RAPPORTEUR GROUP

Democracy

GR-DEM(2024)14

29 November 2024[1]

Current work and implementation plan of the Roadmap on Civil Society engagement with the Council of Europe 2024-2027 Item to be considered by the GR-DEM at its meeting on 10 December 2024

 

The Roadmap on Civil Society engagement with the Council of Europe 2024-2027 (SG/Inf(2023)28; hereinafter the Roadmap) was published in December 2023. It was welcomed by the Committee of Ministers (CM) as a significant step in the follow-up to the Reykjavík Declaration. The CM instructed the Secretariat to pursue its implementation plan and report to the Rapporteur Group on Democracy (GR-DEM) before the end of 2024. The Roadmap aims at fostering a meaningful and effective engagement of civil society with the Council of Europe and it revolves around improving the following strategic dimensions: awareness, knowledge and understanding of the Organisation, as well as access, participation, and contribution to its work. The Roadmap provides a series of proposals to operationalise these dimensions, as reflected in the Theory of Change table (see Appendix). Some of these proposals required a series of actions which were treated as priorities as they are preconditions for the implementation of the Roadmap, namely establishing a community of practice bringing together all different parts of the Secretariat, mapping initiatives and plans, and gathering inputs for the elaboration of guidelines for all sectors when reaching out to civil society. These priority actions have been implemented, along with some of the measures (see column Status/Timelines in the Appendix). The next steps will build upon this groundwork to achieve the goal of a more meaningful engagement of civil society with the Council of Europe.

General considerations

The Roadmap is one of the key elements of the Organisation’s commitment to enhance its work with civil society. At the Reykjavik Summit, the Heads of State and Government confirmed that “civil society is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy”. The “Helsinki process”[2], the Reykjavik Declaration and its Principles for Democracy, along with two key Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers[3], provide the framework for strengthening interaction with civil society organisations, as well as with National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and Human Rights Defenders. The Roadmap also reflects the proposals emanating from the civil society on the occasion of the first exchange with the Secretary General in 2023. The new Steering Committee for Democracy (CDDEM), exchanges with the Secretary General, the youth perspective, and the World Forum for Democracy are also building blocks in the Organisation’s enhanced engagement with civil society. Finally, the Roadmap’s implementation will contribute to any future Council of Europe initiative to revitalise democracy, which will place civil society, including youth, as one of the dimensions through which such a goal is to be achieved.

In 2024, the Secretariat has undertaken a mapping of existing practices and challenges, on the basis of which an implementation plan for the Roadmap was prepared involving two main axes of action:

a)      enhancement of working methods;

b)     improved communication and capacity building.

The Civil Society Task Force, which brings together the focal points of the different entities involved in the Organisation’s work on civil society, under the leadership of the Private Office of the Secretary General, was involved and contributed to the various phases of the process[4].

A)    Mapping of existing practices and enhancement of working methods

The preliminary mapping exercise was conducted to assess the extent to which the Roadmap’s proposed measures were already being implemented and to identify ongoing efforts across various entities. This analysis highlighted that while certain initiatives have been underway for several years, they were not yet fully embedded in a structured and cohesive manner or known across sectors.

Following to the mapping exercise, a Community of Practice, which brings together the representatives of the  different entities involveds in the implementation of the Roadmap, was established by the Directorate General of democracy and Human Dignity (DGII) with the participation of the Directorate of Programme and Budget (DPB), Directorate of Programme Coordination (DPC), Directorate General Human Rights and Rule of Law (DG I), the Directorate of Communication (DC), and of the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner. The purpose of the Community of Practice is to share information and exchange on how the different bodies and departments of the Organisation engage, or plan to engage, with civil society and to promote cross-fertilisation and synergies within the organisation in this area.

