Global civil society rating: Austria „open“ again

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The global network CIVICUS gives Austria good marks for its handling of fundamental and civil rights and civil society.

Two years ago, the international non-governmental organization CIVICUS rated the space for civil society in Austria only as „restricted“. As of today, Austria is again considered “open” due to improvements in the last few months. Only three percent of the world’s population live in countries with comparably good conditions.

CIVICUS, a global network of more than 4000 members from over 175 countries, documents with its CIVICUS monitor the threats to the development of civil society around the world. Depending on the number of points achieved on an index of 0-100, a country is considered open, narrowed, obstructed, repressed or closed. Austria is now “open” again and is in the company of Germany, Switzerland, the Benelux countries and Scandinavia. Only three percent of the world’s population live in countries with comparable conditions, where their citizens can found associations, demonstrate peacefully in public places and freely express their opinions.

In today’s press release, CIVICUS refers to the positive change brought about by the 2019 elections and as a result of which the FPÖ was replaced by the Greens in the coalition with the ÖVP. They are more open to a dialogue with civil society organizations, which can thereby make themselves heard again. Many of their demands are now taken into account in the government program. CIVICUS also cites the 700 million euro support fund for nonprofit organizations (NPOs) decided on because of the COVID-19 pandemic as evidence of positive development in Austria.

„The inclusion of CSOs in various consultation processes, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, by the Austrian government is an example of good practice which other states in the region should follow, ” Aarti Narsee, responsible for Europe at CIVICUS, now gives Austria a good report card. In one breath, however, she appeals to the ÖVP urgently to refrain from its anti-migrant rhetoric.

Franz Neunteufl, executive director of the IGO – Interest Group of Public Benefit Organizations and spokesman for ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC BENEFIT approved: „The participation of our colleagues in the development of the aid measures to overcome the corona crisis is actually a good example of further projects in the government program to promote non-profit and volunteer work.“

In the spring of 2019, IGO came in her Civil Society Index – Update 2019 to a completely different result. At that time there was still talk of tendencies to limit the critical potential of civil society and its participation in political decision-making processes. Neunteufl today: „Even if we do not agree with everything that the government does or does not do, it is important and a sign of a healthy democratic constitution that the government seeks dialogue with organized civil society and does include it in those areas where it is affected by its decisions. „

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ZIVILGESELLSCHAFT VOR DER WAHL: Wie halten es die Parteien mit ehrenamtlicher und gemeinnütziger Arbeit?

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Die AKADEMIE DER ZIVILGESELLSCHAFT der Wiener Volkshochschulen und das BÜNDNIS FÜR GEMEINNÜTZIGKEIT laden ein zu:

ZIVILGESELLSCHAFT VOR DER WAHL: Wie halten es die Parteien mit ehrenamtlicher und gemeinnütziger Arbeit?

am 9. September 2019, von 17-19 Uhr, in der Wiener Urania, 1010 Wien.

„Gemeinnützigkeit“ und „Zivilgesellschaft“ waren bei der letzten Regierung nicht besonders hoch im Kurs: vielmehr hagelte es regelmäßig abwertende Kritik („NGO-Wahnsinn“) bis hin zu absurden Unterstellungen („Profitgier“).

Dabei ist der Wert gemeinnütziger Leistungen für die Daseinsvorsorge und den Zusammenhalt in der Gesellschaft unbestritten. Es liegt deshalb auf der Hand zu fordern, dass die Statistik Austria endlich auch die gleichen Kennzahlen über den Non-Profit Sektor erhebt und veröffentlicht, wie sie das für die Landwirtschaft, die Industrie, den Tourismus und viele andere Branchen selbstverständlich tut.

Das ist nur eine der Forderungen, die das BÜNDNIS FÜR GEMEINNÜTZIGKEIT an die nächste Regierung richtet, über die Ende September entschieden wird.

Rechtzeitig vor der Wahl, am 9. September 2019, von 17 – 19 Uhr, laden die AKADEMIE DER ZIVILGESELLSCHAFT und das BÜNDNIS FÜR GEMEINNÜTZIGKEIT die Parteichefs von ÖVP, SPÖ, FPÖ, NEOS und GRÜNEN ein, ihren Mitgliedern, Unterstützer_innen und Freund_innen Rede und Antwort zu stehen. Sie wollen von ihnen wissen, welchen Stellenwert sie ehrenamtlicher und gemeinnütziger Arbeit und einer lebendigen Zivilgesellschaft einräumen werden, sollten sie der nächsten Regierung angehören.

