If policymakers want to promote civic space and healthy democracies, they should:
💸 Ensure CSOs have access to adequate funding
💪 Protect and empower CSOs, especially in light of attacks by the far-right
🤝 Prioritise civic space and social & civil dialogue in accession talks
🔗 srm.solidar.org
🔍 The 2025 SRM finds that civic space in Europe is increasingly squeezed. Many organisations face criminalisation, funding cuts or limitations to meaningful participation in decision-making.
This is bad for our democracies and prevents people having their voices heard. But there are solutions! ⤵️
This week is #CivSocWeek at the European Economic and Social Committee! @eesc.bsky.social
This week of dialogue and engagement between policymakers and civil society is very welcome, because as our 2025 Social Rights Monitor highlights, civic space in Europe is under pressure. 🚨⤵️
📢 The SOLIDAR Dispatch – February 2026 is here!
✍️ Edito: "Munich Was a Warning. Social Europe Must Be the Answer"
🇨🇾 Cyprus Presidency — SOLIDAR's assessment
📄 New position paper on civic space & democracy
and more...
👉 Read in full: bit.ly/40xW9yN
On Social Justice Day, let's make sure the EU follows through on commitments to social rights.
To learn more about the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights and what the EU is actually doing to advance social justice, read the 2025 edition of the SRM!
🔗 srm.solidar.org
5️⃣ Civic space & civil dialogue:
Civic space in Europe is under pressure as CSOs face shrinking space, funding cuts and increased stigmatisation or criminalisation.
Urgent action is needed to support an enabling civic space and meaningful engagement of civil society in decision-making processes.
4️⃣ Socially just green transition:
Progress in Europe's green economy has potential to advance social justice and create quality jobs, but this potential won't be realised without action.
Investment and policies are needed to ensure green jobs are high-quality, inclusive and socially just.
3️⃣ Social inclusion:
A stand-out finding from the SRM 2025 was the severity of the housing crisis in Europe and the risks to social inclusion.
The financialisaiton of housing and affordable housing shortage is a critical situation, impacting vulnerable groups in particular.
2️⃣ Fair working conditions:
Even though wages rose across Europe in 2024, they failed to keep up with the pace of inflation.
This means the purchasing power of households is reduced, with 8.2% of workers across Europe being put at risk of in-work poverty.
1️⃣ Equal opportunities:
Disparities between public and private education mean that equal opportunities are still only an aspiration - not a reality.
The gap in terms of resources and academic and social segregation perpetuate inequalities between students of differing socioeconomic backgrounds.
It's Social Justice Day! In case you didn't know, the EU has committed to building a strong social Europe through the European Pillar of Social Rights.
How does this commitment look in practice? Our Social Rights Monitor aims to answer this through the lens of civil society across Europe. 👀⤵️
@etuc-ces.bsky.social @industrialleurope.bsky.social
The European Parliament voted for a Just Transition Directive — a big deal for workers across Europe 🏭🌍
Our message to the Commission is clear: the ball is in your court. Propose a Directive for a just transition in the world of work.
👉️ Read SOLIDAR's full statement → bit.ly/4b10u2D
SOLIDAR is hiring 4 Fellows:
• 2 Policy & Research Fellows
• 2 Project Fellows
📍 Brussels-based (hybrid)
💼 Full-time
💰 €1,056 net/month + travel support + meal vouchers
Deadline: 27 Feb 2026
Help us build a fairer, more inclusive Europe.
Read the call & apply: bit.ly/3OBFB6c
📢 The SOLIDAR Dispatch – January 2026 is out!
In this edition:
✍️ Defending what is right in a new age of power politics
🎓 Free online course on eco-narrative & ethical leadership
✊ Sign the petition to free jailed pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong
👉 Read in full: bit.ly/3ZCpJmm
The revision of the EU Governance Regulation is a key chance to embed social fairness in energy & climate policies.
📣 SOLIDAR calls for just transition objectives in NECPs, mandatory assessment of social impacts, and strong EU & national strategies beyond governance alone.
🔗https://bit.ly/4a2GjR4
✊As Lee Cheuk‑yan faces trial in Hong Kong for peacefully defending human rights, the Council of Global Unions is calling for his immediate & unconditional release.
Trade unionists are not criminals. Human rights defenders must not be silenced😶
📢 #FreeLeeCheukYan
👉 buff.ly/R74IWO8
@pes.eu @socialistsanddemocrats.eu @yesocialists.bsky.social @etuc-ces.bsky.social @feps-europe.eu @pes-women.bsky.social
🌹 25 years of the #SilverRoseAwards!
We celebrated a special anniversary edition with our community — honouring Agnes Jongerius and La Via Campesina for their inspiring fight for workers’ rights and a just transition.
Together, we are always stronger.✊
Read more bit.ly/49tLYk3
As we kick off 2026, we’re excited to share some big news: SOLIDAR Foundation is now SOLIDAR+ 🥳 🎉
A fresh name, the same strong commitment to solidarity, learning, and participation!
Much more to come this year. Stay tuned! 🚀
Happy New Year from the SOLIDAR Team!
We are excited to share our new organisational strategy! A clear roadmap that will help us navigate these challenging times while continuing to work for a systemic shift that truly transforms our societies.
Read the executive summary: bit.ly/4qmKpdl
Season's greetings and happy new year from the team at SOLIDAR! ✨
Thank you to our members, partners, allies and friends for supporting our mission for social justice and a just transition in Europe and around the world, and we look forward to continuing the fight in 2026.
In solidarity always.✊
Looking for some holiday reading? 🤓 🎄
Check out SOLIDAR's paper on global citizenship education, 'Beyond Barriers: Strengthening Global Citizenship Education for Inclusive Societies' on how GCE can address systemic inequalities and the role the EU can play.
Read the paper🔗 buff.ly/oBfVxWK
The European Pillar of Social Rights must ensure fair working conditions for all workers - regardless of migration status.
In light of the revision of the EPSR Action Plan, our paper analyses how the plan can contribute to embedding migrant workers’ rights in EU social policy.
🔗 buff.ly/bCs9qYp
Today, the European Commission presents its first-ever EU Affordable Housing Plan.
It’s a crossroads moment: will it reinforce financialisation & speculation, or deliver a transformative shift that puts the right to housing and a just green transition at the centre?
Read the brief: bit.ly/49e9ZeT
