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WE ARE LAUNCHING the CIVIL EU PRESIDENCY IN PARALLEL WITH THE 2024 HUNGARIAN EU PRESIDENCY to amplify the voice of civil society during these six months on issues that are not properly covered in the priorities of the Hungarian EU Presidency.

We address the weakening of European democracies, the growing inequalities and the need for green transition. Our goal is to present proposals for comprehensive strategies to national governments and EU institutions, and make recommendations for the EU's priorities for the next 5 years for a democratic, inclusive and sustainable future.

Our events cover the following issues:

Water resilience in the EU
The State of Forests in the EU
Just green transition in the EU
Women in public life
Roma strategies in EU countries
Sustainable battery strategy
Civic space in the EU

We need to take action on both the national and the European levels!

The Civil EU Presidency is a joint series of programmes by the Great Lakes and Wetlands Association and the Civilisation Coalition.

our goal

We start the Civil EU Presidency to present proposals and make recommendations - supported by scientific evidence - for comprehensive strategies at both the national and European levels. In this way, we can work together to ensure a democratic, inclusive and sustainable future.

We hold 7 events covering 7 issues - each event is dedicated to one topic, organised by civil society organizations with expertise in the field.

All events are public.

EU water resilience strategy

Water is a vital common resource that must be passed on from generation to generation and is a fundamental condition for people, for the environment and for a just, sustainable and resilient economy.
In recent years, citizens all over accross the continent have faced an increasing number of natural disasters, such as droughts and floods. This has made the EU's water issues even more severe and also raised awareness for the urgent need to ensure a resilient Europe in the matter.

Organiser: Great Lakes and Wetlands Association and Friends of Lake Fertő

Forests in the EU

seeing the forest for the trees
Forests are home to 80% of the world's biodiversity, and nearly half of the world's 4 billion hectares of forest are managed for logging. Unfortunately, the intertwined climate and biodiversity loss crisises continue, and forests are needed more than ever to maintain stable ecosystems and ecosystem services. This requires a paradigm shift in forest management in Europe too.

Organiser: Great Lakes and Wetlands Association

ENVIRONMENT JUSTICE

The framework of Environmental Justice addresses many areas of long-standing social disadvantage. The Green Legal Platform uses the following definition in its surveys, action research and in its work with local governments and communities: the concept of environmental justice is the equitable and just distribution of environmental and public goods, the public services that rely on them, and environmental harms in a given society. If this is not achieved, we can speak of environmental inequality.

The programme is organised by the Green Legal Platform.

more women in public life!

The main aim of the conference is to form proposals to encourage women to take part in public life and enter politics. Our recommendations will be based on the results of a questionnaire about Hungary, by experts on the subject and during workshops with participants.

We also launch a series of podcasts ahead of the event for those interested in women's rights.

The program is organized by MENŐK Association, Hungarian Women's Lobby, Hungarian Mothers and Jól-Lét Foundation.

STRENGTHENING THE ROMA CIVIL AND GOVERNMENTAL DIALOGUE

In 2026, all EU member states should update their Roma strategies, and this work should start as early as 2024.

Participants of this conference will present how their countries have worked on the preparation of their respective strategies earlier, how they plan to work on the update and how they intend to involve Roma civic groups in implementation and monitoring. We expect that sharing best practices among each other will support the efforts of the Roma civic networks in the four countries to engage in dialogue and consultation, and will encourage government actors in each country to take action and commit themselves to a true dialogue.

Participants at the meeting will draft recommendations for EU institutions on how consultation processes can improve dialogue between civic and governmental actors - a paper of significance beyond the coming roma strategy update. The closed meeting will be followed by a press briefing together with other countries' roma activists, presenting the main results of the previous day.

The program is organized by autonómia foundation and egalipe network.

CIVIC SPACE IN THE EU

Over the past 5 years, a number of important EU initiatives have been launched to address the shrinking of civic space for civil society organisations in an increasing number by a growing number of Member States. The concerning phenomenon calls for a comprehensive EU civil society strategy, which is much needed to protect and support civil society organisations and strengthen citizen participation. Advocacy at European level will remain an important tool in the years to come, and civic actors need to keep the issue of civil society on the agenda of EU institutions in the next five-year period, to prevent throwback and promote new initiatives.

EU Civil Society Strategy - What next? conference:

What is the EU sustainable battery strategy?

The global demand for batteries has increased significantly in recent years due to the rapid expansion of electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems and portable electronics. Due to the expected growth in demand and the associated business opportunities, competition for batteries has intensified worldwide, with China dominating. In terms of battery production, China has nearly 70% of the current and projected battery cell production capacity and 101 battery factories are planned by 2029. Meanwhile, in Europe, 30 gigafactories are planned to be built to exceed 1 terawatt-hour capacity by 2030.

The programme is organised by the umbrella organisation AKÁRTEIS and the GÖD-ÉRT Association.

The PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU

It is chaired by a different EU country every six months, ensuring continuity in the work of the Union in the Council.

WORKING IN TRIO

The Member States holding the Presidency work closely together in groups of three, known as Presidency Trios. The members of the trio set long-term objectives and prepare a joint programme identifying the themes and major issues that the Council will address during the 18-month period (the three presidencies of the three Member States). On the basis of this programme, each of the three countries will also draw up its own more detailed six-month plan.

SPAIN

Spain held the presidency of the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2023. The presidency was the first of three presidencies making up a presidency trio, followed by the presidency of Belgium and Hungary.

BELGIUM

Belgium held the presidency of the Council for the 13th time, continuing the work of the previous presidency (Spain) before passing the baton to the next presidency, Hungary.

HUNGARY

Between 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2024, Hungary will hold the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time.

The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU comes at a crucial time when the European Commission's strategy for the next five years is being adopted, while the new European Parliament seems to be losing ground to environmental and rule of law forces.

This enhances the role of citizens' initiatives and shows that social and environmental issues are closely linked: no society can be healthy if the environment around it is unlivable, and the environment can only be protected in a democratic, solidarity-based and sustainable society.

Civil society organisations, as custodians of social dialogue and public participation, play an essential role in transmitting these values. Action is needed - this is the main message of our events.