News and updates from BCSDN and the region
After the intense election period, it is time to draw lessons from messages in the ballot boxes and think about the key responsibilities of the EU leaders in the time to come. The votes express fragmentation of our societies, as a consequence of past and current policies. The increased participation clearly indicates that voters mobilised
Read more →The rule of law has to be one of the main goals of the Berlin Process and it is necessary to bring the reforms closer to citizens in a less complicated way and improve regional cooperation – this was the conclusion of the panel discussion “The Berlin Process: Ahead of the Poznań Summit” organised by
Read more →The rationale of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans has been changing during the last couple of years. The consolidation of stability and the full implementation of liberal political and economic reforms are no longer the principal for the region’s EU accession. European decision-makers have been increasingly claiming that the EU should move on to
Read more →BCSDN published its 10th analysis of the annual Commission Enlargement Reports, assesing the progress made in the area of civil society development and dialogue with public institutions in 2019, set against BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix. Along with the progess reports, the EC published a Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, noting with a remarkably positive tone the historic agreement on
Read more →On June 4th, 2019, BCSDN participated at the ‘International Civil Society Forum 2019’, in Bucharest, Romania. The Forum gathered more than 200 participants from 28 European countries, concerned that democracy, human rights or the rule of law are increasingly threatened throughout Europe. The event was organised by FDSC Romania and CNVOS in cooperation with the European
Read more →On the 30th and 31st of May, BCSDN participated at the consultation meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (FoAA), organized jointly by CIVICUS, ICNL and OHCHR in Johannesburg, South Africa. The consultations addressed the Special Rapporteur’s coming report to the UNGA where – following up on
Read more →Antidemocratic leaders in Central Europe and the Balkans—including some who have brazenly consolidated power beyond constitutional limits—continued undermining institutions that protect freedoms of expression and association and the rule of law, writes Freedom House in its latest report “Freedom In The World 2019“. This annual global report on political rights and civil liberties covers 195
Read more →In the spring of 2016, the Council for Civil Society Development initiated the process of drafting the National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development 2017-2021. However, due to the refusal of the Ministry of Labour and Pension System to provide comments, the National Strategy has been in the works
Read more →Safe civic spaces remain essential for the meaningful realisation of civil liberties including freedoms of expression, association and assembly. However, civic spaces face serious challenges across the world not only in developing countries but also in some of most advanced democracies and liberal and minimal states in Europe. According to a recent Freedom House Report
Read more →The trend of closing civic space crystallised at the beginning of this decade. In response, concerned international actors- including various bilateral aid agencies, foreign ministries, private foundations and international nongovernmental organisations- are working to address this problem. They have carried out many diagnostic efforts and gained greater knowledge of the issue. They have initiated a
Read more →In response to global challenges, heads of state and government of the United Nations’ members adopted in 2015 the declaration on ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. This chapter explores the human and fundamental rights dimensions of two of the 2030 Agenda’s 17 SDGs in Member States’ and the EU’s internal policies.
Read more →The kind of long-term shifts in public opinion needed to end problems like toxic masculinity cannot just be achieved by raising awareness or “naming and shaming”. But civil society tends to be so busy exposing the world’s most terrible suffering that it rarely communicates hope, fatally undermining efforts to make change happen. We must do
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