In a historical phase marked by increasing socio-economic inequalities, social fragmentation, and widespread uncertainty, speaking about civic spaces today means questioning the quality of our democracies. Civic spaces, in fact, are not merely physical places, but real drivers of active citizenship and participation — fundamental pillars for safeguarding democratic values and citizens’ rights.
It is from this premise that the European project “B.RIGHT SPACES – Better rights in better civic space“ was born. Officially launched in March 2024 under the CERV-2023-CHAR-LITI call, it is based on the idea that civic spaces can be effectively promoted and protected through the synergistic action of local public authorities, NGOs, civil society organisations and citizens, in line with the principles and practices of subsidiarity and cooperation.
Across Europe, civic spaces represent true strongholds of civic activism: they support democratic participation, the protection and promotion of civil and political rights, as well as economic and social rights, within a perspective of progressive recognition and expansion.
In this context, the European project is carried out by an international partnership coordinated by REVES – European Network of Cities and Regions for the Social Economy, bringing together ten organisations from Belgium, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain*. A structured and diverse network that reflects, in its very composition, the variety of actors engaged on this topic.
* B.Right Spaces project partners: Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Associazione PARSEC, CSV Lazio, City of Turin, Fundacja Inicjatyw Społeczno-Ekonomicznych, Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras, EMERGE, Generalitat de Catalunya, Xarxa d’Economia Solidària.
The Final Conference in Warsaw
The project’s Final Conference, held in Warsaw on February 5, 2026, represented a particularly significant moment of reflection and European exchange. Torino Social Impact also took part as an associated project partner. Organised by FISE and REVES, the event gathered 32 participants from local institutions, NGOs and civil society organisations, together with representatives of the project partners.
The public conference focused on the role of civic spaces in building and strengthening democracies in Europe, highlighting both common challenges and local specificities in the implementation of civic space-related principles in selected countries such as Spain, Italy, Poland and Portugal. It also provided an opportunity to present good practices developed and mapped over the two years of the international project, showcasing concrete solutions to support participation, inclusion and the right to the city.
An opportunity to create a space for dialogue on the commons, framing them within a transnational dimension and fostering mutual learning between the City of Turin and its European partners.
The exchange also highlighted Turin’s experience through the perspectives of the City and Labsus, whose collaboration has strengthened, over the years, the capacity to analyse and enhance collaborative processes active in the territory, also thanks to innovative tools such as policy labs and local stakeholder mapping. This brought to light the path through which Turin has progressively developed policies oriented towards experimentation and collaboration, establishing itself as a reference model.
The EU Charter for Civic Space Defenders
The event culminated in the presentation of the EU Charter of Civic Space, developed jointly by the European partnership. Its main value lies in its role as a communication and advocacy tool: a shared reference, adaptable at the local level and useful for engaging a wide range of stakeholders in strengthening civic life.
The Charter addresses public institutions, social and solidarity economy organisations, universities and research centres, independent advisory bodies and a broad range of non-profit organisations, as well as actors at different levels contributing to the protection and promotion of civic spaces, thereby ensuring the exercise of fundamental rights.
Rather than a closed document, it is conceived as a “living” declaration, open to dialogue, reflection and continuous improvement in response to emerging challenges. It defines a set of shared principles and commitments that the partnership proposes to embed in policies, strategies and partnerships, adapting them to local contexts and regulatory frameworks.
Overall, the Charter recognises civic spaces as essential democratic infrastructures. Their value does not lie solely in the availability of infrastructure or the provision of services, but in their ability to foster trust, strengthen social and relational capital, and promote inclusive forms of shared governance.
The B.RIGHT SPACES Mapping: an interactive platform on the commons in Europe
The experience of Turin and the other cities involved in the B.RIGHT SPACES project outlines a clear picture of the richness and diversity of civic space across Europe. A plurality of experiences that the project has collected and enhanced through the B.RIGHT SPACES Mapping.
This is an online platform offering an interactive and accessible map of civic experiences in Italy, Spain, Portugal and Poland, presenting these spaces as a shared landscape of civic activation and fostering understanding, visibility and dialogue among European communities.
From B.Right Spaces: reflections on the future of civic spaces in Europe
One of the key insights emerging from the transnational exchange is that there is no single idea of democracy, but rather a plurality of democracies that translate into different policies and practices across territories, thus shaping a rich, articulated and plural European perspective. As also highlighted during the final experience in Warsaw, the group itself can be seen as a civic space: a heterogeneous context, characterised by differences in approaches, experiences and languages, yet united by a shared transformative purpose.
Overall, the Final Conference and the broader site visit in Poland marked the conclusion of two years of work, clearly demonstrating the strategic importance of the topic: speaking about civic spaces in Europe today means addressing a central issue for the protection of freedoms and rights. But it also means questioning how to protect and sustain these spaces over time, and how to ensure their recognition, at a time when democracy itself is under pressure.
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