News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Protests started out in Serbia, after President’s announcement that new lockdown measures would be reintroduced amid increasing coronavirus cases. During two consecutive nights of protests, violent attacks were recognized against journalists which caused concerns among The European and International Federations of Journalists who condemned the attacks. In a statement, Human Rights House also condemned police
Read more →A group of MPs from the United Patriots Parliamentary Group submitted a Draft Law amending and supplementing the Non-profit Legal Entities Act in the Bulgarian Parliament. The Draft Law proposes an amendment to the Non-profit Legal Entities Act in two parts – the part regarding the functioning of the Civil Society Development Council, as well
Read more →The policy brief underscores outstanding issues that emerged during the COVID-19 crisis with possible long-term consequences on democracy’s functioning and the rule of law in the six countries of the Western Balkans. The paper addresses the impact of the crisis on democratic institutions’ operation, the judiciary, fundamental rights and freedoms, transparency, civil society, and the
Read more →Technology provides states the ability to engage in the mass surveillance of civic participation and activism. Unprecedented concentrations of power and wealth, corruption, and vested financial interests deepen inequality and prevent action from addressing global crises. As a result, the climate and ecological crisis may be irreversible by 2030. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated these
Read more →Due to the COVID-19 crisis, many countries in the world have imposed restrictive measures in order to contain the spread of the disease. In the new reality, Dynamic Accountability is taking a different shape. In general, Dynamic Accountability is already an ongoing process that requires organization-wide effort, broadly defined as “a systemic approach grounded in
Read more →HORIZON 2020 will be called HORIZON EUROPE as of 2021. The EU Programme has been one of the most successful. As a result, Horizon Europe budget in the 2021-2027 framework will be increased for almost 30% into 100 billion EUR. This budget is allocated into 97.6 billion EUR and 2.4bn EUR for the Euratom Research
Read more →The European Policy Centre (EPC), together with DAFNE and EFC organized an online policy debate on how European policymakers and philanthropy can strengthen collaboration to support the transition of the collaboration among the aforementioned. Topics ranged from philanthropy’s responses during the emergency phase to how to overcome the challenges philanthropy is facing and a call
Read more →Budgetary decisions are always political, they are a crucial tool for civil society to protect rights and demand justice. While the Coronavirus pandemic continues to spread and affect the most vulnerable groups in the societies, the state’s role has been up for debate. Many voices that were a symbol of neoliberal policies and ideas are
Read more →European Commission is looking for applications for Civil Society Projects to support projects promoted by transnational partnerships and networks directly involving citizens. The project should consist of stimulating and organizing reflection, debates, or other activities related to the Programme’s multiannual priority themes and propose practical solutions that can be found through cooperation or coordination at
Read more →One Young World has launched the first global Fund for young leaders working on the front lines of COVID-19. The Fund is the first of its kind for young leaders addressing the impacts of COVID-19, which is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and United Way. The average grant size distributed by the
Read more →The Public Administration Awards in the Western Balkans (the PA Awards) are unique awards system initiated by ReSPA and OECD/SIGMA, aimed to enhance governance initiatives and support the establishment of strong public governance systems in the Western Balkans. The 2020 Awards will focus on successful responses by the WB administrations to address the COVID-19 crisis.
Read more →The World Forum for Democracy is a unique platform for political decision-makers and activists to debate on solutions to key challenges for democracies worldwide. By identifying and analyzing experimental initiatives and practices, the Forum highlights and encourages democracy innovations at the grassroots and their transfer on a systemic level to strengthen the foundations of democratic
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