News & research

What's the latest in the field of civil society law and policy? Read our news and learn more about our analytical and research work!

Tech and AI

The EU must uphold hard-won protections for digital human rights

Over 120 civil society organisations, trade unions and defenders urge the EU to halt its planned Digital Omnibus proposals that are part of a broader deregulation agenda.

News

Monitoring Civic Spaces

Third Civic Space Watch alerts under MACS

Here are the latest developments in European civic space emerging from the Early Warning and Alert System, developed as part of the MACS (Monitoring Action for Civic Space) project.

News

Tech and AI

Blueprint for rights-centered AI in public participation

Concrete recommendations for public institutions and AI developers on how to design and use AI tools that strengthen public trust in democratic processes.

News

Climate Action

Join ECNL at COP30

In Belem, Brazil, with the LEAD community we will make the case to elevate the voices of environmental human rights defenders in climate action.

News

Tech and AI

Framework for Meaningful Engagement 2.0

The updated FME 2.0 offers very practical suggestions on how to engage civil society and affected communities in AI development to support platforms and AI developers in creating rights-based products.

Research

Protests and Assemblies

Where to find ECNL at ICSW 2025?

Join us at the International Civil Society Week in Bangkok to discuss civil disobedience, criminalisation of dissent and key trends from civic space monitoring.

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Participation

Safeguarding spaces for action: Balancing lobby laws and the right to participation

How can lobbying be transparent without undermining the essential role of civil society in democratic governance?

Research

Action for Civic Space

How to use EU law and media engagement to protect civic space?

Civil society and journalists from Romania and Bulgaria came together under Catalyst of Change to share insights and enhance collaboration on human rights protection.

News

Participation

How can lobbying be regulated to ensure fairness, transparency and public participation

At the 2025 OGP Global Summit, ECNL together with APRI will explore how lobbying laws can be designed to safeguard democratic principles and ensure diverse voices are heard in policy-making.

News