ECAS - European Citizen Action Service

What ECAS - European Citizen Action Service does

ECAS — European Citizen Action Service — is an international, Brussels-based non-profit organisation founded in 1991 with a pan-European membership of 80+ civil society organisations and a team of approximately 41 staff. Its mission is to empower EU citizens to exercise their rights and participate in EU democracy through three integrated activity lines: free legal advice (Your Europe Advice / YEA), structured democratic participation (European Citizens' Initiative Forum, ECAS Crowdsourcing Platform, ECAS Citizenship Innovation Awards), and civil society capacity building (Training Centre, Civil Society Accelerator). The flagship YEA service, operated under direct contract with the European Commission, coordinates approximately 60 legal experts across all 24 official EU languages and answered about 21,000 citizen enquiries in 2025 (20,863 requests, 14,643 eligible responses) on social security, residence, work, taxes and other EU-law rights, typically within 72 hours.

The underlying technology surface is modest: a self-serve YEA enquiry portal hosted on ec.europa.eu, the ECI Forum platform (europa.eu/citizens-initiative-forum), a dedicated crowdsourcing platform at crowdsourcing.ecas.org, the ECAS Networking Facility, and a WordPress-based corporate site with GDPR-compliant cookies and standard social plugins (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Bluesky). No proprietary AI, model, or data flywheel is disclosed. The product portfolio also encompasses training toolkits (Info Tool Kit Teleworking, Freedom of Movement training), a podcast series ("Europeans on the Vote"), the Human Stories video campaign, and policy publications (Digital Inclusion Guidelines, annual YEA Trends reports).

The business model is institutional grant-and-contract funding, not commercial revenue. All services to citizens and member organisations are provided free of charge, and membership has been free since 1 January 2018. ECAS is financed primarily through EU institutional sources: direct contracts with the European Commission for YEA and the ECI Forum, grants from the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme (EURECA Plus 2026), the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM) (Promise), and Horizon Europe research funding (SUPA, MORES, EU-CIEMBLY). Geographic delivery spans all 27 EU Member States plus EEA countries, with operational hubs in Brussels (Cantersteen 12, BeCentral) and Sofia (CEE branch established 2020).

Name

ECAS - European Citizen Action Service

Legal name

European Citizen Action Service (ECAS)

Website

https://ecas.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ECAS is a Brussels-based non-profit founded in 1991 that empowers EU citizens across all 27 Member States through free multilingual legal advice (Your Europe Advice), democratic participation platforms (ECI Forum, crowdsourcing), and civil society capacity building, funded primarily by European Commission contracts and EU programme grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. EU Programme Grants and Contracts: ECAS is funded primarily through EU-funded grants and service contracts. Key funders include the Citizenship, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) Programme of the European Union (funding EURECA Plus 2026 and related projects), and the European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM) (funding the Promise project). ECAS also operates under direct contract with the European Commission for the Your Europe Advice (YEA) service and the European Citizens' Initiative Forum. As a non-profit, any surplus is reinvested into mission activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ECAS is an international Brussels-based non-profit that empowers EU citizens to exercise their rights and supports democratic participation across Europe. It operates free multilingual legal advice (Your Europe Advice), online collaborative platforms for citizens' initiatives and crowdsourcing, and capacity-building training for civil society organisations and public authorities. The organisation is funded primarily through EU grants and direct contracts with the European Commission.

Product overview

ECAS operates as a non-profit organisation offering a portfolio of citizen empowerment services rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include: Your Europe Advice (YEA), a free legal advice service covering all EU languages and Member States; the European Citizens' Initiative Forum, a collaborative online platform for ECI organisers; and the ECAS Crowdsourcing Platform enabling citizen participation in policy-making. These are complemented by the ECAS Citizenship Innovation Awards (annual crowdsourcing competitions), Info Tool Kit Teleworking, the ECAS Podcast, and Human Stories video campaign. ECAS also manages multiple EU-funded projects including EURECA Plus 2026, Promise, IDEU (Inclusive Digitalisation), SUPA, MORES, and EU-CIEMBLY focused on European democracy and citizen rights. The Training Centre provides educational programs for civil society professionals, with the Civil Society Accelerator building organisational capacities. All offerings aim to empower citizens and promote EU citizenship rights and democratic participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECAS Citizenship Innovation Awards: Annual awards giving voice to citizens who wish to express their thoughts on EU citizenship rights
• Your Europe Advice (YEA)
• ECAS Crowdsourcing Platform

