those organisations working with groups or persons at risk of exclusion [177]
FRA, Protecting Civil Society – Update 2023, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 18 October 2023, Section 5.2.
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The 2023 Commission recommendation on participation calls for a clearly defined policy or regulatory framework for civil society participation that allows for meaningful input. Such frameworks should clearly define procedures and the relevant actors involved. Member States are encouraged to provide adequate information and sufficient resources and time to allow for appropriate participation and meaningful impact. The framework should be transparent, inclusive and accessible, and also reach out to those who may be underrepresented, including the most vulnerable and marginalised persons [178]
Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/2836 of 12 December 2023 on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes (OJ L, 2023/2836, 20.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2023/2836/oj), points 5 to 7.
. In the 2024 Fundamental Rights Report, FRA echoed this recommendation, calling for Member States to review their legislation to ensure that rules on public participation are clear and sufficiently broad. Moreover, the inclusion of expertise in fundamental and human rights and people in vulnerable situations, such as LGBTIQ+ people, persons with disabilities and members of ethnic, racial and religious minorities, should be promoted and enabled [179]
FRA, Fundamental rights report – 2024, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2024, p. 71.
. In the new EU strategy for civil society published in November 2025, the Member States are once again invited to strengthen engagement mechanisms and policies towards full implementation of the recommendation as regards the effective participation of civil society organisations.
FRA research reveals that, as at the end of 2024, the situation varies considerably across the 27 Member States and the three FRA observer countries. Whereas the majority of countries have established at least some binding rules for public authorities on public participation, one third consult with civil society solely on the basis of non-binding guidelines, frameworks and practices. Some countries have quite a broad and well-developed binding framework, while in others the scope is rather limited. Both binding and non-binding frameworks function with varying degrees of consistency and effectiveness. This is particularly the case since in many countries, a significant amount of discretion is left to policymakers, government ministries or parliamentary committees as to whether, when and how to consult with CSOs. Where binding rules exist, they usually do not meet all of the expectations for a framework as set out in the recommendation. It would also appear that having a framework is no guarantee of meaningful participation in practice.
For example, Portugal has a broad framework, with binding rules on public consultation covering all legislative initiatives at both the parliamentary and governmental levels. The parliament hosts an online consultation platform for input on legislative files, and the responsible standing committees are also obliged to organise consultations with the organisations representing the sector in question where there is a constitutional or legal right to be heard, for example in the areas of disability, consumer protection, family and education policy. More specifically, trade union associations have a right under the constitution to participate in the drafting of labour legislation. CSOs can also have a say on legislative initiatives originating in the government through its online public consultation portal [180]
Assembly of the Portuguese Republic (Assembleia da República), Regimento da Assembleia da República nº 21/2020 [Rules of Procedure of the Parliament nº 21/2020], 31 August 2020.
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In contrast, binding rules are rather limited, for example in France, where consultations with civil society organisations are mandatory only under the French Labour Code in relation to individual and collective labour relations, employment and professional training [181]
French Labour Code (Code de travail), Article L1.
. However, engagement with civil society is also structured through the French Economic, Social and Environmental Council (ESEC) that is defined by the French Constitution as the third assembly, after the Senate and the National Assembly. Moreover, in 2024 the French Government, as part of its policy to renew democracy, published an interministerial guide on public participation [182]
Interministerial Directorate for Government Transformation (Direction interministérielle de la transformation publique), Guide du Centre Interministériel de la Participation Citoyenne [Guide of the Interministerial Centre for Citizen Participation], 2024.
