After almost a year of research in the region and in-depth interviews with over 80 journalists, editors, and independent media owners, Human Rights Watch released a report in July 2015 stating that media freedom in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia are under threat. The report’s findings include impunity and lack of action by authorities for threats, beatings, and even murders of journalists and media workers in these countries, citing that political interference and financial pressure through heavy fines and vague laws are often imposed on independent media in these countries. More information is available here. [Global Voices Online]
Author: anja
Being part of the accession process, the legislation and the practices in the field of CSO’s financing is included in the Acquis. The process of decentralized management of EC assistance, enables the national institutions to assume the obligations of managing financial procedures and rules under PRAG. Except in Croatia, the current approach adopted by the authorities has hindered the work of the CSOs: VAT exemption rules are not implemented or the system presents a considerable administrative burden, the co-financing of EU projects as a systematic measure exists only in Croatia while pre-financing rules exist but are mainly not respected.…
Despite high expectations, the third International Conference on Financing for Development, organized on 13th to 16th July in Addis Ababa, ended on a predictable note: the United Nations proclaimed it a roaring success while most CSOs expressed scepticism over the final outcome. Hours after the conclusion of the conference in the Ethiopian capital, the UN trumpeted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as a “ground-breaking agreement that provides a foundation for implementing the global sustainable development agenda that world leaders are expected to adopt this September.” But Dr. Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary-General of CIVICUS, was blunt said that this is a further…
Despite high expectations, the third International Conference on Financing for Development, organized on 13th to 16th July in Addis Ababa, ended on a predictable note: the United Nations proclaimed it a roaring success while most CSOs expressed scepticism over the final outcome. Hours after the conclusion of the conference in the Ethiopian capital, the UN trumpeted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda as a “ground-breaking agreement that provides a foundation for implementing the global sustainable development agenda that world leaders are expected to adopt this September.” But Dr. Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary-General of CIVICUS, was blunt said that this is a further…
Office for Cooperation with Civil Society in Serbia has developed an interactive web platform OCDoskop, within the “Civil Society Enabling Environment” project, aiming to offer a comprehensive image of the civil society in Serbia. The aim of this platform is to present the civil society in Serbia, through an overview of the CSOs themselves, as well as the areas in which the organizations are working, the activities undertaken and target groups their programs focus on. OCDoskop aims to further contribute to networking and cooperation between organizations, as well as to the greater support for the civil sector by the local…
On 28th July, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) delegation met with representatives of civil society during their field visit to Macedonia to investigate the situation with civil society in the country. The goal of this civil society hearing lead by Mr. Ionut Sibian, President of the Western Balkans Section, was to hear views of civil society representatives on the current situation and the issues that are key for the country’s progress on its path towards EU accession. The hearing focused on the role of civil society in strengthening the rule of law, fight against corruption, anti-discrimination policies, youth…
Civil society organizations (CSOs) must not be the decor of the European integration of Montenegro, and only when the Government acknowledges the CSOs’ essential work in the process one can talk about its success. This was the main message of the conference “The experience of NGOs in the process of European Integration: Achievements and Challenges “, organized by CRNVO with the support of Cenzura Plus under the Europe for Citizens project. CRNVO’s Executive Director, Ana Novakovic, stressed that CSOs – and not the Government or the Parliament – were in fact the first promoters and advocates of European values, and…
On 21st July, Tanja Hafner Ademi, Executive Director of BCSDN, together with a group of representatives of CSOs and think-tanks in Macedonia met with representatives of the EP Delegation to the Joint Parliamentary Committee. Mr. Alojz Peterle, Chair and the two Vice-chairs Mr. Sergei Stanishev and Mr. Angel Dzambaski exchange of views focused on the perspectives of CSOs and think-tanks with regards to the current political situation and agreement reached to overcome it. Participants were sceptical with regards to the implementability of the agreement and that even if implemented the agreement provides for a very short time a framework for…
On 23rd July, an international consultation with think-tanks and CSO representatives in the framework of ’s Global Foreign Policy Strategy Review “The EU in a changing global environment: What next for Europe’s Neighbours ” took place on 23 July in Sofia, Bulgaria. The event which included participation and discussion with High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Frederica Mogherini focused mainly on exchanging opinion on EU’s Neighbourhood and Enlargement policy. In this, the participants showed optimism that difference in conducting relations with its neighbours, demonstration power and role of the EU vis-à-vis Russia in EU Neighbourhood…
On 15th of July, in Skopje, the BCSDN working group has met in the premises of the Executive Office to discuss the necessity and ways to standardize the monitoring on enabling environment for CSDev in the countries from the Western Balkans and Turkey based on the Monitoring Matrix Tool-kit. The working group discussed the results and methodological challenges which appeared from the implementation of the proposal on coding and categorization of the monitoring matrix country reports from 2013 and 2014. This proposal aims to bring more effective communication of monitoring results through visualizations of trends on the level of Monitoring…