Graphite pencil drawing of an ancient Greek amphitheatre, symbolising civic space as a public forum for dialogue, participation and community action. — *Civic space is our shared forum — where families, schools and communities meet, speak and help shape decisions.*

Civic space — the freedom for people and organisations to speak, assemble, advocate and partner — is the oxygen of democracy. When it limited, families, schools, and communities feel the impact first: fewer services, weaker participation, and diminished trust. As Parents International we are actively engaged in the Conference of INGOs and, since October 2024, we been a founding member of its Task Force on Civic Space Monitoring. Our board member Christian Hellevang represents us in this work, ensuring that the voice and experience of parents are present when European civil society sets priorities and develops solutions.

On 9 April 2025, the Conference of INGOs adopted CONF/AG(2025)REC2 – Recommendation on the shrinking civic space and actual political developments, a landmark text that shifts the conversation from diagnosis to practical action. The Recommendation calls for determined measures by the Council of Europe and its member states to counter democracy backsliding and protect civil society’s enabling environment.

What the Recommendation says — and why it matters

The Recommendation recognises that democracy, human rights and the rule of law face unprecedented challenges, including the misuse of “foreign agent” narratives, funding cuts that risk hollowing out civic independence, and restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and assembly. It urges the Council of Europe to:

Use and enforce existing tools (including full implementation of the European Court of Human Rights judgments);
Mainstream civic-space protection across its work and ease civil-society organisations (CSOs) access to redress;
Develop standards in new risk areas (e.g., AI, climate, environment);
Create an alerts/complaints mechanism able to trigger urgent actions;
Support CSOs and human-rights defenders with legal and financial instruments that protect the non-profit mission from commodification pressures.

For member states, the text anchors obligations in existing Council of Europe standards — CM/Rec(2007)14 on the legal status of NGOs and CM/Rec(2018)11 on promoting and protecting civil-society space — alongside the Reykjavik principles on democracy. This gives parents’ organisations clear policy hooks when they engage ministries or municipalities about consultation, funding frameworks and participation rules.

The Task Force’s third meeting: from mapping to mechanisms

The third meeting of the Task Force on Civic Space Monitoring, which took place on the 13th of October 2025 in Strasbourgh, was designed to bring REC2 to life. Two priorities guided discussions:

1. launching a regular informal forum open to partner associations, institutions and networks; and

2. creating an ad hoc working group to help set up early alert mechanisms recommended by REC2. Both were previously adopted by consensus in plenary.

Part I — Naming the trends: commodification and countercurrents

The meeting opened with Marianne Langlet presenting the citizen observatory’s new report, “Between commodification and decommodification: an associative model at a crossroads,” building on the initial October 2024 mapping of commodification and Martin Bobel’s April 2025 intervention on strengthening association funding (French CESE opinion). The new analysis goes beyond diagnosis — short-term projectisation, transactional procurement, reduced autonomy — to highlight first responses: diversified funding, cooperative consortia, and public–civic compacts that protect independence while ensuring accountability. For parents’ organisations, the stakes are direct: when associations are treated as mere subcontractors, their advocacy, co-design and watchdog roles wither — precisely the functions that help schools and communities thrive.

Part II — A round table on realities across Europe

Participants reported a spectrum of pressures: low-key administrative reforms (licensing tweaks, opaque eligibility, burdensome reporting) that gradually muzzle advocacy, and overt challenges to the legitimacy of civil society in places including Serbia, Georgia, Hungary and Turkey. The common thread is the same: when civil society is framed primarily as a delivery channel rather than a democratic partner, families lose meaningful avenues to help shape services, curricula and local programmes.

Part III — Monitoring architectures and pooling efforts

The closing segment focused on existing and planned monitoring mechanisms and on promoting complementarity:

The European Union Social Platform reflected on the shifting EU political landscape and how new threats are being integrated into their outlook;
CIVICUS shared lessons from a global monitoring network that tracks civic-space trends across continents;
The European Civic Forum, via the MACS project, outlined how EU institutions can take preventive action with Member States — working closely with the European Commission’s DG Justice.
CINGO leadership also explained how to implement REC2 in practice, building on prior contributions from FRA and the EESC to keep the Task Force aligned with institutional mandates and data.

