Vienna: The EU civil society strategy moved a step closer to delivery this week after the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in Vienna closed its consultation on 21 September 2026 on a new online knowledge hub designed to help organisations track and resist pressure on civic space. The hub arrives as FRA data show that three in four rights groups face barriers to their work, and as EU justice ministers prepare to discuss the protection of civil society and journalists on 2 October.
FRA ran the needs assessment from 7 to 21 September, asking people who work on civic space, human rights and public participation what the hub should contain and how it should work. The agency says the hub will serve as a one-stop shop for civic space monitoring initiatives, reports and protection resources, backed by a network of monitoring experts that FRA will set up with the European Commission.
The need is well documented. In its 2026 civic space update, FRA reported that 75% of responding civil society organisations active on fundamental rights faced barriers in 2024, and 70% said conditions at EU level had deteriorated or greatly deteriorated. Online verbal attacks affected 67% of respondents, negative media campaigns 60%, politically motivated funding cuts 39% and excessive audits 36%.
Many incidents never reach the authorities. FRA found that 61% of organisations that experienced incidents did not report them, most often because they believed nothing would change. “Without reporting, victims cannot access justice,” the agency wrote in its formal opinions, urging member states to record, investigate and prosecute serious attacks on human rights defenders.
Money is the other pressure point. Almost half of FRA’s respondents, 44%, reported an unexpected cut or freeze in funding over the previous twelve months, and 27% said foreign funding or “foreign agent” rules had caused them difficulties. FRA warned that vague definitions of political activity can push organisations to censor their own advocacy for fear of losing grants.
The Commission adopted the EU civil society strategy in November 2025 around three priorities, namely engagement, protection and support, alongside the European Democracy Shield. It is now selecting 30 independent non-profit organisations to sit on a new Civil Society Platform for a three-year mandate, with two seats reserved for groups from the enlargement region. Civil Society Europe sits on the platform’s steering group together with the Commission, FRA and the European Economic and Social Committee.
The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values programme remains the main EU funding line for these organisations. CERV runs until 2027 and offers 12 calls worth €305 million in 2026, covering citizens’ engagement, gender equality, the Daphne strand against violence, EU values and remembrance.
The fight over what comes next has already started. Under the Commission’s proposal for the 2028-2034 budget, CERV would merge with Creative Europe into a new programme called AgoraEU, and its successor strand would receive €3.6 billion, more than double CERV’s current €1.55 billion. Parliament’s Culture and Education and Civil Liberties committees share responsibility for the file, according to the Parliament’s legislative train.
Civil society networks have mobilised to defend that envelope while several governments resist larger national contributions to the next budget. Their case gets a ministerial hearing on 2 October, when justice ministers exchange views on protecting civil society and journalists and consider conclusions on combating racism. For the groups FRA surveyed, the EU civil society strategy will be judged on whether the hub, the platform and the money reach them before conditions worsen further.
