News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Short Description: The Youth Center for Dialogue and Peace (YCDP) invites young people to apply for the second cohort of the Youth Human Rights Hub, a learning and advocacy programme designed to equip emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks to advance human rights and social justice at local, national, and global levels. Target
Read more →Short Description: The Forum for Educational Change (FECH), with support from the Open Society Foundation – Western Balkans, invites young people to participate in a four-day experimental policy lab in Veles, North Macedonia. CreActive Lab combines hands-on training and collaborative mentorship to develop evidence-based policy recommendations and creative public interventions on issues affecting students and
Read more →Short Description: BIRN, in partnership with Arena for Journalism in Europe and with the support of ERSTE Foundation, invites journalists to apply for a grant to attend Dataharvest 2026, Europe’s leading conference on investigative, data, and collaborative journalism. Target Group: Professional journalists, with a focus on freelance journalists and those working in small or independent
Read more →Short Description: PeaceNexus invites civil society organisations in the Western Balkans to apply for tailored accompaniment support aimed at strengthening organisations internally and enhancing their contribution to social cohesion, interethnic trust, reconciliation, and responsible dealing with the past. Target Group: CSOs, foundations, networks, and intergovernmental or multilateral organisations that: Work on or contribute to social
Read more →BCSDN has published its 2025 Research in Focus report, “The Missing Lens: Rethinking the Enabling Environment for Gender Equality and Civil Society in the Western Balkans,” which analyzes the civic space for gender equality and feminist organizations in the Western Balkans. The research reveals a concerning trend, highlighting the growing influence of coordinated anti-gender movements.
Read more →The CIVICUS Monitor’s 2025 People Power Under Attack report signals a significant global decline in civic space, with fundamental freedoms under severe attack. The report reveals that only 7.2% of the world’s population now lives in countries with “Open” or “Narrowed” civic space, while 83 countries are rated “Repressed” or “Closed.” The most frequent violations are the detention of protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders;
Read more →The CIVICUS Monitor downgraded Serbia’s civic space from “Obstructed” to “Repressed” in its 2025 annual report, citing escalating attacks on fundamental freedoms. Authorities have clamped down on protests, leading to violence and mass detentions, while freedom of expression is under sustained attack. Civil society warns that a proposed Criminal Code amendment threatens to criminalize peaceful
Read more →The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its opinion on the European Commission’s proposals for the 2028–2034 AgoraEU and Justice Programmes with near-unanimous support. The EESC strongly endorses the Commission’s ambitions and urges the European Parliament and Council to maintain the proposed budget, emphasizing that democracy, rights, and the rule of law must remain
Read more →Our member, Građanske Inicijative (Civic Initiatives), was presented with this year’s Lala Human Rights Award by Ambassador Martijn Ehlersma of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia. The award, granted annually by the Dutch government for courageous and tireless work in advancing human rights, recognized Civic Initiatives for its long-standing, constructive, and
Read more →At the National Forum – Civil Society Fair, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski emphasized that meaningful change requires government-civil society collaboration. He highlighted the government’s vision for a strong, independent, and sustainable civil sector that strengthens democracy, protects rights, and crucially, bridges the gap between institutions and the public. Swiss Ambassador Christoph Sommer echoed this, stressing
Read more →Bulgaria’s coalition government unexpectedly collapsed on December 11, 2025, due to sustained and intense pressure from citizen mobilization and anti-corruption protests. This political crisis, triggered by widespread public dissatisfaction over deep-seated corruption allegations and stalled reforms, forced a major political upheaval. The collapse underscores the direct and potent impact of organized civic action on governance
Read more →Civil Society Europe is urging organizations to sign an open letter demanding the European Commission reverse its decision to withdraw the European Cross-Border Associations (ECBA) Directive. The ECBA proposal, approved by the European Parliament in 2024, would allow non-profit organizations active in at least two Member States to be recognized and operate across the EU
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