Why this matters for parents and schools

For parents, teachers and school leaders, “civic space” can sound abstract—until it isn’t. When associations are free to organise, consult and co-create, three tangible outcomes follow:

Stronger parental engagement: families help set priorities, co-design programmes and hold systems accountable — improving attendance, inclusion and learning.
More resilient services: community groups can identify gaps early and pivot quickly — vital in crises that disproportionately affect children.
Trust and transparency: open civic space keeps decision-making both effective and legitimate, especially in sensitive areas like digital citizenship, mental health, migration and non-formal learning.

Conversely, when regulations or funding frames stifle independent voice, the first casualties are participation and innovation. That is why Parents International treats civic-space monitoring as an education and child-wellbeing issue — and why REC2’s proposed alerts mechanism and support instruments are so crucial.

Parents International’s role: from advocacy to early alerts

Within the Task Force, Parents International contributes in three ways:

Ground truth from families: We bring evidence from our network—what parents see in schools, neighbourhoods and services — so that monitoring reflects lived realities, not only legal texts.
Policy navigation: We track how national and local rules, funding models and consultation practices affect parental participation and children’s outcomes.
Rapid signalling: Through the new working group on alerts, we support early warnings and targeted escalation — helping partners respond before restrictions harden.

What comes next

As REC2 moves from text to implementation, the Task Force will operationalise the informal forum and the ad hoc alerts group. IPA will engage actively so that parental perspectives remain visible, credible and actionable. We will also share practical resources for members and partners working in schools, municipalities and community spaces. If you represent a parents’ association, school or NGO and are observing changes that limit participation, advocacy or funding autonomy, we invite you to connect with us. Early signals help protect the space we all rely on to educate, include and empower every child.

FAQ — Shrinking Civic Space & Parents International

What is “civic space” in plain language?
Civic space is the set of legal, policy and practical conditions that allow people and organisations to speak, assemble, organise, advocate and partner with public institutions. When it shrinks, participation, innovation and accountability suffer—especially in schools and family services.

What is CONF/AG(2025)REC2?
It’s the Conference of INGOs’ Recommendation (adopted 9 April 2025) urging the Council of Europe and member states to protect civic space—enforcing existing standards, creating an alerts/complaints mechanism, and safeguarding the non-profit mission of associations.

How does this affect parents, schools and children?
Open civic space enables genuine parental engagement (consultation, co-design, oversight), quicker community responses in crises, and more legitimate decision-making on issues like digital citizenship, wellbeing and inclusion.

What risks are parents’ organisations seeing right now?
Common issues include burdensome or opaque compliance rules, procurement-only funding that sidelines advocacy, chilling effects on speech/assembly, and short-term projectisation that weakens continuity of support for families.

What will the new alert mechanism do?
Once operational, it should provide a formal route to flag threats (e.g., restrictive laws, funding squeezes that silence advocacy) and trigger timely follow-up by relevant Council of Europe bodies—before problems harden.

I think civic space is shrinking in my country. What can I do?
Document the issue (what/when/where/whom it affects), collect any official notices, and contact Parents International. We can help assess the case, connect you with national partners, and—when appropriate—escalate via the Task Force’s channels as the alerts pathway comes online.

What’s the difference between the Council of Europe and the European Union here?
The Council of Europe (47 states) sets human-rights and rule-of-law standards and hosts the European Court of Human Rights. The EU (27 states) can act through EU law, programmes and political dialogue. The Recommendation encourages coordination so monitoring and remedies reinforce each other.

Who represents IPA in the Task Force?
IPA board member Christian Hellevang participates on our behalf, ensuring parents’ perspectives inform the Task Force’s priorities and solutions.

How can my association get involved?
Join the informal forum meetings when announced, share evidence from your locality, and collaborate on rapid signalling. You can also align your advocacy with REC2’s asks when engaging ministries, municipalities and school authorities.

How should we cite this in our communications?
Use: Conference of INGOs, CONF/AG(2025)REC2 – Recommendation on the shrinking civic space and actual political developments (9 April 2025). Link to the official text from your post’s references/endnotes.