Our Publications

Our Latest Publications and Reports

  • Civic Space Report 2025

    2025
  • Cover of the Civic Space Report 2024 featuring a crowd and the title in bold text.

    Civic Space Report 2024

    2024
  • Cover of the Civic Space Report 2023 featuring the title and graphic elements.

    Civic Space report 2023

    2023
  • Cover page of the European Civic Forum response document on rule of law in the EU.

    ECF response to the European Commission stakeholders’ consultation on the rule of law in the European Union

    2022
  • Cover of a study titled 'The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on fundamental rights and civic space'.

    The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on fundamental rights and civic space

    2022
  • Cover page of a report titled 'Towards Vibrant European Civic and Democratic Space' with hands raised in the background.

    Towards vibrant european civic and democratic space

    2022
  • Cover page of the ECF response document regarding the European Commission stakeholders' consultation on the rule of law.

    ECF response to the European Commission stakeholders’ consultation on the rule of law in the European Union

    2021
  • Cover of a report titled 'Towards an open, transparent, and structured EU civil dialogue' featuring speech bubble graphics.

    Towards an open, transparent, and structured EU civil dialogue

    2021
  • Cover of the France country briefing report featuring the French flag and title text.

    FRANCE: Country Briefing

    2021
  • Cover of the Slovenia Civic Monitor Watchlist report featuring a protest scene with a sign.

    SLOVENIA: Country Briefing

    2021
  • Cover page of a report titled 'Civic Space in the European Rule of Law Framework' with a modern building in the background.

    CIVIC SPACE IN THE EUROPEAN RULE OF LAW FRAMEWORK

    2021
  • Text graphic stating 'Towards an Enabling Environment for Civil Society in Europe' with logos of European Civic Forum and Civic Space Watch.

    Toward an enabling environment for civil society in Europe

    2018
  • Cover of a document titled 'Citizen Rights' with a subtitle about democracy and protection in the EU.

    A state of Democracy: towards citizen rights protection in the EU

    2016

Civic Space Watch provides a database of alerts, analysis, research, institutional reactions and campaigns to support research and advocacy efforts of the European Civic Forum (ECF) and others. The ECF is one of the research partners of the CIVICUS Monitor, and an active member of Civil Society Europe and feeds into their actions. This section aims at collecting some of the resources featuring the ECF work on civic space. 

Civil Society Europe Contribution to the 2021 Rule of law Report – targeted stakeholders consultation (2022) 

Civil Society Europe Contribution to the 2021 Rule of law Report – targeted stakeholders consultation (2021) 

People Power under attack (CIVICUS Monitor, 2020) 

Protecting civil society space: strengthening freedom of association, assembly and expression and the right to defend rights in the EU (Study for the European Parliament, 2020)

Response to the European Commission Annual Rule of Law Report Stakeholders consultation (Civil Society Europe, 2020)

Citizens, Institutions, Civil society – French democracy under strain (Unesco Chair “Urban policies and citizenship”, 2020)

People Power under attack (CIVICUS Monitor, 2019) 

Against the wave: Civil society responses to anti-rights groups (CIVICUS Monitor, 2019)

Right to protest: Comparative study (Novact and Iridia, 2019) 

Freedom of assembly in Spain 2017–2018 (Red Malla, 2018) 

Civic space in Europe 2017 (Civil Society Europe, 2018) 

People Power under Attack (CIVICUS Monitor, 2018) 

The Commission’s Rule of Law Report and the EU Monitoring and Enforcement of Article 2 TEU Values (Study, European Parliament, 2022)

The shrinking space for civil society in Europe (European Parliament, 2022)

Protecting civic space (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2021) 

2020 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Poland (European Commission, 2020) 

Working document on  Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG) Report (LIBE/9/02808) Report (European Parliament, 2020) 

Countering shrinking spaces: Recommendations to support EU civil society (European Policy Centre, 2020) 

Locking down critical voices – How governments’ responses to the Covid-19 pandemic are unduly restricting civic space and freedoms across the EU (Civil Liberties Union for Europe and Greenpeace, 2020) 

Sued Into Silence, How the rich and powerful use legal tactics to shut critics up (Greenpeace, 2020) 

How could strategic litigation prevent policing of humanitarianism? (Centre for European Policy Studies, 2019) 

Fit for purpose? The Facilitation Directive and the criminalisation of humanitarian assistance to irregular migrants: 2018 Update (Study for the European Parliament, 2018) 

Activizenship

Launched in 2014, Activizenship was a magazine edited by the European Civic Forum aiming to explore the potential of forms of civic, social and political activism and to capture current trends and transformations affecting civil society environment in Europe.