The fuel crisis caused by the Iran conflict comes at a time when Ireland and Europe are already facing a host of profound challenges. The climate crisis, the war in Ukraine, affordable housing, rising inequality, and the potentially highly destabilising impact of AI on an already uncertain economic horizon.

As if this outlook wasn't troubling enough, there's a worrying growing sentiment among many citizens that decisions are being made far away from their everyday lives.

This matters enormously. Democracy cannot be sustained simply by institutions and politicians. It survives because people believe they still have a voice.

At this time, I find it helpful to ask ourselves a question: who speaks for those who are not in the room?

Who speaks for the young person doing everything right — and still unable to afford a home? Who speaks for the villages slowly disappearing from the map? Who speaks for families living in poverty in one of the richest regions of the world?

The answer is not complicated. Civil society does.

Community organisations, charities, and volunteer groups connect policymakers with lived realities. They see poverty before it appears in statistics. They see exclusion before it becomes policy debate. They see the real-world impact of decisions long before they are evaluated. Civil society is an early warning system.

Reality starts in communities — not in institutions

Reality starts in communities — not in institutions. This is why organised civil society is a core part of democratic life. Without it, democracy does not simply struggle — it stops working properly.

We are fortunate in Ireland that civil society is not abstract. It is local, visible, and deeply rooted in communities. It is the GAA club at the centre of a village. It is the volunteer who checks in on a neighbour. It is the community group keeping a rural town alive. It is that lived, grounded experience that we should never take for granted.

But we need to be honest with ourselves about the daily pressures and realities people are facing in Ireland, particularly when it comes to housing, the cost of living, and access to services including healthcare and transport.

Young people today are navigating soaring housing costs, economic uncertainty, and anxiety about existential issues like climate change and AI — often all at once. Many are asking whether independence, stability, or even optimism are still realistic goals.

This is not a generational problem. It is a political one. Irish and European democracy depends upon whether citizens believe they can still shape the future of their communities and societies.

So, how do we ensure policymaking is connected to the lived realities of people and communities?

First, we must truly place civil society at the heart of it, by moving beyond consultation — and towards co-creation. Too often, civil society is invited into the process too late. Too often, participation is formal, limited, and disconnected from real influence. This must change.

In Ireland, where many decisions are taken at the national level and power is not as devolved as in many other parts of Europe, this involvement of local communities is especially important. This contributes to better informed and more effective outcomes.

Secondly, we must protect and enable civic space. Across Europe and globally, civil society organisations are under pressure, and in many cases under attack. There are attempts to discredit them, to limit their ability to act, to silence them.

Ireland is not immune to these troubling trends. In 2024, Tasc, the Think-tank for Action on Social Change, found the civil society sector faces financial challenges, rising demand for services, and growing political and online hostility.

When civil society is squeezed, democracy becomes fragile, because local associations, charities representing marginalised voices, and volunteers giving up their time are the lifeblood and fabric of our societies. They not only provide essential services, but connect individuals to communities, build trust where it is fragile, and create solidarity where it is needed most.

Growth of extremism

Indeed, where civil society is not included, we sow the seeds for the growth of fringe and extremist voices who seek to take advantage of this vacuum. These voices use misinformation and implicit or overt racism because their claims are not fully grounded in reality and because they would rather scapegoat and divide than come up with solutions.

Civil society must therefore be supported with stable funding and be protected by the law. They must be partners, not guests.

The European Union's Civil Society Strategy, launched last November by Ireland's European Commissioner Michael McGrath, is the EU's very welcome attempt to address the challenges facing civil society and better support and empower it.

The European Economic and Social Committee, the EU body I am honoured to lead, is working closely with the European Commission to implement the strategy, drawing on our first-hand experience to support meaningful civil society participation and ensure efforts to protect civic space are credible.

Ireland's upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU from July 1, when the Irish Government assumes control and sets the political agenda for six months, is another opportunity to advance civic democracy at home and in Europe.

Ireland's presidency priorities

In the shaping of its presidency priorities, Ireland demonstrated participatory democracy in practice by launching a first-of-its-kind public consultation with citizens, civil society, and business. Policy areas shaped by local voices include competitiveness and the desire to cut burdensome regulations, continued action on the climate, and security — from cybersecurity to the protection of critical infrastructure.

This whole-of-society approach — where communities and voluntary and professional organisations do not just react but help set the direction — is exactly how the European Economic and Social Committee plays its role in Brussels, as mandated by the 1957 Treaty of Rome. 

Our members represent civil society organisations, workers and employers across all EU member states. They live and work in their home countries but come together to channel the views of civil society into the EU legislative process.

We'll be working actively and constructively with the Irish EU Council presidency and relevant ministers on a host of priorities, from the construction of affordable housing to simplification for small businesses and tackling poverty in the EU.

Crucially, we've also been tasked by the Irish Government to offer our expert and on-the-ground view on inclusive democratic participation and how best to promote civil society in communities. To put it more concretely, how do we reach people who feel disconnected and how do we rebuild trust from the local level up?

This work will draw on best practice from established models of deliberative democracy across Europe, from citizens' assemblies in Ireland, to civic forums and participatory panels across the continent.

The Irish EU Council presidency is therefore a vital moment to recognise and strengthen the link between community action and democratic decision-making and to champion the involvement of civil society — early in the process, continuously and structurally.

At a time of immense challenges and increasing division and polarisation, Ireland and Europe do not need fewer civic voices — we need stronger ones. Because people support and care about what they help create.

• Séamus Boland is president of the European Economic and Social Committee, the EU body for civil society. He is the keynote speaker at Summit 2026, The Wheel's national conference for charities, community groups, and social enterprises, on May 21