Call for signatures to ensure funding for civil society in the EU

Ahead of negotiations of multiannual EU budget, the Batory Foundation initiates an advocacy campaign to increase EU funding for civil society organisations which promote and protect European values within the EU.

Dear representatives of the civil society!

We are calling on you to join the final stage of a campaign led by civil society organisations (CSOs) to make a new EU Rights and Values programme, planned for 2021-2027, an effective tool for promotion of democracy and European values in the EU. The goal of the programme is to support initiatives which promote and protect democracy, rule of law, equality, non-violence, civic participation, cultural heritage. It will be open to CSOs operating at local, national and European level and its procedures will be simplified to ensure access to funding for smaller, grass-root initiatives.

The shape of the programme gives hope that promotion of democracy and European values will get priority in the EU. However, the originally planned budget – 641 million EUR for 7 years for initiative in all EU countries is far too small to make a real difference. We have to convince the governments to increase the budget of the programme at least to the level suggested by the European Parliament, that is to 1.83 billion EUR. The negotiations of the next 7-year EU budget begin this fall. We have to act now!

If you represent a CSO in the EU, we urge you to sign a letter to your government and a separate letter to Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) asking them to raise the budget of the Rights and Values programme to the level of 1.83 billion EUR recommended by the European Parliament.

You can sign the LETTER to the governments and/or national parliaments HERE

The letter to Members of the European Parliament is available HERE. The letter was sent out to MEPs on Monday, 7 October. We continue to collect signatures for the letter to member states’ governments until Thursday, 17 October.

Ewa Kulik-Bielińska
Executive Director
Stefan Batory Foundation