CONCORD

AgoraEU keeps independent media, cultural spaces and local associations going across Europe, and it deserves a future we can count on. 🌍 The Irish Presidency’s draft for the next long-term EU budget trims spending overall, but it takes far more from AgoraEU, the programme that backs independent newsrooms, cultural venues and rights groups. Those cuts would hurt a lot of people, but would barely register in the total budget: at around 0.2%. Our very own Salomé Guibreteau joined the protest that took place yesterday in Brussels to call for strong funding for AgoraEU - and checked out some the best signs on show, here are some of our favorites! 👀 Alongside CONCORD, more than 600 organisations have signed a joint letter to EU leaders about the next long-term budget. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eJSV-YvS Our asks? 🔸Stop the 30% cut to AgoraEU 🔸Secure at least €10 billion for culture, media and civil society 🔸Protect artistic and media freedom, independence, and pluralism #StandUpForAgoraEU Civil Society Europe (CSE), Culture Action Europe, European Civic Forum, European Federation of Journalists, IPPF European Network, European Partnership for Democracy (EPD)

[EN/FR/ES] 📢 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐍𝐎𝐖 | 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 How can we turn commitments to protect and strengthen civil society into meaningful action? Today, Forus launches Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Civil Society: Evidence and Priorities for Action. 🌍 The report explores key areas for action, including: 🔹 Strengthening civic space and protecting fundamental freedoms 🔹 Improving the quality and predictability of funding for civil society 🔹 Protecting digital civic freedoms 🔹 Ensuring meaningful civil society participation in decision-making 🔹 Promoting greater policy coherence 📖 Read the report available in EN, FR and ES: https://lnkd.in/eU5qQS5w [FR] 📢 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 | 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐫 𝐥’𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐚̀ 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞́𝐭𝐞́ 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞 Comment traduire les engagements en faveur de la protection et du renforcement de la société civile en actions concrètes ? Aujourd’hui, Forus lance son nouveau rapport, Renforcer l’environnement favorable à la société civile : données et priorités d’action. 🌍 Le rapport met en lumière plusieurs domaines d’action prioritaires, notamment : 🔹 Renforcer l’espace civique et protéger les libertés fondamentales 🔹 Améliorer la qualité et la prévisibilité des financements destinés à la société civile 🔹 Protéger les libertés civiques dans l’espace numérique 🔹 Garantir une participation significative de la société civile aux processus décisionnels 🔹 Promouvoir une plus grande cohérence des politiques publiques 📖 https://lnkd.in/eejJYdES [ES] 📢 𝐘𝐀 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 | 𝐍𝐮𝐞𝐯𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐥 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐥𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐝 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 ¿Cómo podemos convertir los compromisos de proteger y fortalecer a la sociedad civil en acciones concretas? Hoy, Forus presenta su nuevo informe, Fortalecer el entorno favorable para la sociedad civil: evidencias y prioridades de acción. 🌍 El informe destaca varias áreas prioritarias, entre ellas: 🔹 Fortalecer el espacio cívico y proteger las libertades fundamentales 🔹 Mejorar la calidad y la previsibilidad de la financiación destinada a la sociedad civil 🔹 Proteger las libertades cívicas en el entorno digital 🔹 Garantizar una participación significativa de la sociedad civil en la toma de decisiones 🔹 Promover una mayor coherencia de las políticas públicas 📖 https://lnkd.in/eyRCmRwg #Forus #CivilSociety #CivicSpace #EnablingEnvironment #CivilSocietyOrganisations

Our colleague Laia Aycart Piquer spent two days in Madrid with our member La Coordinadora de Organizaciones para el Desarrollo, to talk about the future of the EU budget (MFF) and the Global Europe instrument. The visit included: 🔹 Meetings with the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation and the Ministry of Agenda 2030 🔹 Workshops and strategy sessions with civil society organisations on the MFF and EU external action Our message is clear: Global Europe needs more ambition, in quantity but also in quality. Gender equality, climate justice, human development and support to civil society must be at its core. As Arturo Angulo Urarte from La Coordinadora puts it, this is a key moment. Spain and the EU must take a decisive step, because what's at stake is the kind of world we want to build together. 🎥 Watch Laia, CONCORD President Javier García de la Oliva and Arturo below. #MFF #GlobalEurope #EUBudget #CivilSociety

📣 27 countries. 27 different stories. One shared demand. Over the past month, we've shown you the cuts, the reframing of ODA as national interest, the civic space closing in some places and opening in others, and the handful of countries proving another path is possible. Nearly every AidWatch 2026 country page lands on the same ask: reverse the cuts, and set a credible, time-bound path back to 0.7% of GNI. 📖Read our recommendations and the full AidWatch report at: https://lnkd.in/gPyKE4eW