Products and services

• Your Europe Advice (YEA) An online EU advice service staffed by approximately 60 legal experts covering all 24 official EU languages and all 27 EU Member States. Experts respond to citizen enquiries within 72 hours, free of charge, on rights under EU law including social security, residence, work, taxes, and consumer rights. Operated under contract with the European Commission.
• European Citizens' Initiative Forum An online collaborative platform providing support to citizens organising European Citizens' Initiatives, offering advice, information, best practices, legal and campaigning guidance, and partner connections across EU countries. Operated by ECAS under contract with the European Commission.
• ECAS Crowdsourcing Platform An e-participation platform enabling citizens to contribute ideas and solutions on EU policy-making topics through structured crowdsourcing campaigns on EU citizenship rights, digital inclusion, and democratic participation.
• ECAS Citizenship Innovation Awards An annual crowdsourcing competition giving EU citizens a voice on EU rights issues, inviting participants to share ideas, vote on solutions, and propose recommendations on citizenship topics including digital inclusion, political participation, and cross-border telework.
• Info Tool Kit Teleworking A comprehensive information toolkit covering social security, tax, labour law, and immigration aspects of cross-border teleworking within the EU, available in multiple language translations.
• EURECA (European Citizenship Accelerator) Plus 2026 A multi-year project funded by the European Commission's CERV Programme developing capacities of ECAS and its network to promote EU citizenship rights, empower citizens through awareness campaigns, and counter disinformation across EU Member States including France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Slovakia, and Czechia.
• ECAS Training Centre A training centre providing programmes for civil society professionals, legal experts, and citizens on EU rights, freedom of movement, digital democracy, and civic participation.
• Civil Society Accelerator A programme providing capacity building and support for civil society organisations to develop activities in areas of countering disinformation and ensuring citizen-centric digital transformation.
• ECAS Membership Network A pan-European membership network of 80+ civil society organisations, public bodies, and individuals across Europe, providing free membership services including daily media updates, monthly legal updates on EU rights, newsletter, activity promotion, and General Assembly participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Your Europe Advice answers approximately 21,000 citizen enquiries per year in all 24 EU languages across all 27 Member States.
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

