Civic Space Report 2026

Civil society continued to come under attack in 2025, with EU policies now playing a key role.

Written by the European Civic Forum and its partners on the ground, the report finds that restrictions on civil society are becoming institutionalised and mainstreamed across the continent, including unfounded accusations against NGOs in the European and national parliaments, the spread of “foreign agents” legislation and rhetoric, and restrictions on protest rights.

Restrictive pattens are increasingly being taken up, legitimised, and reinforced at the EU level.

8 Key Trends in Civic Space

In 2025, there were recurring attempts by far-right parties — often with the support of other mainstream parties — to delegitimise the activities and funding of civil society and level unfounded accusations of the misuse of funds. This was seen at the EU level, and in at least five countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Increasingly, public authorities restrict, condition, or withdraw public funding of CSOs engaged in advocacy, particularly when they criticise government policy. Such attempts have been documented in Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Hungary, Spain, and the United Kingdom, as well as at the EU level. NGOs feel forced to tone down their messages, take fewer public positions, or simply reduce the visibility of their work.

In 2025, foreign funding of civil society was targeted under the guise of transparency, either through negative rhetoric branding organisations as “foreign agents”, or legislative proposals (known as “foreign agents” laws). The EU’s defence of democracy directive, though improved on the original proposal, has already been referenced by some national actors to justify their more dangerous laws.

Across Europe, the freedom of peaceful assembly has continued to come under attack. There is an alarming normalisation of repressive laws and practices to criminalise peaceful protest movements. The use of excessive force, arbitrary detentions, and harassment was documented in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

The criminalisation of solidarity with migrants and refugees has become a structural trend in Europe. By investigating, prosecuting, or publicly delegitimising organisations that assist migrants, authorities create an environment of fear, uncertainty, and stigmatisation. Alongside member states’ harsh approach, EU policies are normalising the criminalisation of migration and solidarity.

Across Europe, governments are expanding data gathering and monitoring powers — often facilitated by surveillance technologies — which are increasingly shaping the environment in which civic actors operate.

In 2025, participation through public consultation processes, access to information, and structured dialogue remained limited. Civil society has expressed serious concerns about the EU’s deregulation agenda, have been developed by the European Commission without standard impact assessments and with limited consultation of civil society — while Commissioners met extensively with business groups.

Despite the overall deterioration of civic space across Europe in 2025, civil society continued to adapt, resist, and secure measurable impacts. These positive developments are not isolated; they point to a consistent pattern of civic resistance and resilience across multiple countries, particularly through advocacy, strategic litigation, and sustained mobilisation.

Read the country reports

The report is made up of a horizontal, EU-wide analysis, written by ECF, 13 country chapters and one regional Western Balkans analysis written by ECF members and partners on the ground.

Click on the tiles below to read the country reports!