The new political realities in the Maghreb and Mashreq countries have required the EU to take a fresh look at the Union’s relationship with its Southern neighbors. In response, the recently reviewed European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) has put cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs) at the heart of the EU approach to the region. This paper edited by Isabelle Ioannides and Antonio Missiroli analyses what the EU responses have been to the transitions in the Southern Mediterranean, what EU policy and programming tools are available, what challenges and opportunities face democratic transitions (and what these are in the particular context of the MENA) and how local civil society actors from the region assess the developments in their countries.