Annual report 2021

2021 became a new year of crises. The civil society was on every front.

As these words are being written, Hungarians are heading to the polls for what is not likely to be a fair election. Chances there for change are unfortunately slim. Rather, if anything, prime minister Victor Orban might come out strengthened in a pattern repeating itself throughout Europe.

In Poland, the Law and Justice party, PiS, is on the verge of passing new draconian laws, implementing its version of Russia’s infamous foreign agent law. Autocratic populists will not let good crises go to waste. And 2021 has not been short of crises: wave after wave of Covid-19, a refugee crisis, an energy crisis and 2022 brings with it war in Ukraine and yet another refugee crisis. Every crisis is a golden opportunity for would-be autocrats.

When the 2014-2021 programme of the EEA Grants was designed, none could have reasonably predicted how bad the situation would become. Setting aside ten per cent of the grants for civil society appeared to some like an indulgence, but in hindsight it seems remarkably prescient. In 2021, civil society was on every front. Whether it be the pandemic, protesting democratic erosion, or providing vital aid to refugees—from the Polish-Belarussian border to the Romanian-Ukrainian one—civil society has rarely been as central.

As contact point for bilateral relations under the EEA Grants’ Active Citizens Fund, the NHC is well-situated to monitor the state of civil society in Central and Eastern Europe.

2021 was a turning point for the role, now with an entirely new staff: Jean-Christophe Delmas leads as Senior Adviser along with Lasse Thomassen, Communication Adviser. Set to end in 2021, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has seen fit to prolong NHC’s contract until 2024.

We will continue providing aid to Norwegian civil society, supporting fund operators and encouraging the creation of bilateral partnerships. The Active Citizens Fund now boasts 219 such partnerships against 135 a year ago.

In other good news, in 2021, it became possible anew to meet in person. As a result, long planned and long postponed activities have been resumed. The first physical event of the Reclaim Civil Society project was held in Slovakia, with Jean-Christophe Delmas as visiting expert. NHC, along with the Romanian ACF fund operator and Frivillighet Norge, was able to host the final, physical event of the 2021 edition of the Active Citizens Days. 45 civil society representatives from across Europe attended to discuss capacity building and share experiences.

In last year’s annual report, it was noted that 2020 was an unprecedented year for civil society. It can hardly be said that 2021 was any different in this regard. As far as 2022 is concerned, we should hope for a better year for civil society, but as the saying goes, prepare for the worst.