The MACS country reports provide fresh, country-level insights into the environment for civil society across the EU in 2025. The seven reports highlight the trends and identify what the EU and governments need to do to better protect civic freedoms in Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania. Download the reports below!
The Monitoring Action for Civic Space (MACS) captures the state of civil society space in EU member states. Collectively, 9 European organisations have created a new monitoring tool to draw the attention of EU institutions, states and civil society to civic space issues that matter.
MACS is a civil society-led effort: 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, Nethelands Helsinki Committe, Ogolnopolska Federacja Organizacji Pozarzadowych and the Fundația pentru Dezvoltarea Societății Civile joined forces to design MACS, using our collective expertise in the monitoring field.
MACS will monitor the following 6 key dimensions:
1. Freedom of association
- Right to establish, join, or participate in a CSO.
- Registration, where required and necessary, is clear, simple, quick, and accessible.
- The state does not impose requirements that unlawfully or unnecessarily interfere in internal affairs and the operation of CSO.
- CSOs are free to determine their objectives and activities.
2. Access to funding
- CSOs have the right, and in practice, are able to seek, receive, and use financial and material resources to function effectively.
- CSOs are effectively able to access and use foreign and international resources, without discrimination.
- State support for CSOs is governed by clear and objective criteria and allocated through a transparent and competitive procedure.
- The State supports the creation of a supportive environment for CSOs that facilitates, their ability to access funding in a predictable, sustainable, transparent and fair manner.
3. Freedom of peaceful assembly
- Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and is able to organise and participate in assemblies without unwarranted interference.
- The state facilitates peaceful assemblies, including online assemblies and promote an enabling environment for the exercise of this right.
- The state does not impose unnecessary and disproportionate burdens on organisers or participants in peaceful assemblies, including in an online environment.
- Law enforcement respects and ensures the exercise of peaceful assemblies – including online assemblies – and is accountable for the actions of its representatives.
4. Freedom of expression
- Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression.
- The state facilitates and protects freedom of opinion and expression.
- When exercising online, digital technologies are compliant with human rights standards protecting and promoting freedom of opinion and expression.
- The state has adopted appropriate, proportionate and effective measures against incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence.
5. Participation in decision-making
- Everyone has the right to participation in decision-making.
- There is regular, open and effective civil dialogue in developing, implementing and monitoring public policies.
- CSOs have access to timely and relevant information necessary for their effective participation.
- State policies facilitate cooperation with CSOs and promote their development.
6. Safe space
- The state promotes and protects the work of civil society organisations, human rights defenders and journalists, ensuring that they are protected against violence, threats, harassment, or any arbitrary actions because of their work and provides access to remedies when violations occur.
- The State conducts prompt and impartial investigations of alleged violations of human rights.
- The State protects human rights defenders at risk and facilitates temporary or longer-term relocation mechanisms.
- Measures used to fight foreign interference, extremism, terrorism, money laundering or corruption are targeted and proportionate, in line with the risk-based approach, and respect human rights standards.
- The state protects the right to privacy and data protection of CSOs, associated individuals, and all other external supporters, both offline and online.
Each dimension will include a separate analysis to highlight restrictions that target marginalised, excluded and historically discriminated group, informing the scoring process.
The pilot monitoring project ran in 2025. Now tested and finalised, the MACS methodology is ready for wider use and other countries.
The Early Warning and Alert System on the Civic Space Watch website is also powered by the MACS methodology. These alerts help detect restrictions at an early stage and prompt timely responses from EU institutions, international organisations, media and human rights actors. The revamped website now tracks how EU institutions impact the space for civic action across the continent.
MACS envisions a civic space, or in other words, an enabling legal and policy environment for individuals and civil society groups to exercise fundamental freedoms, that is:
- Organised: Individuals and organisations can come together to establish both formal and informal non-profit organisations.
- Resourced: Individuals and organisations have access to and can effectively utilise a variety of resources.
- Mobilised: Individuals and groups can freely assemble, campaign, and express their opinions.
- Engaged: Individuals and groups can access and actively participate in the policy-making processes that impact their lives.
MACS was created to fill the current gap at the EU level, with a comprehensive tool that provides systematic evidence and guidance to EU, states and civil society on:
- emerging civic space trends within the EU;
- early signs of how the space for civil society is improving or deteriorating;
- good practices and civil society strategies;
- how proposed or adopted national laws may breach EU law, including the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights; and
- how EU laws impact civic space.
It provides nuanced information to EU institutions so they can take action before the situation further deteriorates.
The MACS: Monitoring Action for Civic Space project is co-funded by the European Union.