Civil society

Our work centres around the role that civil society actors in Africa and Europe can play in strengthening democratic and accountable governance systems to make them more equitable and representative.

Highlighted

EU engagement in fragile settings: What role for cities and local/regional governments and how best to support them?

This discussion paper explores how the EU can deepen its engagement with local and regional governments in fragile settings. It draws on key insights from the EU-funded ‘Partnerships for Sustainable Cities’ programme and the final global event held in Reggio Emilia (7–8 May 2025), which brought together city partnerships and institutional stakeholders.

31 July 2025

Latest work

Paper

EU engagement in fragile settings: What role for cities and local/regional governments and how best to support them?

Dossier

How can Europe address shrinking civic space?

Report

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Exploring EU and member states' approaches and options to addressing the shrinking civic space

Podcast

How young people are shaping EU action in Africa

Paper

Navigating Africa's democracy agendas: A guide for civil society engagement

Project

EU development policy shifts in practice: Voices from Africa

Podcast

Is the EU becoming distracted from civil society and human rights in Africa?

Brief

How the AU engages with its citizens: The formal, the informal and the anticipated

Commentary

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The democratic renaissance of Senegal: A beacon for the region and beyond

Commentary

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How the Sahel's democracy dream has turned into disillusionment

Upcoming events

We currently have no upcoming events on this topic.

Our civil society experts

https://ecdpm.org/topics/governance/civil-society