What's New

News and updates from BCSDN and the region

CfP: EFB Response Hub – Social Urgency Grants in the WB (Deadline: 3 September)

Target Group: CSOs, informal groups, initiatives, media, and activists operating in the Western Balkans. Aim: To provide rapid and flexible funding for civic responses during moments of social, political, or environmental urgency, enabling timely interventions that can influence public discourse, protect rights, or respond to emerging crises. Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North

Read more →

CfA: Western Balkans Fund (WBF) – Peer-to-Peer Programme (Deadline: 4 May)

Short Description: The Western Balkans Fund (WBF) invites civil society organisations to apply for a peer-to-peer capacity-building programme combining study visits to EU organisations, residential training, mentoring, and local knowledge-sharing activities to strengthen organisational resilience and cooperation. Target Group: CSOs based in the Western Balkans, each nominating two experienced representatives. Countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Read more →

CfA: OECD Call for Input – Review of the Development Assistance Committee (Deadline: 15 May)

Short Description: The OECD invites stakeholders to contribute to a public consultation as part of the review of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), examining its role, tools, and partnerships in response to evolving global development challenges. Target Group: Governments, CSOs, researchers, and other stakeholders engaged in development cooperation. Countries: Global (open internationally). Location: Online (public

Read more →

CfA: The Visegrad Fellowship (Deadline: 15 May)

Short description: The Think Visegrad Fellowship offers short-term research opportunities for experts from outside the Visegrad region to engage with leading think tanks in Central Europe. Fellows develop a policy paper and deliver a public presentation on a topic aligned with the host institute’s work. Target Group: Expert fellows from non-Visegrad countries (i.e. outside Czech

Read more →

BCSDN Joins 500+ Organisations Calling for Increased Funding for AgoraEU Programme

BCSDN joined over 500 organisations from across Europe’s cultural, media, and civil society sectors in calling for a substantial increase in funding for the AgoraEU programme within the EU’s next long-term budget (2028–2034). Supporting the European Parliament’s position, the coalition highlights that the current allocation—around 0.43% of the EU budget—is insufficient to address rising challenges,

Read more →

EESC: EU Path in North Macedonia Marked by Reform and Civic Space Challenges

At a March 2026 conference in Skopje, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlighted a critical moment for North Macedonia’s EU path. While public support for EU membership remains strong, reforms must deliver tangible improvements to maintain trust, particularly within a narrowing “window of opportunity” for enlargement. Discussions pointed to largely procedural civil and

Read more →

EPD Report: New Approaches to Defending Global Civil Society

The latest European Democracy Hub report highlights how civil society worldwide faces increasingly severe and existential threats, with restrictions intensifying in speed and scale. Regimes are moving beyond ad hoc measures to undermine the existence of an independent civic sphere, while cuts in western funding further weaken CSOs. The report argues that new thinking is

Read more →

BTI Transformation Index 2026: East-Central and Southeast Europe

The Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) 2026 finds that East-Central and Southeast Europe remains the best-performing region among developing and transition countries, combining resilient economies with mixed progress in political transformation. While some countries continue democratic consolidation and Poland has been undoing the damage of previous illiberal rule, backsliding has deepened in Hungary, Slovakia and

Read more →

BiH: SafeJournalists Condemn Hate Speech Targeting Journalist Ivica Puljić

The SafeJournalists Network condemns the aggressive, insulting and defamatory rhetoric used by Kemal S. Beganović advisor to Željko Komšić, member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, against journalist Ivica Puljić. Through social media posts, Beganović used degrading language and baseless accusations to discredit the journalist’s professional work and personal integrity, including references linked to

Read more →

North Macedonia: AJM Demands an Urgent Investigation into the Series of Online Attacks on “Sloboden Pechat”

The Association of Journalists of North Macedonia (AJM) calls for an urgent investigation into repeated coordinated bot attacks targeting the Instagram profiles of the media outlet “Sloboden Pechat,” with the latest incidents occurring in recent days. Thousands of suspicious accounts, often from abroad, reacted within minutes, indicating organised and malicious activity aimed at disrupting the

Read more →