Information was collected on the existing modalities and practices of civil society engagement, future plans, challenges and obstacles with regard to civil society participation. The Community of Practice also discussed a possible elaboration of a framework of values and responsibilities, the opportunity of creating a database to facilitate interactions with international and national civil society representatives, as well as the necessity of protective measures that may be required when working with civil society organisations in some areas.

The work done so far showed that – as also highlighted by the Roadmap itself - intergovernmental and other structures already associate civil society organisations (CSOs) extensively and in various ways to their work, including for the preparation of feasibility studies, the elaboration of legal instruments and their operationalisation[5]. Some resort to public consultations on any draft instrument/implementation tool and document the input received from civil society. Likewise, civil society input is used in monitoring and advisory work[6] sometimes through joint or shadow reports (e.g. GRETA), as well as at hearings and exchanges of views during meetings and events (e.g. ECRI). The Venice Commission engages systematically with national and international CSOs in the context of the preparation of its opinions and also with regard to the follow-up on its recommendations. CSOs are also largely involved in many sectoral cooperation activities; they are regularly given grants to implement projects and events and they are sometimes involved not only as beneficiaries and participants, but as experts and partners who contribute to the outreach and visibility of the Council of Europe (for instance in education). The Department for the Execution of Judgements uses dedicated procedures in relation to the so-called Rule 9 submissions.

In the youth sector, CSO representatives and governments decide together in co-management about the European Youth Centre programme, as well as about the financial support of the European Youth Foundation to activities of international and national youth organisations and networks in the Programming Committee on Youth (CPJ), a subsidiary body of the CMJ. In this context the Council of Europe’s co-management system in the youth field is a living example of participatory democracy (launched in 1972), combining the voices of young Europeans and those of public authorities responsible for youth issues in the Joint Council on Youth (CMJ). The Council of Europe youth sector has a unique role and instruments, including the co-management system, the European Youth Centre (Strasbourg/Budapest), the European Youth Foundation, and the partnership with the European Commission in the field of youth in engaging young people with Europe and the values of democracy and human rights.

The Platform for the Safety of Journalists is another example of advanced cooperation mechanisms with civil society, operating in co-operation with prominent international CSOs active in the field of the freedom of expression and associations of journalists (currently, they are 15), to provide information about serious threats to media freedom and the safety of journalists. Alerts are subject to partner organisations’ own verification processes and standards and serve as a basis for dialogue with member States about possible protective or remedial action.

In 2024, the Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) prepared a Guidance Note on civil society participation in the intergovernmental work of the Council of Europe. The note has a twofold objective: proposing practical ways of strengthening civil participation in the work of the Council of Europe's intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies in order to increase their transparency, inclusivity, relevance and effectiveness, and, through civil society contribution to the Council of Europe work, also encouraging such participation in democratic processes in member States, within their legal frameworks. The guidance note covers the areas of access to information (e.g. continuous flow of information to increase awareness and understanding of the work, timely access to information on opportunities for engagement); modalities of engagement (need for clear policies and strategies on engagement with civil society, making use of the participatory status and Conference of INGOs, seeking input from civil society regarding national factors that restrict or impede their ability to participate in the work of the Council of Europe); working methods of intergovernmental committees and subordinate bodies; equality and inclusion considerations; safeguarding measures.

Also in 2024, the Steering Committee for Human Rights (CDDH) adopted a report to the Committee of Ministers on its examination of the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2018)11 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the need to strengthen the protection and promotion of civil society space in Europe. Incorporating a contribution from the CDDEM, this report looks at national practice and challenges under the four main dimensions of the Recommendation: (i) national legal framework and political and public environment to protect and promote civil society space; (ii) national measures to protect civil society space; (iii) national measures to promote civil society space; and (iv) support to civil society from Council of Europe bodies and institutions. It was prepared on the basis of a conference held in June 2024, with extensive civil society participation, and updates a compilation of replies to a questionnaire first administered when the CDDH drafted the Recommendation in 2018. In 2025, the CDDH will begin a similar exercise of examining implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2021)1 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on the development and strengthening of effective, pluralist and independent national human rights institutions.

