New report on civic space resilience: good practices from Slovenia, Croatia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic

The Peace Institute, together with partners from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia, has prepared the regional report Good Practices of Civic Space Resilience V3-web, which analyses examples of civic space resilience in the context of growing pressures on democracy, human rights and the work of civil society organisations.

The report examines how civil society organisations, informal initiatives, media and activist networks across the four countries respond to shrinking civic space, political pressures, discreditation campaigns, disinformation and attempts to limit independent action. Particular attention is given to resilience strategies – ranging from legal advocacy, public communication and coalition-building to participatory campaigns, community mobilisation and the protection of democratic standards.

The publication includes detailed case studies from all four countries. The Slovenian chapter presents the following cases:

• Legal Network for the Protection of Democracy,
• We Are Not Leaving Metelkova!,
• Let’s Go Vote!,
• ZAobSTAnek (For the survival of the Slovenian Press Agency).

The report concludes that civic space resilience is not a static condition, but rather a dynamic process of collective action, cooperation and adaptation. The cases presented in the report demonstrate that civil society organisations can achieve significant democratic impact even in situations of political pressure when supported by strong cooperation networks, legal expertise, strategic communication and active community support.

The publication was produced within the project Empowering Ecosystems of Civil Society Organisations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia and Slovenia (PROSECO).