MACS captures the state of civil society space in 7 EU member states. Core to its approach is the Early Warning and Alert System to trigger timely action by EU institutions, international organisations, media and human rights actors. The third roundup of alerts puts France, The Netherlands, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Poland in the spotlight. Find them below:
France:
Political instability, mass protests, and new restrictive measures against civil society: France has been marked in recent months by political instability and strong civic mobilisation.
- France has been marked in recent months by political instability and strong civic mobilisation after Prime Minister François Bayrou’s introduction of the €43.8 billion “Stop the Debt” plan. It sparked widespread opposition, leading in a failed confidence vote, his resignation on 8 September, and President Macron’s swift appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as his successor
- The Duplomb Law, adopted in July and widely criticised for lifting a ban on harmful pesticides, sparked unprecedented mobilisation, with a petition against it gathering a record two million signatures.
- The 2021 Separatism Law continues to negatively affect civic space. The law makes it easier for authorities to dissolve an association and includes a “contract of republican engagement”, a requirement for civil society to access funding or obtain accreditations.
- French authorities continued targeting Muslim and minority-led organisations, arresting leaders of the legally independent Belgian group CCIE in early September on allegations of reconstituting the dissolved Collective Against Islamophobia in France.
- The so-called “block everything” movement, born online in reaction to the austerity budget, organised two nationwide days of protest on 10 and 18 September. These demonstrations were met with an overwhelming police presence, with up to 80,000 officers and reports of journalists being attacked by law enforcement.
- Solidarity demonstrations for Gaza were also met with serious incidents of police repression targeting journalists, human rights observers, and peaceful protesters in Paris, Toulouse and Rennes.
- In Martinique, people mobilised against the rising cost of living. In Corsica, the association Corse C3S (Corse Stratégie Santé Sexuelle) was banned from conducting a sexual education workshop in a high school after the regional education authority cancelled the event, citing a risk of “public disorder”, followed by the pressure from the far-right movement Mossa Palatina.
- Two draft bills introduced in recent months could have possible positive impacts on civic space. The first, filed on 11 July, seeks to recognise voluntary engagement. The second, filed on 16 September, aims to regulate the use of identity checks carried out by the police to improve efficiency and address discriminatory practices.
Read more here.
The Netherlands:
Several new law proposals targeting protesters, stigmatising CSOs and criminalising migrants’ right work: CSOs in the Netherlands continue to face increasing stigmatisation and restrictions. Several new legislative proposals raise concerns about the freedoms of expression, assembly, and association
- The proposed online incitement to public disorder bill would grant mayors expanded powers to remove online content deemed to promote public disorder, raising risks for protest-related expression. Another proposed law on “criminalising the glorification of terrorism” has been widely criticised because of the vague definition of what constitutes a terrorist organisation, pointing to a high risk of arbitrary application and harsh criminal offences. Meanwhile, the Transparency of CSOs Act remains in the Senate, with the name of the bill itself stigmatising civil society. A new legislative package on asylum criminalises assistance to undocumented migrants, undermining humanitarian support.
- The government has committed to work on legislation banning face-covering clothing during protests, and parliamentary motions advocating revisions of international human rights treaties.
- A staff member of an environmental NGO received threats following the publication on pesticide use. Concerns persist about police surveillance and intimidation of climate and Palestine solidarity activists, contributing to a chilling effect on civic participation.
- Following a legal challenge by the environmental group Extinction Rebellion against police house visits, new guidelines were adopted limiting such practices.
Read more here.
Bulgaria:
Fast-tracked Criminal Code amendments threaten freedom of expression: On 9 October, Bulgaria’s Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs approved on first reading, without public consultation, amendments to the Criminal Code that risk severely restricting freedom of expression, media freedom, and the work of journalists and CSOs. Read more here.
Sofia municipality continues to restrict Palestine solidarity protests: On 30 September, the mayor ordered to move a protest organised by Amnesty International Bulgaria to a location more than 8km away, citing public order concerns. This came in spite of findings from the State Security Agency that there was no risk of violence. This was just the latest in a series of such decisions. Read more here.
Hungary:
Supreme Court upholds ban on pride event, which goes ahead regardless: Hungary's Supreme Court upheld the ban on Pécs Pride, following the earlier ban on Budapest Pride. The organisers are challenging the ruling at the Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights. Despite the ban, the event went ahead on 4 October. Read more here.
Orban signals new push to regulate foreign-funded NGOs: In comments over the summer, the prime minister reiterated his plans to introduce new rules on foreign-funded organisations, citing the need for greater transparency. It comes after a proposed bill to this effect was postponed earlier this year. Read more here.
Poland:
Polish Court acquits activists in landmark case: In September, the District Court in Hajnówka acquitted the “Hajnówka Five” - human rights defenders accused of "facilitating illegal stay" after providing food and shelter at the Polish-Belarusian border - ruling that providing humanitarian aid cannot be equated with illegal activity. The case, widely followed since 2022, challenges attempts to criminalise aid. Read more here.
The MACS: Monitoring Action for Civic Space is co-funded by the European Union. It is implemented by the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, European Civic Forum, Bulgarian Center for Not-for-Profit Law, Foreningen Nyt Europa, Le Mouvement associatif, Okotars Alapitvany, Stichting Nederlands Helsinki Comite, Ogolnopolska Federacja Organizacji Pozarzadowych, Fundația pentru Dezvoltarea Societății Civile.