Today, civil society is more and more misunderstood and misrepresented, as are the values and principles it embodies and defends. Stigmatising legislation, smear campaigns and downgrading of social and civil rights contribute to restricting the space of civil society to operate and voice opinions in ways that are more and more complex to capture. These challenges expose some of the long-standing weaknesses of civil society, but can also contribute to reinforcing its strengths. They trigger discussions on the role and legitimacy of civic actors. The new issue of “Activizenship” is dealing with negative trends inside the European societies and presents actual elements which feed optimism for getting out of the downward trends. Read more here.
Source: European Civic Forum