Moderiert wird die Diskussion von dem W24 Moderator Gerhard Koller.

Der Eintritt ist frei. Bitte melden Sie sich hier an. Die Anzahl der Plätze ist begrenzt.

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This was: CIVIL SOCIETY IN DIALOGUE 2018

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Relationship Status: It’s complicated. Civil Society Organisations and the EU.

In 2018, during the Austrian Presidency of the EU Council, IGO joined forces with the European Civic Forum in carrying forward the legacy of civil society forums in countries holding the EU Presidencies over the last ten years.

A recent report by Civil Society Europe shows there is a desire for the European Union to play a greater role in upholding democratic principles and setting guidelines to ensure an enabling environment for civil society.

Wednesday, 21 November 2018

Article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty commits the „institutions“ – including the European Council and its 28 members – to an „open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society“. Yet, the reality often shows a different picture: in many Member States civil society organizations are either ignored or facing open hostility. In addition, the scarcity or conditionality of public funding is restricting civic organisations’ ability to take action to ensure access to fundamental rights for all.

On day one, participants were primarily those in charge and members or employees of civil society organizations from Austria and abroad. Working language was English.

Picture Gallery Day 1.

Welcome and Opening

  • Franz NEUNTEUFL, IGO, Vienna
  • Iva TARALEZHKOVA, Bulgarian Citizen Participation Forum, Sofia
  • Jean Marc ROIRANT, European Civic Forum, Paris

Panel 1 – All for rights and rights for all: the state of civic space and fundamental rights in today’s European Union

With contributions from

  • Veronika MORA, Hungarian Enviromental Partnership Foundation, Budapest
  • Waltraud HELLER, European Fundamental Rights Agency, Wien
  • Dr Vedran DZIHIC, Austrian Institute for International Affairs, Vienna
  • Alexandrina NAJMOWICZ, European Civic Forum, Paris (Moderation)

Panel 2 – Funding civil society activities with public money: Too much to die, too little to live

With contributions from

  • Judith PÜHRINGER, arbeitplus, Vienna
  • Jean Marc ROIRANT, European Economic and Social Committee, European Civic Forum & Civil Society Europe, Brussels
  • Dr Daniela BANKIER, European Commission, DG Justice, Programme and Financial Management Unit, Brussels
  • Franz NEUNTEUFL, IGO, Wien (Moderation)

Outlook on the Romanian EU Presidency from a civil society point of view

  • Iuliana RADA, Civil Society Development Foundation, Bukarest.

Thursday, 22 November 2018

Article 2 has a prominent place in the EU treaties, yet a vast gap exists between these rights and values and their exercise and implementation. In Europe today, rights and liberties are increasingly sacrificed in the name of austerity, security, anti-terrorism or money laundering, transparency or business secrecy.

This was the starting point for the inputs and panel discussions on the second day of the event. Working language here was German.

Picture Gallery Day 2.

Welcome and Opening

  • Dr Jörg WOJAHN, Representation of the European Commission in Austria, Vienna
  • Dr Alexander VAN DER BELLEN, Federal President of the Rep. of Austria – Video Message
  • Franz NEUNTEUFL, IGO, Vienna

Panel 1 – Make Europe Great for All: about the spaces between values& policies

With contributions from

  • Andreas SCHIEDER, Candidate to the European Parliament, SPÖ, Vienna
  • Dr Daniela BANKIER, European Commission, DG Justice, Programme and Financial Management Unit, Brussels
  • Dr Michaela MOSER, European Anti-Poverty Network, Vienna
  • Dr Frank HEUBERGER, Bundesweites Netzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement, Berlin (Moderation)

Keynote

  • Karoline EDTSTADLER, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Interior, Vienna

Panel 2 – Climate change in politics: how can we go against the tides in the EU?

