{"id":5870,"date":"2026-05-12T16:10:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T13:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/?p=5870"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:26:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:26:19","slug":"supporting-civil-society-is-an-investment-in-the-democratic-future-of-europe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osis.bg\/?p=5870&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Supporting civil society is an investment in the democratic future of Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"
12.05.2026<\/div>\n\n\n

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Support for civil society is not charity, it’s an investment to safeguard Europe’s democratic future.<\/p>\n

That is how Jon Erik Str\u00f6m\u00f6, Director of the Section for Central Europe and EEA Grants at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened at the official launch event for the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria \u2013 the European Economic Area and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms\u2019 new programme for civil society support.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as civil society weakens, so does the democracy. Civil society acts as democracy’s first line of defense. When laws are weakened and the institution challenged, the independent civil society organisation helps safeguard rule of law, human rights and accountability\u201d, added Str\u00f6m\u00f6.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not a programme that simply supports the civil sector as such. This is a programme that supports the role of civil society organisations as protectors of democracy, the rule of law and human rights. These values will be leading during the Fund\u2019s implementation in the next 6 years,\u201d said Georgi Stoychev, executive director of Institute Open Society \u2013 Sofia. He added that during this period many changes are likely to occur, new risks will present themselves, as well as new opportunities. \u201cThis is why we made the design of the programme so that there will be resources for support of civil society organisations during the entire period, so that they will be adaptable to potential changes in the environment and anticipate risks,\u201d further stated Stoychev.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What will the EEA Civil Society Fund in Bulgaria look like? That was the subject of the presentation and detailed explanations provided by representatives of the Fund Operator: Elitsa Markova, Institute Open Society \u2013 Sofia, Iliyana Nikolova, Workshop for Civil Initiatives Foundation, Sara Perrine, Trust for Social Achievement Foundation and Guri Ids\u00f8 Viken, Frivillighet Norge.<\/p>\n\r\n