The Europeanization of domestic CSOs in times of crisis.

The current economic crisis has significantly altered the structural conditions in which domestic Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operate in Europe. In a context of severe budget cuts, the funding opportunities for CSOs have been considerably reduced in many member states while consultation processes and transnational cooperation are not on top of the agenda any more. As may be expected, the economic crisis may also have significantly affected the relationships between European institutions and domestic CSOs.

This paper analyses to which extent EU governance arrangements are still able to generate identifiable changes in CSOs in times of crisis.  Previous research on the Europeanization of CSOs has shown that the European Union has significantly contributed to the shaping of domestic CSO. The European Commission has fostered significant transformations of the organizational structure and goals of domestic civic organizations through the transfer of management techniques. It has also contributed to give a “European dimension” to domestic CSOs (Sanchez Salgado 2007).

This paper will first explore how the use of European opportunities has been altered by the economic crisis. The economic crisis may have created a new situation in which the Europeanization of domestic CSOs is more likely. In the absence of sufficient domestic funding and consultation opportunities, domestic CSOs may have strategically decided to seize European opportunities. However, the Europeanization of domestic CSOs may also be less likely in the new circumstances. In a context of crisis many domestic CSOs may lack the organizational capacity required to apply for EU funds or to participate in EU consultation procedures.

Secondly, this paper will analyze the evolution of some of the transformation processes that have been encouraged by the European Commission for the last 30 years, such as the professionalization of CSOs, the involvement of CSOs in European political publicity and identity-building, and transnational cooperation. Domestic CSOs may have become more euro-skeptic during the crisis; and thus, they may be less receptive to European prescriptions and requirements. 

The way in which the economic crisis has affected the Europeanization of domestic CSOs may significantly differ depending on the member state and on specific fields. The analysis will focus on domestic CSOs based on very dissimilar European member states: France, United Kingdom and Spain. The state-society relationships differ considerably in those countries. They have also been affected by the economic crisis in very different ways.