SolidarityNow co-signs an open letter addressed to Ms Von der Leyen, Ms Jourova and Mr Reynders at the European Commission asking for support towards the civil society sector during the\u00a0 #COVID19 crisis.\u00a0The letter notably asks European Institutions to\u00a0recognise\u00a0the civic sector\u2019s role in the pandemic and include it in any measures aimed at dealing with the crisis and with the aftermath.<\/p>\n
European Civic Forum<\/strong><\/p>\n 167, boulevard de la villette<\/p>\n 75010 Paris<\/p>\n France<\/p>\n Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong><\/p>\n V\u011bra Jourov\u00e1<\/strong><\/p>\n Didier Reynders<\/strong><\/p>\n European Commission<\/p>\n Rue de la Loi \/ Wetstraat 200<\/p>\n 1049 Brussels<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Brussels, 10 April 2020<\/p>\n CSO<\/strong>s<\/strong> MUST BE ABLE TO KEEP ACTING IN RESPONSE TO SOCIAL EMERGENCIES<\/strong><\/p>\n STATES MUST INTEGRATE THE NEEDS OF CSO<\/strong>s<\/strong> INTO THEIR POLICIES<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Ms Ursula Von Der Leyen,<\/p>\n Dear Ms V\u011bra Jourov\u00e1,<\/p>\n Dear Mr Didier Reynders,<\/p>\n Our societies are going through an unprecedented crisis in Europe in times of peace. The institutions of the European Union and the Member States have taken decisions dictated by the urgency to slow down the spread of the pandemic. Production is disorganized. Workers’ incomes are already massively affected. Support measures are being taken, aimed at companies and employees. This is necessary and must continue. It must be generalized where institutional intervention is still awaited.<\/p>\n For decades, civil society organisations (CSOs) and the third sector have played an essential role in supporting vulnerable communities and populations. From one country to another, our organisations have different status and modus operandi. The tasks they perform also vary. But everywhere they are in the front line to witness the precarious situations people suffer from, trying to respond to people\u2019s needs for effective access to rights, to alert on the limitations and adverse consequences of public policies.<\/p>\n This onset of crisis shows how diverse and fundamental civil society organisations roles are. The crisis has increased the vulnerabilities experienced by those who were already vulnerable.<\/strong> New populations are being added to those who are already fragile. The CSOs need to see their means of action strengthened. Many are already in difficulty.<\/strong><\/p>\n The CSOs need the authorities to listen to them so that their alerts are taken into account without delay. In some Member States this is often the case, in others not at all. And often, not because of a lack of will but because of a lack of capacity, the institutions do not react with the necessary urgency. Like the health workers in hospitals, they have too many problems to solve at once.<\/p>\n The CSOs are there. They know what is going on in the field. They have the confidence of the people. They must be supported and given the means to better address vulnerabilities in our societies.<\/p>\n We call on the European Commission to pay attention, in all the initiatives it takes, to including the CSOs in order to give them the place they deserve. This concerns in particular:<\/p>\n\n