Joint Civil Society call for more EU investment to promote democracy and human rights

Ahead of the meeting of the European Council of 19 June to discuss the EU Recovery Plan and the EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, AGE co-signed a joint letter together with 50 EU civil society organisations to the Presidents of the European Institutions.

In our letter, we welcome the proposal for a European Recovery Plan to support and boost our societies in the aftermath of the pandemic, but deeply regret that the initiative was not supported by a needs and impact assessment on fundamental rights and democracy, and that no consultation with the civil society sector has been carried out in preparation of this Plan. Yet, civil society actors could have provided useful input given their commitment and knowledge of the situation on the ground.

We are also concerned about the substantial cuts made in the revised Multiannual Financial Framework 2021- 2027 (MFF) in funding programmes promoting democracy and human rights, such as the future Justice, Rights and Values Fund.

Therefore, we called on the President of the European Commission, the President of the European Council, the German Presidency of the EU and the President of the European Parliament to make sure the recovery will:

• be rights-based,
• supports civil society,
• ensures adequate funding to promoting EU values, and
• involves civil society organisations.

Read our joint letter