The European Commission’s 2025 Rule of Law Report acknowledges civil society as essential for EU integration but highlights persistent challenges across the Western Balkans. CSOs continue to face threats to operational space, legal uncertainty, and limited access to public funding. In Serbia, surveillance concerns are raised over the use of spyware targeting civil society. In Albania, burdensome registration rules and weak financial frameworks persist, while Montenegro maintains a more enabling environment, yet lacks meaningful inclusion in decision-making. In North Macedonia, hate speech and intimidation remain issues despite some institutional efforts to engage CSOs. The findings reinforce BCSDN’s long-standing concerns about the shrinking civic space and the lack of clear benchmarks for reforms. The Rule of Law reports, published annually since 2020, monitor key institutional safeguards across all EU member states and selected accession countries. Read more here.
Source: BCSDN