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In most Member States, the rules on consultation are spread out in different laws, regulations and guidelines, and may differ depending on who the legislator is or what the topic is. For example, in Poland, there are different rules relating to stakeholder consultation for legislation drafted by a ministry, and for both the lower and upper houses of parliament. While parliament is required to consult with some stakeholders, there are no legal requirements to organise consultations with civil society more broadly. For legislation drafted in government ministries, the ministry or authority drafting a legislative act may refer the draft for public consultation, but this will depend on factors such as its expected social and economic effects. There are, however, no clear criteria to set the limits to this discretion and therefore for any right to be consulted. CSOs in Poland have raised concerns about the declining quality of legislation due partially to very short deadlines for the adoption of legislation and other ways of bypassing meaningful consultation [183]
Berek, M., Frączak, P, Izdebski, K, Kopińska, G. and Wołejko, P., Polski BezŁad Legislacyjny – Raport Obywatelskiego Forum Legislacji z prac IX kadencji Sejmu [Polish Legislative Disorder: Report of the Civic Legislative Forum on the work of the 9th term of the Sejm], Batory Foundation, Warsaw, 2023.
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A more comprehensive approach has been taken by Austria, which has broad binding rules, guidelines for public authorities, and easily accessible information for members of civil society and the general public (see the box below) [184]
Austrian Parliament (Parlament Österreich), ‘Begutachtungsverfahren’ [‘Consultative procedures’], Parlament Österreich website.
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The framework in Luxembourg provides for both mandatory and discretionary consultations, depending on the subject matter, however without clear rules on timelines or an obligation to give feedback. Moreover, this framework is applicable only in relation to policy and legislative proposals that originate from the government.
A developed framework in and of itself does not guarantee meaningful consultation, for various reasons. For example, the rules in Romania are quite clear and broad. Minimum rules for public consultation are focused in a law on decisional transparency in public administration. The law sets the requirements for public consultation for the central and local public authorities and other public institutions. It imposes an obligation to publish all draft legislation for consultation, and for the initiator to respond to any comments. However, the same law also defines the exceptions for emergency decisions which do not have to undergo the normal consultative process. In practice, the exceptions have been described as controversial, and it has been reported that these rules on consultation are not necessarily followed [185]
Commission staff working document – 2024 rule of law report – Country chapter on the rule of law situation in Romania – Accompanying the document 'Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions – 2024 rule of law report – the rule of law situation in the European Union', SWD(2024) 823 final of 24 July 2024.
. Similarly, in Croatia, the obligation to conduct public consultations is set out in the Act on the Right to Access to Information. Public consultations must be held for at least 30 days, and the authorities must publish a report on the consultation to provide transparency in the consultation process. The framework for the participation of civil society organisations and other stakeholders is found in a code of practice that sets standards for the form, duration and methods of public consultations, but this document is not legally binding. However, civil society organisations have reported that in practice, the quality and consistency of feedback can vary [186]
Centre for Peace Studies (Centar za mirovne studije), ‘Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025 – Croatia’, Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, 17 March 2025.
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Even if not binding, there may exist a well-established framework and practice. For example in Sweden, the consultation procedure is a well-established way for CSOs to participate in political decision-making processes. The framework is established in law but does not set any minimum timeframe. Nevertheless, the standard practice is to give stakeholders three months to submit input to consultations [187]
Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Civic space in the EU: Mapping of national approaches to civic space monitoring, participation and protection: Sweden, February 2025, published on FRA’s website, p.7.
. In Belgium, while there are no binding rules requiring that CSOs be engaged by public authorities in participation, consultations are nevertheless frequent [188]
Fundamental Rights Research Centre (FRC), Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB), Civic space in the EU: Mapping of national approaches to civic space monitoring, participation and protection: Belgium, February 2025, published on FRA’s website, with reference to information obtained via written communication from a member of the Human Rights League received on 14 January 2025 and confirmed in a written communication from a member of the Federal Institute received on 13 February 2025, p.5.
. Similarly in Germany, FRA data show that there are no specific binding rules in relation to CSOs, but it is common practice in the legislative process to consult experts and stakeholders in the practice of federal states and association participation. However, there is a significant amount of discretion left to the ministries as to whom to consult, and regarding the timing and scope of consultation, and there are also no guidelines on how to ensure the participation [189]
German Institute for Human Rights, Civic space in the EU: Mapping of national approaches to civic space monitoring, participation and protection: Germany, February 2025, published on FRA’s website, p. 5.
