Humanists International’s comments for the EU Civil Society Strategy warned that civil society organizations (CSOs) face mounting pressure from financial insecurity, political hostility, and administrative barriers, which weakens their ability to hold governments accountable. Humanist organizations in particular are disadvantaged compared to their religious counterparts in terms of discriminatory funding and privileged political access.
The submission also raised alarm over the escalating harassment of human rights defenders who advance humanist values, whether on migration, LGBTI+ equality, or sexual and reproductive rights. They are increasingly subjected to judicial harassment, smear campaigns, and restrictive laws that obstruct their work. It cited the cases of Panayote Dimitras in Greece and Gáspár Békés in Hungary as examples of this worrying trend.
The organization further criticized the EU’s mechanisms for engaging with civil society as opaque and devoid of genuine public participation. While civil society lacks any consistent, participatory, and transparent dialogue platform, religious organizations benefit from privileged access to the EU institutions through the Article 17 TFEU dialogues. Humanists International believes that EU dialogue with churches should be conducted through the same mechanisms as for other CSOs. However, while Articles 17 dialogues exist, the organization will continue to seek more transparency and an equal standing for humanist and freethinker voices.
To address these failings, Humanists International urged the EU Commmission to adopt targeted measures in its new Strategy. These include issuing guidelines on equal access to funding, encouraging EU members to repeal laws unduly restricting civic activism, expanding support for at-risk defenders within the EU, and establishing an EU Civil Society Platform.
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