Summary

Together with 20 organisations working on sexual and reproductive health and rights in fourteen national contexts across Europe and at EU level, the Center for Reproductive Rights made recommendations to the European Commission ahead of the launch of the first EU Civil Society Strategy. The submission highlights the specific challenges and threats faced by human rights defenders and civil society organisations working to advance gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights across the EU. The signatories call on the European Commission to ensure the new Civil Society Strategy responds to these challenges and needs. The submission provides 6 recommendations to ensure EU efforts to support, protect and foster an enabling environment for civil society across the EU are gender-sensitive.