  • Dr Othmar KARAS, Austrian MEP, ÖVP, Brussels
  • Leonore GEWESSLER, Global 2000 | Friends of the Earth, Vienna
  • Verena RINGLER, European Commons, Innsbruck – Vienna
  • Franz NEUNTEUFL, IGO, Vienna

Closing Remarks

  • Franz NEUNTEUFL, IGO
  • Alexandrina NAJMOWICZ, European Civic Forum, Paris.

 

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CIVIL SOCIETY IN DIALOGUE 2018 | „Relationship Status: It’s complicated. Civil Society Organisations and the EU.“ | 21-22 Nov. 2018 | House of the EU, Vienna

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Article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty requires the institutions – and this includes the European Council and its 28 members – to “maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society”.

The reality often shows a different picture: in many Member States civil society organizations are either ignored or facing open hostility.

In this context, IGO – the Interest Group of Public Benefit Organizations has already organized a dialogue in and with Austrian civil society twice: 2016 focused on charitable law, 2017 on the future of democracy. In 2018, during the Austrian Presidency of the EU Council, IGO joins forces with the European Civic Forum in carrying forward the legacy of civil society forums in countries holding the EU Presidencies over the last ten years.

We are pleased to launch the invitation to a two (half)day long discussion regarding the role and challenges faced by civil society organizations in Austria and in the European Union in their daily work and relations with the governing institutions.

On day one, the invitation primarily goes to those in charge and members or employees of civil society organizations from Austria and abroad. Working language will be English.

On day two, in addition to those attending on day one, representatives of Austrian and European institutions as well as all interested citizens are invited. Working language will be German. For simultaneous translation English – German will be taken care of.

Participation is free of charge. Limited space. Registrations will be considered in the order of their receipt.

Full program and registration here. 

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Update Civil Society Index

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Civil society organizations (CSOs) make indispensable contributions to a more sustainable and solidary society in Austria and worldwide. On the one hand, they assist and improve the lives of people in difficult situations; on the other, they fight for environmental protection, democracy, human rights and international solidarity – to name but a few fields of action.

With the Civil Society Index – Rapid Assessment (CSI-RA), in 2014, IGO and the NPO & SE Competence Center, in cooperation with CIVICUS, have examined the climate and framework conditions for CSOs in Austria. Both supportive and inhibiting factors were assessed from the point of view of experts and stakeholders with the help of the internationally proven instrument CSI-RA. 2019 – five years later – IGO intends to establish what has changed since then in an updated version of the Index.

Objectives

  • Description of the most important conditions for civic engagement in Austria in 2019.
  • Survey of significant changes in the framework for civil society engagement since 2014 by contrasting the status quo with the results of the Civil Society Index 2014.
  • Development of common strategies to improve the framework conditions with stakeholders.
  • Joint implementation of the developed strategies.

Project Responsibiltites

In an advisory and support body, whose members should be as representative as possible of Austrian civil society, the focal points and questions are defined and the project progress is monitored. IGO takes over the coordination, the NPO & SE competence center the scientific work.

The advisory and support group will be consulted in three stages:

  • To determine the research focus, so that the project treats the most burning issues for CSOs.
  • For feedback on the collected data and intermediate results. The panel should participate in the analysis of the data.
  • To review, review and release the results and recommendations of action.

 Timetable

The project is divided into four phases:

  1. Projektinitiation: Here the partners are identified, the financing secured and a first work plan and budget designed.
  2. Project adaptation: In this phase, the concrete research interest, the goals, the methods and indicators are determined. The concrete project plan and budget will be decided at this stage.
  3. Project implementation: Implementation of agreed research activities, analysis of data, preparation of the report, review and review of results and recommendations by stakeholders.
  4. Action Phase: publication of the results / report; Broad dialogue on possible activities to implement the project recommendations; Development and communication of a policy catalog;

In a first workshop in early June 2018, key stakeholders will discuss which topics are relevant to the Civil Society Index update.

In addition, lessons learned during the first CSI project in 2013 and 2014 will be collected and included in the planning for 2019.

What happens to the results?

With the CSI-RA, we will create a basis for negotiations with politicians and the private sector to improve conditions for CSOs in Austria and facilitate their work. Both the organizations and IGO serve as a multiplier.

For more information, please contact

Franz Neunteufl: franz.neunteufl@gemeinnuetzig.at

Dr Ruth Simsa: Ruth.Simsa@wu.ac.at

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