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A number of documents by international organisations provide additional guidance on enhancing meaningful participation, such as the Council of Europe’s ‘Guidelines for civil participation in political decision-making’ [190]
Council of Europe (2017), ‘Guidelines for civil participation in political decision making’, CM(2017)83 final of 27 September 2017.
, the ‘OECD guidelines for citizen participation processes’ [191]
OECD, ‘OECD guidelines for citizen participation processes’, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, 24 September 2022.
, the OSCE/ODIHR ‘Recommendations on enhancing the participation of associations in public decision-making processes’ [192]
OSCE/ODIHR (2015), ‘Recommendations on enhancing the participation of associations in public decision-making processes’, Vienna, 15–16 April 2015.
and the OSCE/ODIHR Guidelines on promoting the political participation of persons with disabilities [193]
OSCE/ODIHR, Guidelines on promoting the political participation of persons with disabilities, 2019.
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The Commission’s recommendation on participation calls on Member States to explore the use of new technologies to facilitate and enhance participation. As technology has advanced, legislative files and legislative processes have become digitalised and more readily accessible for public authorities, politicians and stakeholders of all kinds. This has also increased the importance of digital literacy to avoid widening digital divides that might limit the diversity of participants [194]
Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/2836 of 12 December 2023 on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes (OJ L, 2023/2836, 20.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2023/2836/oj), Recital 9; OECD, ‘OECD guidelines for citizen participation processes’, OECD Public Governance Reviews, OECD Publishing, Paris, 24 September 2022, page 51.
. It is likely that these increased possibilities have also raised expectations for consultations. Not surprisingly, online consultation platforms of one type or another are used in the majority of EU Member States.
While online platforms have the potential to allow for broad consultation and input, they may be less effective where there is no underlying legal framework. For example, in the Netherlands, internet consultation has been part of the legislative process since 2011 but it is not mandated by any binding rules. In practice, it is up to the ministries to determine which proposals require consultation [195]
Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), ‘Internetconsultatie’ [‘Internet consultation’], Overheid website.
. Without a legal framework, such platforms are also less likely to be in full compliance with fundamental rights, including as these relate to inclusiveness, accessibility and data protection.
Decidim is a digital platform for citizen participation that has been designed to support participatory democracy. It allows citizens and institutions to co-create public policy online. It is built as an open-source tool and is used by the European Commission, national and regional governments (such as the French National Assembly and the Belgian federal government), cities (such as Barcelona and Helsinki), CSOs and universities [196]
Decidim.
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Indeed, factors such as inclusiveness, transparency and respect for the freedom of information also affect whether consultation will be meaningful and effective. This includes who is notified of a consultation either systematically or on an ad hoc basis based on relevance, who has the right to contribute to a consultation and whether any feedback is provided to participants. For example, in Spain, a notification is sent automatically through the online consultation system to all identified stakeholders. In Estonia, the government legislative information system allows anyone to upload comments and access the positions and comments of all public authorities and stakeholders that have contributed to the process. Feedback on why the contributions were or were not incorporated into the draft is also provided on this same platform [197]
Eelnõude infosüsteem.
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The overview of the existing frameworks shows that they do not generally meet the expectations of the Commission’s recommendation. The invitation to Member States to strengthen engagement mechanisms to fully implement the 2023 recommendation on participation is therefore welcome and timely. There is significant room for development to establish a general framework that could help ensure the meaningful and effective participation of civil society in law- and policymaking at the national level. Without clear rules and guidelines for their implementation, participatory frameworks will not be sufficiently clear or ensure inclusiveness. Without sufficient information and clear objectives for consultation, policymakers will not fully benefit from the expertise of CSOs or sufficiently take into consideration the interests and rights of all persons affected by a proposed policy. Without transparency and feedback, there is a risk that the full potential to improve the quality of legislation and trust in the democratic process will be undermined.