Yesterday in Strasbourg, ahead of the plenary vote, MEPs from Renew Europe, the Greens/EFA and S&D came together to share that global solidarity is not up for cuts! (see pictures below). Shortly after, the European Parliament adopted its position on the Global Europe instrument, calling for a 12.3% increase on the Commission’s proposal for 2028–2034. The figures currently discussed by Member States would instead mean a 17% cut. For CONCORD, this funding is essential to reduce poverty, reduce inequalities and support civil society and partners around the world. Reducing it at a time of growing global challenges would be a mistake. As the Parliament’s consent is required for the next long-term budget, we call on Member States to take its position into account. Many thanks to European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO) for organising this campaign moment and to all the MEPs who took part. #GlobalEurope #EUBudget #GlobalSolidarity

Today, the European Parliament's Development (DEVE) and Foreign Affairs (AFET) Committees adopted their joint position on the proposed Global Europe Instrument (GEI). This instrument will shape the EU's external action and development cooperation under the next long-term EU budget for 2028–2034. As Chair of the Development Committee, I have continued to emphasise that Europe's growing geopolitical ambitions must go hand-in-hand with our commitment to poverty eradication, human development, and the SDGs. Global Gateway has an important role to play in strengthening Europe's international partnerships. However, our strategic and economic interests must complement, rather than come at the expense of, our ODA commitments, particularly poverty eradication and human development. It is equally important that we safeguard the proposed €25 billion allocation for humanitarian assistance, ensuring that the EU can continue responding to growing humanitarian needs around the world. The proposed Gaza Reconstruction Fund is particularly significant. Amid immense humanitarian needs and widespread destruction, the EU must be prepared to support not only immediate relief, but also long-term reconstruction and the rebuilding of essential services and infrastructure. With increasing pressure on development budgets, the GEI represents an important opportunity to ensure that the EU remains a credible and reliable international partner. VOICE EU CONCORD European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO)

Do you ever get a feeling of ‘history repeating’? This could be a cue for a song, as we say, but unfortunately the recent Irish proposal for the EU’s seven-year budget (or “MFF”) doesn’t make me feel much like singing. More like despairing. “Yes, I’ve seen it before”. Back in 2020, European leaders were also keen to cut the EU budget – and did so. And ever since, we hear laments about how uncompetitive Europe is, how hard it is to address all the crises, and how we need to show the value of EU international cooperation back home. What's worse this time around is that we’ve been here before. This really is history repeating, not just a sense of déjà vu. I simply don’t understand how Member States can imagine cutting the budget for Global Europe by almost a fifth in the current geopolitical context. On one hand they talk about wanting a stronger EU in the world and on the other hand they cut the budget that pays for it. Keeping the €200 billion for Global Europe is the bare minimum needed to meet EU ambitions and obligations. So the joke is certainly rather sad. If only it were a joke… On top of that, the current proposal is to cut 30% from AGORA-EU – the instrument which helps to protect and promote EU values, fundamental freedoms and democracy. It’s not as though Europe isn’t already struggling enough with extremist views and a rolling back on key rights like gender equality. Defunding the very tools designed to protect our democratic, rights-based core is short-sighted and plays right into the hands of those with authoritarian tendencies. I truly hope that EU leaders Friedrich Merz Rob Jetten Christian Stocker attending the MFF Summit will reflect on the need for long-term vision, or at least understand that pleasing certain sectors today won’t pay off in the future. It may create short-term harmony, but it trades away long-term credibility, stability, solidarity and adaptability. And yes, I’ve said it before. #MFF #GlobalEurope #EUbudget #democracy #civilsociety

We’ve been asking ourselves for a while how to show what CONCORD actually does. Reports and press releases only go so far. So we thought: why not just bring you with us? 🎬 So, first stop: Paris 🥐 Last week, our very own Lur Fernández Salinas headed to the OECD for the Working Party on Development Finance Statistics (WP-STAT). That’s where the rules get set on what counts as aid and how it’s reported. Less Eiffel Tower selfies, more spreadsheets and statistics, but we promise it was just as exciting. 😉 Have a look at what a day of advocacy looks like from the inside 👇 A huge thank you to our star Lur 🌟 for being such a natural in front of the camera, and to our members Signe Marie Obel (Global Focus), Gillian Ivory (Dóchas) and Corentin Martiniault (Coordination SUD) for their support in making this happen. 🙌 If you want to know where European ODA really ends up, dive into our AidWatch report 📊 https://lnkd.in/e_rErhav Where should we take you next? 👀 #CivilSociety #OECD #ODA #InternationalCooperation #BehindTheScenes