The war on Europe's NGOs

While Europe rallies to defend Ukraine from tanks and missiles, a quieter assault is unfolding inside its borders — one that strikes at the heart of its democratic resilience.

From Warsaw to Tbilisi to Bishkek, civil society is under siege. Activists are being smeared as foreign agents.

NGOs are being defunded, closed down, and criminalised. Volunteer groups are labelled as security threats. This isn’t Cold War theatre — it’s Europe and its neighbourhood in 2025.

In Georgia, the recent adoption of a “foreign agents” law ignited mass protests and international condemnation.

But Georgia is no outlier. Belarus has forcibly liquidated over 1,500 NGOs since Lukashenka’s 2020 crackdown.

In Tajikistan, hundreds of CSO groups were forced to shut down following unrest in 2022.

Kyrgyzstan's 2024 foreign-agent-style law requires any foreign-funded group engaging in vaguely defined “political activity” to register under a stigmatising oversight scheme, under threat of closure.

This law sets a dangerous precedent for all of Central Asia, with similar legislation under consideration in other countries of the region. 

Worryingly, this authoritarian toolkit is migrating westward.

Hungary demands that civic groups disclose foreign donors, while prime minister Viktor Orbán decries NGOs as a “shadow army”. Slovakia and Serbia are contemplating their own versions of Russia’s foreign agent laws. The pattern is clear: discredit, dismantle, and dominate.

Here’s why this matters.

The European continent is arguably the world’s most important bastion of democracy. If it falters, the idea of a liberal, rules-based global order risks faltering with it. That makes prioritising democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms in Europe and its broader neighbourhood not only morally necessary but strategically vital. And none of that is possible without a strong, independent, and resilient civil society.

Civic actors are more than idealists. They are the early warning systems, the accountability mechanisms, the human bridge between the governed and the government. They expose corruption, amplify marginalised voices, and foster public trust that populists and autocrats erode. When they’re silenced, it’s not just NGOs that vanish — it’s democratic resistance itself.

Yet the EU’s response remains tepid.

Western donors cite 'geopolitical realities' and 'donor fatigue' as they scale back support.

National governments increasingly invoke 'sovereignty' and 'traditional values' to justify silencing dissent.

Even Brussels, despite its rhetoric, often reacts too late (or not at all), underlining a flagrant lack of consistency between its declared commitment to support civil society and its actions in practice. 

The lesson of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act still holds 50 years after its adoption: lasting peace and security in Europe depend on open societies and human dignity.

If Europe wants to be more than a continent of empty declarations, it must treat civic space as essential infrastructure – and not as an afterthought.

That means legal protections for activists, sustained funding for grassroots groups, and zero tolerance for those who weaponise 'sovereignty' to erode rights.

This year, we turn 25 and are looking for 2,500 new supporting members to take their stake in EU democracy. A functioning EU relies on a well-informed public – you.