Intermediary bodies: the forgotten ones

Essential to democratic life, civil society organisations act as intermediaries between the state and citizens. However, weakened by a crisis of representativeness and widespread mistrust, they are struggling to fulfil their role as mediators. Their future depends on their ability to reform in order to regain solid social legitimacy.

Civil society organisations that are essential to democracy…

Civil societies organizations play an essential role in French democratic life because they serve as a vital link with civil society. Trade unions, associations, political parties, chambers of commerce, commercial courts, labour tribunals, and professional federations act as intermediaries between the State and citizens. They ensure the representation of economic and social interests alongside the traditional political representation based on universal suffrage.
By structuring social demands and expectations, they bridge the gap between the people and political power. They give organized expression to social diversity and represent collective interests that the State alone cannot always fully grasp: trade unions defend the interests of workers, associations advocate for specific causes, and professional organizations structure economic sectors. They connect those who govern with those who are governed by conveying concrete social concerns. They help prevent the fragmentation of society and promote social dialogue. They strengthen democracy by ensuring that public decision-making remains connected to social realities. They also contribute to balancing power by preventing its excessive concentration in the hands of the State.

…Particularly against a backdrop of successive crises, stark inequalities and widespread mistrust

Public distrust of politics is particularly pronounced in France. The trust indicators published in the 2026 CEVIPOF Barometer reveal a significant decline in confidence in politics in general, as well as in political parties, Parliament, the media, and trade unions. This widespread distrust has direct and far-reaching consequences for electoral participation: abstention has become a massive and lasting phenomenon, with more than half of French citizens not voting in parliamentary and European elections. Added to this are persistent territorial inequalities and a growing sense of abandonment in the most vulnerable regions.

But they are facing a crisis of legitimacy linked to a problem of representativeness

Historically weakened since the French Revolution, civil societies organizations now suffer from a lack of public and political recognition and from increasingly contested legitimacy, largely because their representativeness is often perceived as fragile. Many citizens feel that these organizations no longer truly speak on their behalf.
Some are affected by low participation rates, aging memberships, or a growing disconnect from the realities experienced by ordinary people. Others are criticized for defending particular interests rather than the common good. This crisis is serious because an intermediate body that represents only a small active minority loses its mediating function and risks becoming little more than a pressure group. Public distrust therefore stems less from their existence than from doubts about their ability to represent society faithfully.

Moreover, in recent years, the executive power itself has tended to weaken civil societies organizations through initiatives such as the Citizens’ Convention on Climate and the launch of the Great National Debate during the Yellow Vest crisis. Similarly, social dialogue has been tightly controlled, and trade unions have often felt that they were consulted rather than genuinely listened to.

A Weakening That Leads to New Forms of Mobilization and Protest

The weakening of civil societies organizations and growing distrust toward them have encouraged new ways of protesting and advocating for causes, particularly through social media.
As a result, spontaneous strikes sometimes emerge within companies around specific demands without being organized by trade unions. Roadblocks, occupations of warehouses, factories, and roundabouts have also become common ways of drawing rapid attention to grievances, as illustrated by the Yellow Vest movement.
Informal groups now form on social media around specific causes, often without hierarchy or long-term membership. Online petitions and calls to boycott products, companies, or even countries have also become widespread. Social media increasingly enables citizens to bypass traditional intermediary organizations altogether.
While these forms of mobilization can generate rapid and sometimes massive participation, they often struggle to endure over time, negotiate effectively with governments or employers, and transform conflict into lasting compromise. For part of the population, social media influencers are becoming new political intermediaries, replacing traditional institutions—with all the implications this may have for the quality and reliability of public information.

The Real Challenge Is Not Their Existence, but Their Reform

How can civil societies organizations become more legitimate, more representative, and more effective?

First, solutions must be found to strengthen their representativeness. One approach is to make their internal governance more open through more transparent elections, leadership renewal, and regular consultation of members and supporters.
A second approach is to broaden their social base by facilitating membership, simplifying forms of engagement, and better integrating younger generations, who are often distant from traditional organizations.
A third solution is to involve citizens more directly in deliberative processes through consultations, citizens’ conventions, or mixed assemblies, so that civil societies organizations no longer appear as closed institutions.
Finally, the State itself must recognize their role without automatically granting them representational authority. Their legitimacy should be assessed according to their actual audience, social roots, and ability to build consensus and compromise.

Civil societies organizations are neither an obstacle to democracy nor a magical solution to its challenges. They remain indispensable, but only if they regain strong social legitimacy.
Their future depends on meeting a dual requirement: becoming closer to citizens while being more open in their internal functioning. Only under these conditions can they once again serve as genuine mediators and help strengthen democratic bonds and social cohesion within French society.