The Conference of INGOs (CINGO) introduced several new practices in 2024, some of which were subsequently embedded in its 2024-2027 triennial strategy, adopted at its 2024 Autumn session. This strategy aims to enhance representation and foster more active involvement of CINGO across all key Council of Europe bodies. It includes a review of the rules of procedure to streamline contributions from INGOs to consultations carried out by various bodies of the Organisation, resulting in more consolidated and representative inputs and positions. Additionally, the strategy focuses on improving the internal and external communication, as well as expanding CINGO’s outreach and visibility.

Next steps

In 2025, DGII will prepare a set of practical guidelines on civil society engagement building upon current good practices across the Organisation, to support the sharing of knowledge between the secretariats of the different structures and entities of the Organisation and enhancing the cross-fertilisation of practices. The goal is to achieve a more transparent, meaningful, visible and coherent engagement with civil society across the Organisation which, at the same time, contributes to the Council of Europe’s renewed commitment to revitalise democracy and meets civil society’ demands. This document will be updated at regular intervals in future.

Regarding cooperation activities, the Project Management Methodology used for Council of Europe cooperation programmes, already includes guidelines on cooperation with civil society. DPC will update the guidelines with the aim of strengthening reporting on civil society engagement in project activities and will organise meetings for external offices to share information on the role of civil society in co-operation programmes.

To support these new and strengthened working methods, a framework on values and responsibilities for civil society participation will be prepared in 2025 on the basis of existing sectorial texts (for instance CINGO’s, WFD, etc.), the experience gathered in the Community of Practice and the results of consultations with civil society. The framework will outline the responsibilities of the Council of Europe and civil society organisations in their mutual partnership.

International communities of practice are also progressively being developed through intensified networking and engagement with other International Organisations, such as UNECSO and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (which both have also some form of institutionalised participatory status like CINGO), as well as the EU, the Fundamental Rights Agency and OECD, with regards to interactions with, and the involvement of civil society in the further promotion and protection of the civic space. Information on best practices is collected and opportunities for linking-up to initiatives on civil society engagement are being developed, to ultimately support, and develop further the Council of Europe’s efforts in terms of civil society engagement.

Discussions within the Community of Practice and exchanges with CINGO have also shown that, while the participatory and observer status with the Council of Europe are essential channels for civil society engagement with the Organisation, there might be a need to review certain criteria and the procedure for granting and withdrawing such statuses with a view to clarifying further the requirements and expectations related to these.

Certain proposals contained in the Roadmap have not yet been examined more closely, especially as these would involve new arrangements with financial and other implications, for instance the feasibility of a specific programme enabling civil society representatives to be seconded to the Council of Europe, the creation of a cross-Organisation database on participation of civil society in the work of the Organisation, etc. Related measures could be considered, considering the timeline of the Roadmap (2024-2027).

B)    Improved communication and capacity building

Several sector-specific webpages dedicated to the modalities of engagement of civil society are nowadays in place, together with practical guidance documents on how to contribute to the work, for instance in respect of the Social Charter, Violence against Women, Childrens’ Rights and National Minorities and Minority Languages. Examples of publications include “How can civil society engage with the European Committee of Social Rights under the monitoring system of the European Social Charter”, “Raising awareness of the Istanbul Convention: methodology and toolkit for civil society organisations”, and “A Civil Society Perspective on the Contribution to the Implementation of the Lanzarote Convention and Engagement with the Lanzarote Committee”. Capacity building for civil society on Council of Europe work and instruments is carried out through co-operation activities, awareness-raising, thematic work and so on. For example, capacity building programmes on artificial intelligence and discrimination and hate crime on LGBTI, engage national CSOs to enhance understanding of the Council’s standards and facilitate national dialogue towards their implementation. Another example is the call for action agreed with civil society including women’s organisations, to inspire future joint actions to combat violence against women. Often CSOs are engaged in the design and delivery of such awareness-raising and capacity building programmes.

