The publication contains the complete set of results and a descriptive report that provides an overall picture of the main results together with six analytical articles signed by leading experts such as Intissar Kherigi, Programmes Director, Jasmine Foundation; Richard Youngs, Senior Fellow (Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, Carnegie Europe); Itxaso Domínguez Middle East & Maghreb Coordinator (Fundación Alternativas); Jerzy Pomianowki, Executive Director (European Endowment for Democracy EED-Brussels); Aziza Moneer (PhD. Visiting Research Fellow, Nordic Africa Institute, Uppsala, Sweden); Zaid Eyadat (Prof. Director of the Center for Strategic Studies. University of Jordan).
Josep FerréDESCRIPTIVE REPORT
Xavier Aragall, Cristina Sala, Victoria Silva
Taking the Pulse of Civil Society in the Euro-Mediterranean Region
Engaging with Civil Society: Policy Responses
Civil Society as a Driving Force of Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation and Integration
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Civil Society in a Time of Transition
Intissar Kherigi
Environmental Activism in the Post-Arab Spring: It is not about a Mere Clean Environment.
Aziza Moneer
The Reshaped Civic Politics of Euro-Mediterranean Relations
Richard Youngs
The Importance of Supporting Independent Media in the Southern Neighbourhood.
Jerzy Pomianowski
Support for Civil Society as Window Dressing. A Critical Assessment of how the EU engages with Civil Society.
Itxaso Domínguez de Olazábal
ANNEXES
Some main takeaways
What civil society is there for? Substituting government and providing services not provided adequately otherwise? NO. Monitoring policies and watchdogging rights? YES
Climate change should be main priority of civil society in Europe. In South and East Mediterranean countries: Human rights, democracy and rule of law. But careful: Human rights, democracy and rule of law should definitely remain on civil society’s radar in Europe too.
Public mobilisations remain the most efficient mean for civil society to achieve its objectives.
Where is civil society facing the biggest obstacles? Syria, Egypt, Libya and Turkey. How about Europe? Hungary, Poland and Romania.
The EU is the main source of foreign suport to civil society in Southern Mediterranean countries. Its role in this regard is assessed positively. According to the results of the survey the EU should support civil society in Egypt, Palestine and Syria as priorities.
According to Southern and Eastern Mediterranean respondents of the survey, foreign support to civil society comes mainly from:
Answers from Tunisian respondents across the survey show distinct features from other respondents in the Southern Mediterranean: acute awareness of the importance of civil society in their country and acute sense that Tunisia offers an enabling environment for civil society.
