Following its annual General Assembly on 23 April 2026, the Association Civic Tech Europe (ACTE), in cooperation with Make.org, hosted an expert event dedicated to the future of civic tech in Europe. A key highlight was the publication of ACTE’s White Paper on the European Civic Tech Hub, presenting a practical vision for the European Commission’s forthcoming initiative. The event took place at the Impact House in Brussels.
ACTE, representing a broad coalition of European civic tech actors, released a strategic framework and implementation roadmap outlining how the European Civic Tech Hub could be laid out and deployed. It was presented by Evelien Nieuwenburg (ACTE President, Dembrane) and Hendrik Nahr (Head of European Affairs, Make.org). Building on the European Commission’s announcement within the European Democracy Shield Communication (November 2025), the white paper sets out a practical vision for how a future Civic Tech Hub could operate, who it should serve, and how it can strengthen democratic resilience across the EU.
You can read it here: White Paper on the European Civic Tech Hub
Designed as a contribution from the civic tech community to the ongoing institutional process, the document outlines a clear ambition: moving beyond experimentation toward sustained adoption, interoperability, and measurable impact. It proposes a Hub that acts as an operational backbone, supporting public administrations with implementation guidance, procurement templates, interoperability standards, and shared evaluation methods. Its purpose is to help European civic tech solutions scale, while ensuring they remain independent, trustworthy, user‑centric, and aligned with European democratic values.
“The White Paper is set to outline a vision on how such a hub could look like. To strengthen the civic tech sector and, ultimately, serve European democracy.” Hendrik NAHR, Head of European Affairs, Make.org.
This publication provided the backdrop for ACTE’s annual General Assembly and the expert event hosted in the Impact House, Make.org’s Europe headquarters. During the General Assembly, members approved ACTE’s 2026 priorities, renewed governance roles and appointed the management team. Evelien Nieuwenburg (Dembrane) was elected as ACTE president, alongside ACTE’s new Secretary General: Judit Lantai.
The expert event that followed brought together ACTE members, partners, institutional representatives, and key actors from the civic tech innovation and participation ecosystem. Silke Toenshoff (European Committee of the Regions) and Adriend Licha (ALDA) explored the latest developments in the civic tech sector.
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As Europe prepares for the next phase of the Democracy Shield implementation, this white paper and the discussions held reaffirm a shared conviction: strengthening civic tech is essential to strengthening democracy itself. Make.org is proud to spearhead this development as a founding member of ACTE, bringing together the most important civic tech actors in Europe.