The conference is dedicated to the engagement of the religious communities with civil society in South Eastern Europe after 1989. Panels 1 and 2 intend to shed light on the practice of this relationship, through which we may understand where a “together“ and a “side by side“ of religious communities are possible, when civil society plays a role and what the reasons for limitations are. Building on these results, Panel 3 is dedicated to exploring the questions of which approach different religious communities have towards civil society and what explains some of these differences. The goal of Panel 4 is to reflect critically on the term “civil society“ in the context of religious communities in South Eastern Europe.