Shrinking Civic Space in Consolidated Democracies: Assessing the European Union’s Response and the Italian Case

Shrinking civic space, understood as the progressive restriction of the legal, political, and social environment that enables civil society actors to operate freely, has emerged as a growing challenge to democratic governance. By limiting freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, and expression, these restrictions weaken the ability of civil society actors to promote human rights, ensure accountability, participate in public life, and contribute to democratic governance. This thesis examines how the European Union responds to shrinking civic space within its Member States, using Italy as a case study. Through a qualitative analysis of academic literature, EU institutional documents, legal sources, and civil society reports, it explores how subtle and cumulative restrictions on civic space can emerge within formally democratic systems. The thesis argues that a protection gap exists between the EU’s commitment to democracy and fundamental rights and its practical capacity to safeguard civic space. This gap reflects institutional and political constraints that limit the effectiveness of existing EU tools, with important implications for the Union’s democratic resilience and normative credibility.