On 26 February, the ECAS Branch for Central and Eastern Europe organised the third and final Masterclass for civil society organisations involved in the “Rights and Values” (ProEUValuesBG) project, entitled “Influencing the ‘shifting’ environment and protection from negative campaigns.”

The topic was chosen based on feedback from the project participants regarding the challenges they face in their work on promoting European rights and values.

During the session, participants engaged in various practical exercises, including role-playing and group discussions, addressing real communication challenges and considering the profiles of different audiences in Bulgaria. The participants shared their observations, developed communication messages, and jointly explored strategies for creating a response protocol in the event of targeted negative campaigns. A representative from the Hungarian civil sector also joined the discussion virtually, sharing good practices and current challenges faced by civil society.

The lessons learned from the Hungarian experience and their adaptation to the specific challenges in Bulgaria were among the main takeaways from the discussion. For example, the need to strengthen collaboration between civil society organisations working in various areas and the timely creation of unified messages emerged as a priority. Another important focus of the discussion, recognised as key to strengthening the resilience of civil society, was the need to prepare a response plan in advance in case of negative campaigns. The formulation of clear, emotionally resonant key messages based on core values was highlighted as essential for increasing the support for civil society organisations, both in peaceful times and during a crisis.