- The aim is for the Catalan social third sector to actively participate in European decision-making processes that affect social policies in Catalonia.
The Taula d’entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya (Third Social Sector Platform of Catalonia), with the support of the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the European Union, is organising three days of meetings in Brussels to identify shared challenges and priorities and to advocate for the Catalan social third sector to have a voice and actively participate in the field of European social policies. This initiative takes place in a worrying context marked by the reorganisation of the international ecosystem and the rise of hate speech and the far right, which influence decision-making at the EU level.
The initiative aims to present to Europe the unique model of the Catalan social third sector and to highlight how social organisations are key allies in the design and implementation of social policies. It also seeks to convey two fundamental priorities to the main European institutions: guaranteeing access to housing and quality employment, jointly combating hate speech, and finding more efficient ways to measure and manage the impact of social projects.
Through these meetings, the Platform seeks to convey three clear demands to Europe:
- To recognise and defend the social third sector as a key actor in civil dialogue.
- To place Catalan social priorities on the European agenda and vice versa.
- To achieve the active participation of the Catalan social third sector in European spaces and processes that directly influence social policies in Catalonia, such as the new European budget and the new European Action Plan on Social Rights.
During the visit, the Catalan delegation will hold institutional meetings with:
- The Delegate of the Government of Catalonia to the European Union, Ester Borràs.
- Three Members of the European Parliament: Idoia Mendia (Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament), Diana Riba (Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance) and Dolors Montserrat (Group of the European People's Party).
- The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), with Cillian Lohan, current President of the Civil Society Organisations Group – Group III. This is a key meeting to defend the regional perspective and the third sector's capacity to implement social policies at the territorial level.
- The European Commission (DG JUST), with Estelle Massé, Senior Policy Officer specialised in data, digitalisation and the protection of rights.
- The European Committee of the Regions, with Suzana Matvejević, from the Commission for Citizenship, Governance and Institutional and External Affairs, to discuss the Taula’s participation in European decision-making spaces.
- Catalan institutions based in Brussels: the Catalan Association of Municipalities and the Barcelona Provincial Council. These are key meetings to coordinate strategic alliances in relation to European advocacy in areas of shared interest.
- European social sector networks: DIESIS Network and the European Social Platform. These are key meetings to increase knowledge of what is happening in Europe and of the capacity and opportunities for influence, to identify new actors within the social landscape, and to propose European-scale social projects both from the Taula and its member federations.
These meetings take place in a political context that appears to be moving towards reducing the weight of regions and municipalities in their participation in decision-making on European social policies. “2026 is a crucial year to advocate for and implement European social policies,” says Xavier Trabado, President of the Taula d’entitats del Tercer Sector Social de Catalunya (Third Social Sector Platform of Catalonia). “Hate speech and the far right, present across Europe, have a direct impact on social policies. Re-establishing contact with the main European institutions is essential to strengthen the third sector as a social driving force in Catalonia and in Europe”.
The next steps will focus on: establishing regular participation spaces and calendars with institutions; preparing a new knowledge-transfer visit with a representation of Taula’s federations by mid-year; and keep working to ensure that the Catalan social third sector has a voice in civil dialogue in Europe.
