Under pressure but not powerless. Civil society strategies for challenging times
Saturday, 25 April
11:45 – 13:15
Room: Zinneke
Civil society across Europe is operating in an increasingly contested political environment marked by democratic backsliding, deepening polarisation, geopolitical instability and shrinking international funding (including the massive USAID cuts starting last year). In some countries, the space for civic action is shrinking, while in others, it is being reshaped in more subtle but equally important ways.
This workshop explores how civil society organisations are adapting to these challenges. Through case studies from countries facing particularly difficult circumstances, we will examine how organisations respond to political pressure, funding disruptions (including the loss or restructuring of major donors), and the growing influence of well-organised transnational conservative and far-right networks building their own parallel civil societies.
Speakers
Justyna Wydrzyńska, Abortion Dream Team
Justyna is the co-funder of Kobiety w Sieci and Abortion Dream Team, two organisations which support in abortion in Poland. She was the first abortion activist to be convicted for helping abortions in Poland and a member of the Abortion Without Borders network.
Iva Marković, Programme Director and founder, Polekol
Iva Marković is an environmental activist and social movement organiser with 15 years of experience dedicated to advancing sustainability policies and practices in Serbia. She holds an MA in Environment, Development, and Policy. Iva serves as a Programme Director at the Organisation for Political Ecology (POLEKOL) and co-founded the Right to Water initiative. Passionate about environmental justice, she works to foster progressive ideas in Serbia and across Europe. Iva founded the Women’s Network for the Environment and the regional Balkan Rivers Defenders. Previously, she was a member of the Secretariat of the European Water Movement and a Green Youth activist. She has extensive experience in non-formal education and in working with youth and diverse social groups. Her mission is to connect the humanities and natural sciences, bridge traditional and scientific knowledge, and strengthen citizens’ participation in public decision-making.
Nicolae Ștefănuță, Vice President of the European Parliament, MEP, Greens/EFA
Nicolae Ștefănuță is the Vice-President of the European Parliament and an independent Member of the Greens/EFA Group, originally from Sibiu, Romania. For over a decade, he has been active within the European institutions, consistently engaged in health policy, environmental protection, the EU budget, and youth-focused initiatives. During his first term as MEP, he served as the European Parliament’s Standing Rapporteur for the EU annual Budget, contributing to building a more sustainable and fair Europe. In 2024, Nicu Ștefănuță was elected as an independent MEP, securing over 270,000 votes and the support of more than one thousand volunteers from across the country.
Ági Fernengel, Director, School of Public Life
Ági Fernengel is a community builder and trainer, whose mission is to develop the culture of civic participation in Hungary. She believes we can only live in a meaningful democracy if we encourage participation in public life and build diverse communities that are able to stand for their interests. She is the executive director of the School of Public Life, a community-based training center that develops democratic culture in Hungary and supports social movement building. She also co-founded Deviszont Community Space, a civic education program dedicated to working-class youths in the outskirts of Budapest. Ági became active in community work in 2013 as an activist in a Hungarian student movement organized for an accessible higher education. Since then, she has been committed to working for educational justice.
Moderator: Adam Reichardt, Editor-in-Chief, New Eastern Europe
Adam Reichardt is the Editor-in-Chief of the New Eastern Europe magazine based in Poland. Published since 2011, the magazine is one of the leading publications dedicated to the region of Central and Eastern Europe. He is also the co-host of the weekly “Talk Eastern Europe” podcast. Adam has also previously worked as the Director of the Warsaw Euro-Atlantic Summer Academy (WEASA) which is organized annually at the College of Europe in Natolin (Warsaw) and was a member of the executive team of the Three Ukrainian Revolutions project run by the College of Europe.
Adam was short-listed for the European Press Prize in the category of “Editing” for his work on New Eastern Europe and was named to the “New Europe 100” list of the region’s top innovators. In 2019 he was a Transatlantic Media Fellow with the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
