Voĉo: a voice for the defense of civil society

Luxembourg, April 24, 2025

The voices of various organizationscivil society organizations (CSOs) join forces and become official within Voĉo. 28 organizations grouping together environmental, social and human rights causes and international solidarity organizations are now speaking with a common voice to make their voices heard by political and economic decision-makers, the media and society as a whole.

On October 7, 2024, 33 civil society organizations in Luxembourg published an appeal reminding us of the importance of civic engagement in defending democracy (freedom of expression and association) and facing up to the challenges facing our society, such as the ecological crisis, the crisis of welcoming migrants or the fight against poverty. Underlining their solidarity with Caritas beneficiaries and employees, these organizations from all parts of Luxembourg society unanimously demanded more respect, more discernment, more support, more listening and more involvement from the government. And they insisted on the need to guarantee and protect an open and vibrant civic space in Luxembourg.

Following this appeal, the signatories created a coordination platform to maintain the unity and legitimacy of civil society in Luxembourg in the face of ongoing threats to civic space. The organizations share common questions and challenges, such as the aftermath of the reform of the ASBL lawThese include potential changes to laws concerning the right to demonstrate, or public interventions by ministers and politicians questioning the legitimacy and work of civil society organizations.
This platform is called Voĉo [feminine singular noun], which comes from Esperanto and means "voices". Voĉo refers to thebroad alliance of Luxembourg civil society united within the platform as the polyphonic voice of civil society. The name "Voĉo is inspired by the very origins of theesperantoa language made up of several languages, and thus metaphorically expresses being one voice made up of several voices.

Voĉo is involved in the political advocacy and citizen activism and societal advocacy work. It is not the voice of government service providers. It is dedicated to defending the voices of civil society, in all its nuances. Voĉo's mission is touniting Luxembourg's broad civil societyto enable it to coordinate and act as a driving force on issues of common interest, and in particular to defend and strengthen the civic space in Europe.
Luxembourg. In addition to structuring the coalition, Voĉo has addressed the government on several occasions.

Visit January 10a delegation from Voĉo took part in a interview with the prime ministerat the latter's invitation. Voĉo welcomed this constructive meeting and looked forward to concrete and positive results from this first exchange, stressing that a constructive dialogue is essential to guarantee fundamental values of justice, sobriety, solidarity and social inclusion.

Visit march 2025Voĉo members submitted their opinions on a draft respectively avant-bill with a direct impact on their working conditions and fundamental rights. The "Reinforced Platzverweis" bill is designed to keep beggars and the homeless away from town centers and villages. It contravenes the principles of foreseeability and proportionality, which are cornerstones of the law. European Convention on Human RightsBy giving exorbitant powers to the police, and especially to the burgomaster, and ruling out any possibility of appeal, it encourages arbitrary treatment of the poorest. La Voĉo considers this project to be liberticidal.
The draft bill on open-air gatherings in places accessible to the public, as it stands, poses a real threat to the freedom of assembly and expressionby introducing disproportionate restrictions and giving local authorities excessive powers. If adopted as they stand, these measures would set a worrying precedent by restricting democratic space and discouraging the collective expression of citizens' demands. In a democratic society, however, dissent and dissenting mobilization should not be seen as a threat to be neutralized, but as an opportunity to an essential component of public debate and political pluralism.

In addition to addressing political decision-makers through opinions and regular interviews, the Voĉo encourages its members to work collectively and empower themselves in particular on the question of the law governing non-profit associations, which increasingly seems to be proving a hindrance to associative life. Over the next few months, a number of discussions are planned with a view to establishing a common position. The initiative also remains open to any civil society organization that shares its principles of action and wishes to contribute to raising the voice of the defense of civil society and a living democracy.

The Voĉo continues to follow closely the investigations into the Caritas case by the courts, the Chamber of Deputies and the media. Beyond Caritas' internal shortcomings, these investigations reveal systemic flaws - notably at bank level - that contributed to the demise of this central player in Luxembourg's social model. These flaws, and the possibility that the government will seek to remedy them by imposing an administrative overload on CSOs, threaten civil society's opportunities for engagement and risk contributing to the shrinking of civic space. The Voĉo remains dedicated to ensuring that these concerns of CSOs are heard by policy-makers, and will seek to maintain constructive dialogue around the the foundations of democracy in Luxembourg which has been underway with them since the beginning of the year.