Malta gets a special mention for its successful engagement with people with disabilities in a report illustrating that civil society is under threat in several parts of the European Union.

The report, published by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, labels the government’s approach to adopting regulations that affect people with disabilities as “good practice” when it comes to engaging in consultation with civil society.

It says that the Maltese government promotes daily meetings with people with disabilities, stakeholders and civil society organisations, and the Parliamentary Secretariat holds weekly meetings with the National Commission for the Rights of Persons with a Disability.

The Maltese Parliament passed legislation making the inclusion of at least one person with disabilities on governmental boards mandatory, the report adds.

But the FRA report, ‘Challenges facing civil society organisations working on human rights in the EU’, actually finds that in many parts of Europe, civil society is under threat.

Given the vital role civil society plays in upholding democratic processes and promoting human rights, decision makers need to ensure that civil society’s work is not undermined through policy and legal changes and funding cuts, according to FRA.  “A thriving democracy needs a healthy civil society. Unfortunately, the EU’s own civil society is facing a pattern of threats and pressures in many parts of the EU.

“Addressing this unacceptable situation should be a high priority for policy makers at EU and national levels,” said the agency’s director, Michael O’Flaherty.

The report explores how challenges – including attacks against activists, as well as smear campaigns - vary across the EU. It shines a light on legal changes that negatively affect civil society, such as freedom of assembly restrictions, often a by-product of counter-terrorism laws.

Malta is given a mention with regard to the freedom of peaceful assembly. International human rights law protects the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, and this right also covers individual pickets or sit-ins.

In Malta, the courts ordered the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General to pay €2,000 in compensation to a man whom the police arrested following his one-man protest outside the Prime Minister’s office in 2014, the report says.

To address the challenges, the report suggests that EU member states should abide by international standards that recommend civil society participation in policy cycles.

New or redrafted laws and policies should not undermine the work of civil society, while the latter’s funding must be protected.

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