The 2018 Compendium of the Council of Europe Practice provides an overview of the measures taken by the CoE to guarantee the freedom of association and strengthen the position of CSOs. The report suggests that CoE bodies have carried out a variety of activities to strengthen freedom of association and ensure the crucial contributions of CSOs. In general, the compendium has found that Europe provides a good environment for the exercise of freedom of association; nonetheless, the phenomenon of shrinking space for civil society should not be underestimated. Furthermore, there is a good level of coordination between CSOs, even though there is no single mechanism that monitors the exercise of freedom of association across Europe. More analysis and suggestions for improvement may be found here.
Source: Council of Europe