Sophie HĆ¼glin
EAA Commissioner to the Conference of INGOs (CINGO) to the Council of Europe (CoE)
From 7-9 April 2025, the Conference of INGOs (CINGO) held its hybrid Spring Session in Strasbourg. The EAA has a participatory status at CINGO and has in the past been involved in drafting CoE Conventions relevant to archaeology, such as the Malta or the Landscape Conventions. In addition, the EAA has long contributed as an observer and expert body to the meetings and deliberations of the CoE āSteering Committee for Culture, Heritage and Landscapeā (CDCPP).
CINGOsā current focus points are with the three following topics:
- Russiaās war on Ukraine,
- increasing intimidation of Civil Society Organizations (CSO) in several CoE Member States, including especially Georgia,
- recent threats to democracy in Turkey around the detention of Ekrem Ä°mamoÄlu, the Mayor of Istanbul, and other members of the opposition.
In all three cases CINGO is in direct contact with local NGOs, giving them a platform and involving them when drafting recommendations for the relevant entities in the CoE. The recommendations can be consulted on CINGOsā webpage under texts adopted 2025.
As the meeting took place directly after āPanicā or āOrangeā Monday (the stock market crash on 7 April, 2025 following US president Trump announcing āreciprocalā tariffs on about 150 countries), spirits were low. However, news regarding the activities organized around CINGOs youth strategy over the past half year lifted participantsā morale. There was much applause for CINGO youth delegate Ece Ciftci and the five CINGO members involved in organizing a series of events which began in August 2024 under the hashtag #ByYouthForYouth for a total of 120 young participants.
The other āyouthā highlights included preparations for the UN International Volunteer Year 2026 for which a new Committee was formed and accepted consisting of eight INGOs under co-chairs Rita Marques from the Centre for European Volunteering (CEV) and Furkan Sorkuncuk from Volonteurope. Both organizations are based in Brussels. It was refreshing to hear two highly motivated CEV women speaking to the meeting from Brussels and to see the motto āDonāt panic, organizeā in the background of their screens.
With the aim of strengthening relations and coordinating activities between civil society groups in with the CoE in Strasbourg and the EU in Brussels, the CINGO president Gerhard Ermischer had invited Waltraud Heller, an employee of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), and Christian Moos, elected representative from the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). In her address, Waltraud Heller recommended the European Civic Forumās (ECF) website, the alerts on Civic Space Watch and the training and coaching opportunities offered to CSOs by the EU watchdog organization Liberties. Currently, one of her main concerns is to secure EU funding for CSOs in the multiannual budget consultations as this has begun to be a target for far-right parties in the EU. CINGO president Gerhard Ermischer plans a large online meeting with representatives of EU entities engaging with civil society organization (possibly as part of the CINGOs Autumn Session) which will take place within a hybrid format from 13-15 October 2025 in Strasbourg. See Figures 43 and 44.
Currently, the EAA is represented at CINGO by Sophie Hueglin and Nathan Schlanger. If EAA members or EAA communities would like to know more about CINGO or would like to get involved in one of CINGOsā Committees or activities, they are very welcome to contact us through the EAA Secretariat helpdesk@e-a-a.org.
Figure 43. Gerhard Ermischer (centre) and GeneviĆØve Laloy (right), the President and the Vice-President of the Conference of INGOs at the Council of Europe, as they moderate the hybrid Spring Session 2025 in Strasbourg (screenshot SH).
Figure 44. Representatives of International NGOs attending the CINGO Spring Session 2025 in Strasbourg (screenshot SH).
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