The Impact of the European Union Regulations on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)

This paper investigates the impact of the European Union (EU) regulatory framework on Civil Society Organisations (CSOs). To better grasp the impact of the EU, this paper will use the concept of Europeanisation, which will be broadened to include the transformations of the relations between state and society. To this purpose, Europeanisation theoretical propositions and analytical tools will be combined with those currently being used within the framework of interest groups, social movements and voluntary sector studies. The EU interference in organisational life is the result of privileges granted to organisations, namely financial resources and access opportunities. It will show that supranational institutions, especially the European Commission, have played a very active role in a first stage of the Europeanisation process, pushing CSOs to use European financial resources and access opportunities. EU financial opportunities include many constraints and obligations that have important effects on CSOs. The European Commission has promoted significant transformations of the organisational structure and goals of domestic civic organisations promoting the professionalisation of CSOs through the diffusion of New Public Management techniques (Sanchez Salgado 2010) and promoting a European dimension (Sanchez Salgado 2007). This article shows that even if European pressures are homogenous, the diversity of CSOs results in distinct organisational behaviour and development patterns. Empirical information comes from Humanitarian, Development, and Human Rights NGOs in three different member states: the United Kingdom, France and Spain. The data is derived from a multiplicity of sources: documentary analysis, web analysis and semi-structured interviews.