European civil society bodies have welcomed the new EU Reform Treaty as an “important step in bringing the EU closer to civil society and citizens”.

The Treaty recognises the position of civil society, commits to the eradication of poverty, and calls for a policy of non-discrimination as a basic EU tenet. A coalition of civil society bodies, including NCVO, EUCLID, CSV and Volonteurope, is calling for the Treaty to be ratified, but believes it does not go far enough. The coalition is campaigning for an EU-wide Compact style agreement (though adherence to the UK Compact itself is far from perfect).

Tamara Flanagan, director of European and statutory funding at CSV, said: 'This Treaty promotes conversations between community organisations and Europe as well as politicians and employers, giving citizens and communities a voice in Europe for the first time. We hope that the Government will use this opportunity to involve civil society and citizens more in deliberations about EU policy.”