In the recommendation on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes, in addition to a safe and enabling environment, Member States are encouraged to create strategic partnerships between public authorities and civil society organisations to foster their participation in public policymaking processes. Ideally, there should be regular, long-lasting and result-oriented structured dialogues with CSOs that go beyond consultation for specific policy or legislative proposals [198]
Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/2836 of 12 December 2023 on promoting the engagement and effective participation of citizens and civil society organisations in public policy-making processes (OJ L, 2023/2836, 20.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reco/2023/2836/oj), points 15 to 17.
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FRA examined whether there are bodies or structures, established by government, that ensure the participation of civil society in developing, implementing or monitoring laws and policies at the national level. This includes both general bodies and bodies or structures in a specific sector. As at the end of 2024, the situation in the 27 Member States and in FRA observer countries varied considerably.
In some countries, for example Cyprus and Estonia, no such formal body exists [199]
University of Nicosia and Symfiliosi, Civic space in the EU: Mapping of national approaches to civic space monitoring, participation and protection: Cyprus, February 2025, published on FRA’s website; Tallinn University, Civic space in the EU: Mapping of national approaches to civic space monitoring, participation and protection: Estonia, February 2025, published on FRA’s website.
. On the opposite end of the spectrum is France, with the ESEC. It is heralded as ‘an essential cog in [French] democracy’ and as ‘a democratic expression of civil society in action’. Eighty-two organisations (companies, trade unions, associations, NGOs, etc.) nominate 175 members for a five-year term. The ESEC advises the government and the parliament in the development of economic, social and environmental policy. Since 2021, it is also responsible for fostering broader citizen engagement [200]
Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Conseil économique, social et environnemental).
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A similar structure, the Social and Economic Council (Sociaal-Economische Raad) has been established under the law of the Netherlands to advise the government and parliament on socioeconomic policy [201]
Government of the Netherlands (Rijksoverheid), ‘Wet op de Sociaal-economische Raad’ [‘Socioeconomic Council Act’], Overheid website, 6 February 1950.
. Romania also has an Economic and Social Council established by statute that members of the government and parliament must consult when drafting legislation that regulates socioeconomic matters [202]
Economic and Social Council of Romania.
. In Sweden, the national body for dialogue and consultation facilitates collaboration between public actors and civil society in all areas of politics, based on an agreement signed in 2018 between the Swedish government and Swedish civil society [203]
National Office for Dialogue and Consultation between the Government and Civil Society, ‘NOD in English’, NOD website.
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CSOs are included in government bodies that are specifically mandated to develop policies that affect civic space in a wide range of countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Sweden. For example, Slovenian legislation establishes a Council for the Promotion of the Development of Voluntarism, Volunteer Work, and Non-Governmental Organisations as an expert and advisory body on matters related to volunteering and NGOs. The council consists of 16 members, including four representatives from NGOs and four from volunteering organisations. The Council of the government of the Slovak Republic for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations is an expert, advisory, coordinating and consultative body that has a chamber of NGOs (32 members) and a chamber of public administration (20 members). However, perceptions as to how well such bodies function vary between states. For example, in Croatia, although the council comprises 37 members, including representatives from government bodies, CSOs, foundations, trade unions, employers’ associations and local government associations, there has been criticism that the CSOs can easily be outvoted by government representatives [204]
Centre for Peace Studies, ‘Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025 – Croatia’, Liberties Rule of Law Report 2025, Civil Liberties Union for Europe, 17 March 2025.
