(1 July, 2025) From 23 to 27 June, EPSU’s Organising and Campaigns Officer, Artem Tidva, took part in the one-week Academy for Social Democracy organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Regional Office “Dialogue Eastern Europe”. The event, titled “All Eyes on the Council of Europe!”, was hosted at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and focused on the growing threats to civic space in the Eastern Partnership region - particularly Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
The discussions centered on the growing pressure from so-called "foreign agent" laws, which threaten to stigmatise and restrict the activities of independent civil society actors, including trade unions. Sessions were conducted with experts from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Court of Human Rights, and The INGO (international non-governmental organisations) Conference of the Council of Europe.
During these sessions it became clear that trade unions are not only workers’ organisations but also part of the broader civil society that must be protected and empowered through European mechanisms. Such mechanisms exist – the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) guarantees the right to peaceful protest, union formation, and participation (Article 11); right for strike action or demonstrations (Article 10); and the right to have an effective remedy (Article 13). The European Social Charter (ESC) guarantees not only right to work, but also protects from discrimination in employment based on trade union membership or activity (Article 1), gives workers right to organise (Article 5) and act collectively, reach the higher standards of life via collective bargaining or to go on strike (Article 6).
Bodies such as PACE and the Conference of INGOs (where trade unions can and should be active participants) offer important mechanisms for advocacy, legal protection, and international solidarity. In developing democracies, the Council of Europe plays a vital role by offering guidance on the ratification and implementation of its conventions, while civil society - including trade unions - plays a key part in shadow reporting and monitoring to ensure these standards are effectively applied. These platforms must be used to the fullest to resist repressive legislation and affirm our role not only as workplace advocates, but as defenders of democracy, social justice, and fundamental rights across the region.
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