An updated version of the Handbook “Working with the Council of Europe: a practical guide for civil society” was finalised in 2024 and is currently in the editing/production phase for on-line publication and printing. The Handbook provides a synthetic up-to-date overview of Council of Europe activities and opportunities for engagement of civil society in the respective sectors of work. Its translation into languages other than English and French will increase its use.

The civil society portal (link) provides a single-entry point to civil society for engaging with the Council of Europe. It presents the Council’s institutions and governing bodies, the themes of work and how the organisation partners with civil society. The portal is being updated to correlate with the updated Handbook. It also provides an overview of all the Council of Europe legal instruments relevant to civil society, as well as contact points to address queries and concerns from civil society organisations. These contact points respond to civil society’s request of being able to reach the appropriate service(s) and the screening will allow to give suits to legitimate demands and expressions of concerns.

Next steps

Additional awareness-raising initiatives being planned include for instance: (i) The CM's Rapporteur Groups will continue to organise meetings with civil society on a rotating basis[7]; (ii)The Department for the Execution of Judgements will develop the procedures under which CSOs may submit communications regarding the execution of judgments. These will be made more accessible and focused to help define root causes of the execution problems; (iii) the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is planning a meeting in 2025 with civil society organisations to explain its  modus operandi and develop interactions; (iv) the Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL), has announced in its strategy 2023-2027 the creation of a platform for dialogue with the specialised non-profit, academic and private sector community, subject to the availability of resources; (v) the European Social Charter system will soon launch a series of webinars to present and explain  the collective complaint processes.

The reform of the Council of Europe’s web presence will include a new thematic page on democracy and civil society, with a link to the Civil Society Portal webpage This reform will be used to ensure that the existing portal will be further enriched with news, links and information on civil society engagement. A calendar with participation and consultation opportunities for civil society will also be made available. In this context, the feasibility of a database collecting civil society’s participation with the Council of Europe is being discussed in the Community of Practice, including in terms of management and the protection/confidentiality of civil society inputs in sensitive national contexts. The planned redesign of the Council’s portal could include also new search functions to facilitate the collection and retrieval of certain data, for instance on civil society-related activities.

The Visitors’ Service is involved in plans to make information about opportunities for civil society to engage and partner with the Council of Europe available systematically to youth and NGOs visiting the Organisation. An additional focus will be given on civil society engagement during such visits and DGII will in 2025 produce a practical information package for the Visitors’ Service to this end. At the same time, the attention of Council of Europe field offices and information centres, as well as other Council of Europe bodies that have regular contacts with civil society, will be drawn on the above-mentioned revised Handbook, civil society webpages and practical information package.

DG II’s Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Division is holding a round table with 20 leading INGOs based in Brussels in November 2024 to promote the Reykjavik Principles for Democracy and their future use by civil society and other actors. Larger INGOs, which are the target of this exercise, are particularly in a position to contribute to interactions with the Organisation, relaying those efforts through their national sections or chapters to the national level.

A call for expression of interest was published in the end of October for selected INGOs to implement in 2025 a series of awareness-raising events and activities for civil society in various sub-regions of Europe, thanks to dedicated Council of Europe grants. The purpose of the activities will be focused on the engagement with the Council of Europe and will explain the various possibilities of cooperation and interaction with the various standard-setting, monitoring and cooperation activities of the organisation.

In order to collect voluntary contributions to support the above action and possibly further future initiatives, a project entitled “Boosting trust and engagement of citizens in democratic processes” (Project ID 3950) was created.

Upon request and subject to appropriate funding being available, existing Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) courses will be reviewed to assess the impact that their adaptation or the addition of specific modules aimed at civil society can have, for instance adding materials on their role in specific areas.

Appendix: Theory of Change-Table

Updated to provide an overview of the state of progress in 2024 and intended actions from 2025 to 2027.

