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

ECNL goes MozFest 2021: intersection of digital technologies and civic freedoms

Our participation at the Mozilla Festival is crucial for ECNL to engage with the broader AI and tech communities about our work on protecting civic freedoms online and offline.

News

Tech and AI

Evaluating the risk of AI systems to human rights from a tier-based approach

European Commission should consider risks of AI systems within a rights-based framework - as risks they pose to human rights, rule of law and democracy.

News

Security/CT

Protecting Civil Society in Global Counterterrorism: FATF Leads the Way, UN Should Follow

ECNL's article in Just Security on how the UN counter-terrorism architecture can learn from FATF approaches.

News

COVID-19

Georgia: Restrictive measures against coronavirus remain in force

New report shows the impact of discriminatory approaches and emergency measures on civic freedoms between December 2020 – February 2021.

News

European policies

Joint response to EU Commission consultation on the Rule of Law Report 2021

Upcoming annual reports should include a dedicated section on civic space and recognize it as a core pillar of the rule of law system.

News

Participation

A win in Ukraine: push back against attempts to limit CSOs’ right to participation

Restrictive drafts on lobbying are turned down from the Parliament’s agenda.

News

Security/CT

Security measures on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic restrict civic freedoms

Combating the pandemic triggered more securitised responses from states- to the detriment of human rights and further restricted civic space.

News

COVID-19

Civic space in the era of securitised COVID-19 responses

Our paper explores how states have introduced new security-related legislations or used existing measures to further restrict civic freedoms and human rights under the cover of fighting the pandemic.

Research

Security/CT

UN Special Rapporteurs raise concerns about new counterterrorism law in Turkey

Law restricts freedom of association and has a negative impact on fundraising, UN independent experts warn.

News