In October 2024, the Council of Europe’s Democratic Institutions and Civil Society Division launched a grant to support civil society organisations with a clear purpose - fostering a democratic culture, increasing public engagement in decision making, and strengthening the links between civil society and the Council of Europe - the grant also sought to raise awareness of the Council’s standards on strengthening democracy, especially the Reykjavik Principles for Democracy, and highlight the value of collaboration and identify new opportunities in this area.
 

Three projects, one goal: strengthening democracy

Running from March to October 2025, the three winning projects placed a strong emphasis on communication and outreach, ensuring that their impact extended well beyond direct participants.

Volonteurope: Building resilience and inclusion for participatory democracy (BRIDGE)

Volonteurope’s “BRIDGE” project, implemented with partners from eight countries, began with strengthening partner organisations’ capacities, followed by national roundtables in Belgium, France, Italy, Hungary, Georgia, Serbia, the UK, and Guadeloupe. These brought together 172 participants to exchange views and experiences on trust, participation and inclusion, and to contribute to the Council of Europe public consultation on the draft parameters for the implementation of the Reykjavik Principles for democracy. In addition, they raised awareness of the Council of Europe BePart platform, a resource showcasing civil participation initiatives. Building on the national roundtables, seven regional roundtables in Southern Europe, Benelux, Western Europe, Eastern Partnership, Northern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, and French overseas territories attracted another 139 participants online, identifying shared democratic challenges, local innovations and possibilities for stronger cooperation across borders.

The project culminated with a summit in Strasbourg, hosting 90 participants in person and online to reflect on the learnings of the dialogues and to explore how these lessons could inform the Council of Europe’s ongoing work and partnership with civil society on the Reykjavík Principles for Democracy. A highlight of the event was the interactive Future Lab, where participants collaboratively explored new pathways for cooperation between the Council of Europe and civil society organisations. The “Catalogue of civil participation” was launched - a digital StoryMap collection of ten inspiring examples of democratic innovation and participatory practices identified through the project from across Europe.

The consortium partners’ online campaign reached close to 6,000 individuals across different platforms and the Catalogue has been viewed over 100 times and shared through partner networks. These resources, and the networks established, will support future advocacy and community work.

HRHF: Empowering emerging human rights defenders

The Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF) designed a capacity building programme for 18 emerging defenders from eight countries, reflecting a wide range of backgrounds, issues, and regions (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Norway, Poland, Serbia, and Ukraine). The programme included virtual and in-person activities, such as thematic webinars, a study visit to Strasbourg, direct meetings with Council of Europe experts and member states’ representatives, and a follow-up webinar. Participants shared knowledge and Council of Europe advocacy tools within their own networks, multiplying the effect of their training.

Through follow-up communication activities, participants shared insights and Council of Europe tools with their own organisations and partners. HRHF’s communications reached over 8,300 unique social media accounts and generated almost 10,000 impressions. Participant-led visibility contributed significantly to amplify the messages. The prepared social-media packs enabled participants and their CSOs to co-create content, resulting in at least 29 original posts shared in six languages. An alumni group was formed, deepening both solidarity and regional advocacy.

Each participant developed an individual advocacy plan tailored to their national context. HRHF mentors will accompany the implementation through 2026. Many participants already initiated follow-up actions, such as providing additional information to the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner’s Office, preparing Rule 9 communications (submissions by civil society on the implementation of human rights judgments) on topics ranging from psychosocial support for human rights defenders to country-specific issues and human rights trends, or engaging Permanent Representations from their countries.

ALDA: Building bridges for democratic governance

ALDA’s “BRIDGE to the Council of Europe” project brought together civil society organisations and local authorities in Moldova, Ukraine, and Italy, fostering lasting partnerships and greater understanding of Council of Europe standards. Key activities included events in Italy and Moldova, directly involving 260 stakeholders, and practical training using the Council of Europe “Civil Participation in Decision-Making toolkit”, which offers models and steps for local authorities to implement effective, transparent and inclusive consultation processes.

The project included the development of the episode of ALDA’s podcast series “Shades of Democracy”, which introduced the Council of Europe European Label of Governance Excellence (ELoGE), promoting the 12 Principles of Good Democratic Governance. An ALDA Talk online webinar titled “The Reykjavik Principles for Democracy: Civil Society at the Core” focused on how the Reykjavik Principles, can serve as a framework to guide democratic governance and enhance civic participation across Europe. The Talk was subsequently posted on ALDA’s Youtube channel.

ALDA’s extensive outreach through communication and dissemination activities expanded engagement beyond project countries and presented the project to a wider audience. The communication campaign brought these experiences to almost 9,000 people via its website, and social media engagements generated over 40,000 impressions. Additional materials, such as podcasts and webinars on the Reykjavik Principles for Democracy, broadened the reach to civil society actors across Europe.

A transparent and thorough grant selection process

Behind the success of these projects lies a careful and transparent grant selection process. Interest was high - 77 proposals were submitted by December 2024. The evaluation committee assessed the 25 strongest proposals and selected three grantees: Volonteurope (with a consortium of eight partner organisations), Human Rights House Foundation - HRHF, and ALDA – the European Association for Local Democracy, each receiving 40,000 euros thanks to support from Germany.

Grantees were welcomed at bilateral meetings and a joint training session to ensure everyone understood Council of Europe processes and reporting standards.

Building bridges and creating lasting impact

The projects not only achieved their objectives but, in several respects, exceeded expectations. They helped raise awareness of the Council of Europe’s work to strengthen democracy and civil society participation, reaching a diverse public from all over Europe with a relatively modest investment. The strengthened interaction between civil society and the Council of Europe illustrates how passion and partnership can create real momentum for democracy. Hundreds of participants, from emerging leaders to experienced local actors, gained new skills and forged valuable connections, bringing Council standards back to their communities. As networks, tools, and new practices continue to spread, the impact of this grant programme will endure well beyond its formal end. The Council of Europe remains committed to working alongside civil society to further strengthen democratic values and participation across Europe.