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The Spring Alliance is a participatory movement to ensure that the European Union puts people and planet first.

It was created by three leading European civil society organisations:

the European Environmental Bureau,

the European Trade Union Confederation

Social Platform

and was later joined by Concord (European NGO confederation for Relief and Development).

But the Alliance is much broader than that - it's supported by a network of organisations from all corners of civil society and beyond, including development NGOs, Fair Trade movement, anti-poverty campaigners, consumer organisations and representatives from the research community.

Learn more about who we are, what we want, and how we work.

- In July 2009 Spring Alliance published, after an extensive internal debate, its Manifesto.

- In the second half of 2009 it concentrated on the emerging debate about what became the Europe 2020 Strategy.

- In the first half of 2010 it responded to the Europe 2020 Strategy as it came out, trying to move it closer to what it had expressed in its Manifesto .

- In the second half of 2010 it started with common activities in the framework of the EU Financial Perspective 2014-2020.

Get involved!

Do you represent an NGO working on environmental, social, sustainability or development issues? Do you work for a progressive business that wants to show support for social and sustainable EU policymaking? Or are you a researcher who would like to contribute your expertise to help the Spring Alliance achieve its goals?

Spring Alliance delegation

Spring Alliance Manifesto being handed to European Council President Van Rompuy: (R-L) John Hontelez, Mikael Karlsson (EEB), Mr. Van Rompuy, Karin Ulmer, Mike Matthias (CONCORD), Anne Panneels (ETUC), Conny Reuter, Roshan di Puppo (Social Platform).

The Spring Alliance gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the European Commission and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management.

Spring Alliance writes to President Barroso to ensure the EU budget delivers for Europe's future

"Public support for the EU budget depends on how it will deliver on the needs of citizens, such as for new green jobs, social cohesion and a healthy environment..." Read more here.

Spring Alliance calls for sustainable energy future

The Alliance has written to the European Council ahead of their extraordinary meeting on 4th February on energy policy. They are calling on Members to ensure energy efficiency and savings form an integral part of the discussions.

Read the letter.

Government responses to information request on preparations for National Reform Programmes

Between the 18th and 22nd of October 2010, the Spring Alliance sent letters to Prime Ministers and relevant Ministries asking them for information on how the national Governments were going to involve civil society organisations in the preparations for the National Reform Programmes (NRPs). These NRPs are to become a main part of the implementation of the Europe2020 Strategy. They are supposed to be based on the
Integrated Guidelines the European Council endorsed in June 2010.

The Commission asked the Member States to involve civil society, which is logical as governments want to undertake measures that affect civil society.

So far, we only received eight answers from:

Spring Alliance asks European Council for realistic and progressive Financial Perspective 2014+

We have written to EU leaders proposing that the next financial perspective is shaped by the following EU budget lines:

- Establish Inclusive Societies

- Preserve and Restore Ecosystems

- Promote Green and Quality Jobs

- Improve Democracy

- Assume Global Responsibility

Read the letter here.

Spring Alliance asks EU leaders ask for civil society engagement

The Spring Alliance has written to EU leaders asking them how they plan to involve European citizens in the preparation of National Reform Programmes - key instruments to implement EU guidelines. The Alliance is concerned that so far there has been little or no consultation on these plans at national level.

Read the letter here.

Spring Alliance calls for a sustainable financial investment

The Alliance calls on President Barroso to ensure that the financial perspectives headings promote inclusive societies, green and quality jobs, preservation and restoration of ecosystems, improvement of democracy and global responsibility

Read the letter here.

Spring Alliance delegation met with President Van Rompuy

Spring Alliance delegation met with President Van Rompuy:

On May 11, a delegation of the Spring Alliance met with President Van Rompuy to discuss the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The delegation emphasised the need for the European Council to decide on a new way of measuring progress, moving away from the dominant role of GDP growth. It referred to “Beyond GDP” initiatives of the Commission and the report of the so-called Stiglitz commission produced for the French Government last year. A further horizontal demand was for more systematic dialogue between European Council and Europe’s civil society organizations.

The four organisations then presented more specific points:

- ETUC focused on industry policies that combine reducing energy and resource use and creating more and better jobs, and on the need to have a tax on financial transactions also to mobilize the funds for public support for targeted research and development.
- Social Platform concentrated on the need for a poverty target and stronger emphasis on social inclusion.

- EEB emphasised that we have only ONE Earth, but Europeans behave as if we have several. That our consumption pattern is not sustainable. That we need to reduce our ecological footprint. One important horizontal tool is get the prices right. Remove environmentally problematic services, introduce environmental tax reform. Initiative an Open Method of Coordination to trigger this at the EU level.

- Concord added that Europe 2020 lacks a positive global dimension. Called for the agreements on “policy coherence for development” to be applied across the Europe 2020 strategy implementation. Suggested to pick up the idea of the European Ombudsman being ready to look into cases of non-coherence.

Spring Alliance calls on European Council to put people and planet first in EU 2020 Strategy

The Spring Alliance has written to EU Heads of State and Government ahead of their European Council meeting which will go towards deciding the outcome of the Europe 2020 Strategy.

The Alliance called on key messages to be included in the Europe 2020 Strategy based on the Spring Alliance Manifesto .

Read the letter and our press release

Consultation on the EU 2020 agenda (deadline for comments: January 15)

Spring Alliance supporters - time to take action.

As many of you might already be aware, the European Commission has presented a working document on the Future of the EU2020 Strategy (Lisbon) and invited stakeholders to share their vision on the document.

In response to this consultation, the steering committee of the Spring Alliance has sent the Spring Alliance Manifesto .

We call upon Spring Alliance supporters to provide their input on the consultation while welcoming any reference you can make from your respective working area to the Spring Alliance Manifesto and send a copy to us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Spring Alliance High Level Conference "Putting People and Planet first: EU leadership for asocial and green strategy post 2010

On 28 September 2009 civil society representatives came together at the European Economic and Social Committee at a High Level Conference with participation of José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, the European Commissioner for the Environment Stavros Dimas and Ola Alterå, State Secretary to Maud Olofsson, Minister for Enterprise and Energy of Sweden.

Read the press release and more information on this event

Spring Alliance Manifesto now adopted: register your support and sign up!

Following a full civil society stakeholder consultation process the Spring Alliance manifesto has been adopted by the steering committee. Read the full text of the Manifesto and sign up to the manifesto.

President Barroso receives Spring Alliance delegation and welcomes the Manifesto

On 22 July 2009 a delegation of the Spring Alliance excecutive had the opportunity to meet the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso and presented him the Manifesto. President Barroso appreciated the initiative and expressed interest in following the work of the Spring Alliance and announced that he would be pleased to take part in the Spring Alliance High Level conference that took place on 28 September 2009.

President Barroso receives the Spring Alliance Manifesto from John Hontelez, EEB Secretary General.

John Hontelez also presented the Spring Alliance Manifesto to the Informal EU Environmental Ministers Council that took place on 24 July 2009 in Sweden. A copy of this presentation can be consulted here.