Measures	Immediate outcomes	Intermediate outcomes	Impact	Status/timeline
1. General and targeted communication of the Council of Europe’s work and success stories (both general impact and concerning civil society)	Civil society has increased its awareness about the Council of Europe and its work	Civil Society seeks regular engagement with the Council of Europe with the view to contribute to the protection of human rights, democracy and rule of law	Civil society engages in a meaningful and effective way to the Council of Europe work	1. In progress. Increase in sector-specific initiatives (dedicated webpages, material, events) , to be reflected in the  practical guidelines (see 15).
2. Information sessions on Council of Europe when civil society is visiting and/or participating in the work of the Organisation				2. In progress. Further actions in 2025 (dedicated material, reaching out to Council of Europe’s field presence).
3. Capacity building for civil society on Council of Europe working methods, instruments and added value (e.g. HELP course )	Civil society has increased its knowledge about the Council of Europe and its added value			3. In progress. Outreach events in 2025, HELP courses to be possibly developed/ adapted / updated in 2025–2027.
4. Dedicated website (civil society Portal) includes civil society contributions, success stories and the priorities of the Organisation	Civil society has a better understanding about how its participation can contribute to the Council of Europe’s overall work			4. In progress. Finalised in 2025.
5. Inclusion -where possible- of feedback on interaction with civil society in existing annual reporting (e.g. Monitoring bodies’ annual report or Intergovernmental committees’ report, reporting on co-operation activities)				5. In progress; to be reflected in the practical guidelines (see 15) and further encouraged in 2025-2027
6. Enhanced modalities for civil society participation in the different type of activities (standard setting, monitoring, co-operation) including new modalities (e.g. use of online meetings).	Civil society has access to enhanced and new modalities to participate	Civil Society is better equipped to participate to Council of Europe’s work		6. See 5.
7. Practical guides for civil society (updated Handbook and specific guide for the relevant bodies)	Civil society has increased its knowledge on how to engage with Council of Europe			7. In progress for the Handbook (2024/2025) and the multiplication of sector guides. Further translations of the Handbook will be organised in 2025.
8. Online training modules targeting selected civil society actors on how to engage with the Council of Europe.				8. See 3. Specific sectoral initiatives already implemented.
9. Regular meetings of civil society with the Committee of Ministers	Civil society benefits from an institutional environment favourable to its participation	Civil Society is more effectively integrated in the Organisation’s working methods at all levels		9. In progress.
10. Regular exchanges between the Secretary General and civil society				10. In progress.
11. Systematic inclusion of civil society participation in the working methods of the relevant bodies of the Organisation in the field of standard setting, monitoring and co-operation				11. Implemented; to be further encouraged throughout 2025 (practical guidelines), 2026 and 2027.
12. Council of Europe code of conduct on civil society engagement				12. In progress; completion by end of 2025.

13. Communities of practices / training sessions to share information on civil society participation for each type of activities (standard setting, monitoring, co-operation) and promote cross-fertilisation/synergies within the organisation	Secretariat has a better understanding about civil society it could co-operate with.	Council of Europe secretariat is better equipped to involve civil society	The work of the Council of Europe is more effective	13. Implemented (two general meetings and several individual meetings in 2024). Meetings to continue in 2025-2027.
14. Needs assessment on a possible database collecting civil society’s participation with the Council of Europe				14. To be examined in 2025/2026, once the new Council of Europe portal is operational.
15. Practical guidelines for the Secretariat on how to ensure participation of civil society in each type of activities (standard setting, monitoring, co-operation).	Secretariat is enabled to better involve civil society in its respective fields			15. First edition in 2025, with subsequent periodic revisions thereafter.
16. Specific programme enabling civil society representatives to be seconded to the Council of Europe				16. To be examined in 2025/2026.
17. Engagement with other International Organisations on civil society involvement, including the work on human rights defenders to share experiences and practices				17. Implemented and to be further consolidated in 2025-2027.