Civil Society in Slovakia and its Resilience
As part of the PROSECO project (Empowering Ecosystems of Civil Society Organisations), implemented in Slovakia by Malý Berlín, the publication Civil Society in Slovakia and its Resilience was produced in 2025. It offers an analysis of the state, operating environment, and resilience of civil society organisations in Slovakia.
The publication was edited by Filip Vagač of the Platform for Democracy. It is part of a broader initiative spanning four European countries — Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, and Slovenia — and is funded by the European Union.
The report focuses on the period from 2023 to 2025, during which an accelerated democratic decline, geopolitical reorientation, and deep political polarisation took place. It provides information on changes in civic freedoms and their exercise, on shifts in the degree of democratic character within civil society, and on the related restrictions.
The publication provides a detailed assessment of the regulatory framework for non-governmental organisations using the PROSECO expert panel methodology, which was applied uniformly across all participating countries. It also includes an analysis of legislative changes affecting civil society organisations — changes that are gradually restricting freedom of civic engagement through a slow accumulation of constraints — as well as an analysis of changes in the funding of civil organisations and shifts in the opportunities available to civil society.
The report also addresses trends in the delegitimisation of civil society organisations and the discursive pressures placed upon them. It further comprehensively maps the conditions under which non-governmental organisations in Slovakia operate.
A survey involving 105 non-governmental organisations provides empirical data on the changes these organisations perceive in their functioning, funding, and resilience.
The publication is intended for civil society organisations, experts, and the broader public who wish to understand the current challenges facing Slovakia’s democratic environment and are seeking ways to strengthen the resilience of an active civil society.