When Civic Space Closes, Leadership Must Explode—Not Fade

Civil society across Europe is being squeezed, not with gentle pressure, but with bulldozers. Civic liberties are being eroded—protest curbs, foreign-funding smears, watchdogs frozen out. The Civic Space Report 2025 flags an “unprecedented and intensified attack” on democracy, across France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands—and yes, Ireland.

Why it matters? Because when civic space shrinks, democracy doesn’t just hiccup; it starts bleeding.

On 1 July 2025, the EFA is hosting a no-BS, Chatham House Rule webinar for members: Shrinking Space for Civil Society. Think of it as mission-critical not just for NGOs—but for leaders everywhere who believe civic life, debate, and accountability matter.

🚨 What’s at stake

• Legislation as a weapon: Governments are repurposing domestic security laws and anti-money-laundering rules into civic chokeholds.
• Resource denial: Funding cuts aren’t by accident; they’re by design. USAID pulls, national grants dry up, watchdogs are cornered .
• Demonisation campaigns: NGOs are painted as foreign agents, protestors labeled radicals. Legal smears, regulatory hurdles, narrative warfare—it’s a full spectrum assault.

💥 Why this is our fight

I’m on the board of EFA, and this isn’t a talking shop—it’s a warning bell. Whether you’re fundraising in Dublin, operating in Warsaw, or leading in Brussels, this is downstream from the same storm. Civil society is our first line of defence in democracy. When that fails, everything fails.

🔧 What we’ll unpack

• Benchmark trends: data, law, learnings—delivered by Peggy Pascal, Eszter Hartay & Esther Meester.
• Response tactics: pushback strategies, coalition-building, narrative reclamation.
• Roadmap for fundraisers and donors: Fundraising4Democracy isn’t a title—it’s a lifeline.
• Q&A: Your questions, unfiltered.

🎙️ Who’s in the room

Hosted by Laurence Lepetit (EFA board/Public Affairs) and new ED Eduard Marček—two leaders squarely focused on turning analysis into action.

Leadership isn’t optional in a squeeze. It isn’t passive. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s bold, immediate, unrelenting.

You in? 1 July. EFA members only. Civic space sits on the line. Let’s show up.

👉 RSVP now.