34 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Alliance4EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance4Europe is a partner in the Promise project, collaborating with ECAS to implement activities on freedom of movement rights, training, and awareness raising for EU mobile citizens and local authorities.
• Democratic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocratic Society is a partner in the Promise project and also a partner in the EUCROWD project, working with ECAS on deliberative democracy and civic participation initiatives across Europe.
• Democracy InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocracy International is a sub-contractor for the European Citizens' Initiative Forum, operated by ECAS on behalf of the European Commission, providing expertise in democratic participation and ECI support.
• ProMedia (Bulgaria)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProMedia (Bulgaria) is a sub-contractor for the European Citizens' Initiative Forum, operated by ECAS on behalf of the European Commission.
• University of Oslo (SUPA Project Lead)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Oslo leads the SUPA (Sustaining Public Administration in Modern Democracies) project consortium. ECAS supports the development of crowdsourcing methodology and platform, implements crowdsourcing to gather citizen experiences with public authorities, compiles best practices, and organises Brussels-based events targeting civil society organisations. Project runs March 2025–February 2028.
• Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Muenchen (SUPA Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLMU Munich is a partner in the SUPA project consortium alongside ECAS and the University of Oslo, working on strategies for enhancing public sector capabilities to cope with administrative overburdening.
• Södertörn University (SUPA Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSödertörn University (Sweden) is a partner in the SUPA project consortium, contributing to research on administrative reform and public sector challenges in European States.
• Universitat de Barcelona (SUPA Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversitat de Barcelona is a partner in the SUPA project consortium, examining patterns of rule growth and administrative changes in European States.
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (SUPA Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a partner in the SUPA project consortium, providing international comparative perspectives on administrative challenges.
• Universidade de Coimbra (EU-CIEMBLY Project Lead)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversidade de Coimbra (Portugal) leads the EU-CIEMBLY project, which addresses the need for new forms of citizens' participation and deliberation at EU level through an inclusive European Citizens' Assembly design. ECAS collaborates on identification and management of pilot Citizens' Assemblies and EU-level dissemination. Project runs January 2024–December 2027.
• Universidad Complutense de Madrid (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing to the analytical framework and prototype for an inclusive European Citizens' Assembly.
• University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing international expertise on deliberative democracy and Citizens' Assembly design.
• Institute for Methods Innovation (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute for Methods Innovation (Ireland) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, providing expertise on facilitation methods for Citizens' Assemblies and participatory processes.
• ASPON Consulting Ltd (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerASPON Consulting Ltd (Cyprus) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing to the development and implementation of pilot Citizens' Assemblies.
• Università degli Studi di Bergamo (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversità degli Studi di Bergamo (Italy) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing research and analysis on inclusive deliberative democratic mechanisms.
• The Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Research Trust of Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, providing international perspectives on Citizens' Assembly design and implementation.
• University of Waikato (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Waikato (New Zealand) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing expertise on democratic innovation and participatory governance.
• Make.org (EU-CIEMBLY Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMake.org (France) is a partner in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium, contributing expertise in civic technology and large-scale citizen participation platforms.
• ODRAZ (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerODRAZ (Croatia) is a partner in the IDEU project, leading citizen engagement activities on inclusive digitalisation in Croatia, one of six countries participating in the crowdsourcing campaign.
• ProInfo (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProInfo (Bulgaria) is a partner in the IDEU project, leading citizen engagement activities and national policy events on inclusive digitalisation in Bulgaria.
• Democracy International (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDemocracy International (Germany) is a partner in the IDEU project, contributing to citizen engagement, crowdsourcing methodology, and digital democracy expertise.
• Science For You – SciFY (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience For You – SciFY (Greece) is a partner in the IDEU project, contributing expertise in digital participation tools and citizen engagement methodologies.
• Romanian Center for European Policies – CRPE (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRomanian Center for European Policies (CRPE) is a partner in the IDEU project, leading citizen engagement and advocacy activities on inclusive digital transformation in Romania.
• Fundación Cibervoluntarios (IDEU Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFundación Cibervoluntarios (Spain) is a partner in the IDEU project, leading citizen engagement activities and digital inclusion efforts in Spain.
• Centre for Social Sciences (MORES Partner Lead)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre for Social Sciences (Hungary) leads the MORES (Moral Emotions in Politics) project consortium. ECAS's role includes crowdsourcing citizen opinions on the role of emotions in politics, conducting focus groups in Bulgaria, organising a Summer Academy, and developing policy recommendations on moral emotions and political identities. Project runs January 2024–December 2026.
• Adam Mickiewicz University (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdam Mickiewicz University (Poland) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing to research on moral emotions and political polarisation.
• Eötvös Loránd University (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEötvös Loránd University (Hungary) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing expertise on political emotions and democratic governance.
• European University Institute (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean University Institute (Italy) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing academic research on political identity and moral emotions.
• European University Viadrina (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean University Viadrina (Germany) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing to the study of moral emotions and their impact on democratic processes.
• Game in Society (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGame in Society (France) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing expertise on the role of emotions and games in political engagement.
• University of Lorraine (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Lorraine (France) is a partner in the MORES project, contributing research on political identities and moral emotions in democratic systems.
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem (MORES Partner)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) is a partner in the MORES project, providing international comparative perspectives on moral emotions in politics.
• Civil Society EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil Society Europe brings together European networks of civil society organisations committed to Equality, Solidarity, Inclusiveness and Democracy. ECAS contributes to drafting Civil Society Europe's strategic documents and commits time and organisational resources to achieve its objectives.
• European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Liaison GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECAS actively participates in the EESC Liaison Group, co-organises workshops in the framework of the annual Civil Society Days, contributes to EESC opinions, and co-organises the annual ECI Day alongside the European Committee of the Regions, The ECI Campaign, and Democracy International.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS): Leading Brussels-based think tank delivering policy research on EU affairs including citizenship, digital democracy, and the European Citizens' Initiative. Comparable as Brussels-based EU policy organisation but primarily research-focused rather than service-delivery focused.
• European Policy Centre (EPC): Brussels-based think tank producing policy analysis and recommendations on EU integration, citizen rights, and democratic governance. Comparable as a Brussels-based policy/advocacy organisation but oriented to research rather than direct citizen services.
• European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA): Maastricht-based EU training and capacity-building organisation providing courses to public officials and civil servants on EU law and policy. Comparable to ECAS's Training Centre function for public administrations, though focused more on civil servants than CSOs.
• CIVICUS - World Alliance for Citizen Participation: Global civil society alliance with European engagement focused on strengthening citizen action and civil society space. Comparable mission to ECAS on citizen empowerment and democratic participation, though operating at global rather than EU-specific scope.
• BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation: Brussels-based federation of national consumer organisations representing EU consumers' interests to EU institutions. Comparable as a pan-European membership non-profit providing advice and advocacy on EU rights, but focused on consumer rights rather than citizenship rights.

Emerging players

• Make.org: France-based civic tech non-profit operating large-scale citizen consultation and deliberation platforms across Europe. Comparable to ECAS's crowdsourcing platform for civic participation; both partners in the EU-CIEMBLY consortium.

Direct peers

• Democracy International: Germany-based non-profit advocating for participatory democracy and supporting European Citizens' Initiatives. Direct peer to ECAS in ECI support services and crowdsourcing methodology; both organisations partner on the ECI Forum contract with the European Commission.
• European Movement International: Pan-European pro-European non-profit headquartered in Brussels that mobilises citizens and civil society to support EU integration and democratic participation. Highly comparable to ECAS in mission (citizen empowerment, EU rights advocacy), membership-based structure, and Brussels-based operations.
• Alliance4Europe: Brussels-based non-profit working on EU democracy, citizen engagement, and freedom of movement. Direct peer to ECAS in EU citizen rights advocacy; collaborates with ECAS on the Promise project on freedom of movement training and awareness.
• European Citizen Initiative (ECI) Support Centre / ECIT Foundation: Brussels-based foundation dedicated to supporting European Citizens' Initiatives and citizen-led participation in EU policy. Directly comparable to ECAS in the ECI Forum mission and citizen engagement focus, though operating at smaller scale.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ECAS.EU
• Xx.com/ECAS_EU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecas-europe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCzXJ6eWb6e2k5tVjKBNI1Yg
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecas_eu

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles24 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ECAS - European Citizen Action Service