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While many states have umbrella organisations representing youth organisations, only a few have established some type of body to ensure a more systematic participation and engagement of children and youth in policymaking. For example, in Germany, the Children’s Commission (Kommission zur Wahrnehmung der Belange der Kinder) is a permanent sub-committee of the Committee for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the federal parliament. It sees itself as a guardian of children’s interests and has engaged with CSOs, experts and children themselves since 1988 to raise awareness and influence policy [205]
German Bundestag (Deutscher Bundestag), ‘Kinderkommission – Kommission zur Wahrnehmung der Belange der Kinder’ [‘Children's Commission – Commission for the Protection of Childrens’ Interests’], Deutscher Bundestag website; information received from the national liaison officer for Germany.
. In Poland, the Council for Dialogue with the Young Generation (Rada Dialogu z Młodym Pokoleniem) has been established by law, with 20 members including representatives of the President of Poland, the Children’s Rights Commissioner, the prime minister, ministries, local governments and youth councils operating at the local level [206]
Chancellory of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (Kancelaria Sejmu), ‘Ustawa o działalności pożytku publicznego I wolontariacie’ [‘Act on Public Benefit Activity and Volunteerism’], 24 April 2003, Article 41.
. In North Macedonia, a law mandates the establishment of a youth assembly that would elect representative to the national advisory body for youth policies, but neither of these bodies has yet become operational [207]
Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, ‘Закон за младинско учество и младински политики’ [‘Law on youth participation and youth policies’], Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia, No 10, January 2020.
. While not a government body, in Portugal, the National Youth Council (Conselho Nacional da Juventude) is a not-for-profit organisation that brings together youth organisations and regional youth councils. Portuguese law guarantees the independence and autonomy of the council and obliges the state to provide it with funding and consult with it on matters related to young people [208]
Assembly of the Portuguese Republic (Assembleia da República), Lei 1/2006, que estabelece o Estatuto Jurídico do Conselho Nacional de Juventude (Law 1/2006, establishing the legal statute of the National Youth Council), Diário da República, No 10/2006, 13 January 2006.
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In Denmark, the Youth Climate Council has a more specific mandate to advise the government on issues related to climate change, with the goal of bringing new thinking into Danish climate policy. Its members are appointed for a two-year period, with some members serving in an individual capacity while others represent Danish youth organisations and movements [209]
The Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities (Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet), ‘Ungeklimarådet’ [‘Youth Climate Council’], Klima-, Energi- og Forsyningsministeriet website.
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Across the countries studied, other bodies address more specific issues ranging from human rights in general to non-discrimination, LGBTIQ+ issues, ethnic and/or religious minorities, sustainable development, senior citizens, education and persons with disabilities [210]
For example, Government of the Republic of Croatia (Vlada Republike Hrvatske), Decision on the establishment of the Council for Human Rights (Odluka o osnivanju Savjeta za ljudska prava), Official Gazette (Narodne novine) No 136/2021; Maltese Human Rights Directorate, LGBTIQ Consultative Council; Latvian Consultative Council of Representatives of Minority Non-Governmental Organisations (Mazākumtautību nevalstisko organizāciju pārstāvju konsultatīvā padome); Spanish Sustainable Development Council, Head of State (Jefatura del Estado), Law 40/2015 of 1 October on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector (Ley 40/2015, de 1 de octubre, de Régimen Jurídico del Sector Público), 2 October 2015, Article 22.3; Latvian Ministry of Welfare, Council for Senior Citizens (Senioru lietu padome); Portuguese National Education Council (Conselho Nacional de Educação); Bulgarian National Council for Integration of People with Disabilities (Национален съвет за интеграция на хората с увреждания, НСИХУ).
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As the landscape of partnerships and established structures is diverse and developed to very differing degrees across the Member States, implementation of the EU recommendation on participation would benefit from additional evidence-gathering and further analysis of existing approaches with a view to identifying their respective strengths and weaknesses. As suggested in the EU strategy for civil society, enhanced cooperation and the exchange of experience and good practices among Member States and with EU-level actors could support more consistent and effective implementation of participatory frameworks across the EU.
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