Supporting Civil Society with Raquel Hermida-van der Walle

European Liberal Forum · Feb 19, 2026 · 26m

Civil society is the backbone of democracy: citizens organizing to defend freedoms, strengthen their communities, and hold power accountable. Yet across Europe and beyond, this space is increasingly under pressure. What begins as calls for “transparency” can quickly turn into efforts to discredit and defund independent organizations. At a time of geopolitical instability and democratic backsliding, supporting civil society is not optional, it is structural to the future of European democracy. In this episode, Raquel García-Hermida van der Walle, Member of the European Parliament for D66…