What's New

News and updates from BCSDN and the region

CfA: Regional Youth Partnerships Network Members (Deadline: 29 February)

Target group: Young professionals (ages 19-32) Countries: BiH, Kosovo, and Serbia. Short Description: The program aims to develop the next generation of leaders through activities like network meetings, collaborative projects, research initiatives, and conferences. It fosters connections among individuals working in politics, media, arts, academia, entrepreneurship, and sports. Duration: 15 months Link to more information

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CfA: Training Programme for Young Civil Servants of the Western Balkans (Deadline: 1 March)

Target group: Young civil servants from the WB6, specifically those representing ministries involved in foreign and EU affairs or regional cooperation. Countries: Western Balkans Short Description: The program aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of EU affairs, focusing on the enlargement process, soft skills, and negotiation techniques. The program features interactive lectures, workshops, a simulation game,

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CASE Coalition European SLAPP Contest 2024 (Deadline: 8 February)

Wealthy and powerful individuals, particularly politicians and businesspeople, employ various tactics to threaten and sue public watchdogs exposing crime and corruption. Despite facing mental and financial challenges, journalists, activists, and academics persevere to safeguard democracy. The lack of consequences for SLAPP litigants, who often make baseless accusations, fosters a culture of impunity. The CASE coalition

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EU Elections Manifesto for Better Civic Space and Civil Dialogues

Civil Society for EU Manifesto calls on future EU leaders to recognize, support, and fully engage with civil society, emphasizing its pivotal role in promoting rights, amplifying underrepresented voices, and aiding governments in addressing people’s needs. Ahead of the 2024 EU elections, the campaign urges endorsement of a manifesto for improved civic space and civil

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European Civic Forum Analysis on the Defence of Democracy Package

The European Commission’s proposed directive, part of the Defence of Democracy package, aims to establish common transparency standards for interest representation activities conducted on behalf of third countries within the internal market. The directive seeks to address concerns about “covert foreign interference” but faces criticism by CSOs. The European Civic Forum argue that the directive

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BiH: Discrimination and Human Rights Violations Noted by Human Rights Watch

The 34th annual Human Rights Watch World Report for 2023 highlights a global decline in human rights, citing governments engaging in selective violent actions and transactional diplomacy. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, challenges include discriminatory electoral systems, restrictions on the LGBTQ+ community, inadequate protection for victims of gender-based violence, slow progress on war crime accountability, and

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ECNL Document on Changes to Recommendation 8 and FATF Best Practices Translated into Albanian

The document discusses changes to Recommendation 8 and the best Practices Paper of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) during 2023. It emphasizes that countries should periodically identify organizations within the non-profit sector involved in the functional definition of FATF and assess the terrorism financing risks present in the sector. Countries are advised to implement

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Croatia: Journalists’ Association Opposes a Law that Threatens Press Freedom

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) has urged parliamentarians to reject a proposed law criminalizing the “Unauthorised disclosure of the contents of an investigative or evidentiary act,” expressing concerns about its impact on journalism and the public interest. The HND argues that even with a provision exempting journalists if they obtain prohibited information, the law could

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