The consultation was specifically focused on two issues: grants and administration procedures. Since most BCSDN members have benefited from Commission funding and have experienced problems with EU bureaucracy, the BCSDN submitted its recommendations for how the grant rules and application procedure could be simplified. Before embarking on first experience of writing an EU project proposal, CSOs mistakenly think that EU is an ideal supporter of civil society activities. The most common problems faced by the CSOs are required ceiling and type of co-financing (no in-kind is allowed), long application and evaluation procedures, which sometimes prevent organizations to react timely to…
Author: anja
ACTIVITIES & EVENTS BCSDN Now on Social Media- Facebook and Twitter! Conference Report: The CoE Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-making Promoted at an International Conference in Ljubljana Regional Initiative: Local CSOs Initiate Regional Network on Corporate Social Responsibility Conference Report: Strengthening the Triangle CSOs-National Governments-European Commission: Reinforcing the Europe-wide Civil Society and Building Partnership Exchange of Experience: Networking in Europe and the Balkans: Presentation of BCSDN at 6th Assembly of FENS ADVOCACY EC Financial Regulation Consultation: Final Call for Input by Members CSF TA project (TACSO): 1st EU Steering Group Meeting and Project Inception Report…
The aim of the conference was to gather local authorities and civil society representatives from Europe and the Balkans to discuss the contribution of town-twinning and civil society networking to the European integration process and the building of a European identity. The conference was attended by around 60 representatives of civil society and municipalities from Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, France, and the United States. BCSDN member Pandeli Theodhori and BCSDN Executive Office volunteer Jeffrey Treisbach were also in attendance. The conference was opened by representatives of ALDA, the Delegation of the European Commission, Skopje municipal government, European Civic Forum, and…
The conference was addressed by Irma Pavlinic Krebs, Minister of Public Administration, Slovenia, Antonella Valmorbida, Chair of the Civil Society and Democracy Committee of the Conference of INGOs and Joze Gornik, Director of CNVOS. The conference was divided into several workshops on specific issues related to participation and experience of CSOs in the policy- and decision-making. Among others the need for capacities and raised-awareness among civil servants and CSOs was stressed, the importance of political will, need of frameworks regulating relations and cooperation between public authorities and CSOs whether it be compulsory or not. The participants agreed that the Code…
On the first day, development of a strategy for CSR in Serbia and activities of the National Coordinating Body on CSR in Macedonia were presented as ways of how the state is involved in development of CSR. Practices of cooperation between the business and civil society sector were explored through corporate volunteering practices in Croatia and experience of several companies in Montenegro and Serbia. CSR business networks such as UN Global Compact, UNIDO Regional Network, and Business Leaders Forum Serbia were also presented and practices in specific areas of work such as human rights and environment protection from Slovenia and…
Tanja Hafner Ademi was a speaker on the panel “Impact of the Financial Crisis and the Economic Downturn on the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)”. The two other panelists were representatives of the European Commission (EC) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung Office in SEE Henk Visser, EC DG Enlargement, Financial Instruments and Regional Programmes, stressed that the crisis is an opportunity for the sector as it generates greater demand for CSO services and the Governments will have less funding for monitoring of policy implementation. Wolfgang Klotz, Director of the Heinrich Boll Stiftung Office in SEE talked about the general role of CSOs…
Tanja Hafner Ademi was a speaker on the panel “Impact of the Financial Crisis and the Economic Downturn on the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)”. The two other panelists were representatives of the European Commission (EC) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung Office in SEE Henk Visser, EC DG Enlargement, Financial Instruments and Regional Programmes, stressed that the crisis is an opportunity for the sector as it generates greater demand for CSO services and the Governments will have less funding for monitoring of policy implementation. Wolfgang Klotz, Director of the Heinrich Boll Stiftung Office in SEE talked about the general role of CSOs…
The topics discussed at the Annual Assembly were: European and Balkan networks, implementation of the law on Associations and the reform on FENS. Saso Klekovski, First Executive Director of MCIC, was introductory speaker on the topic “European and Balkan Networks”. He focused on the participation of MCIC in the national, regional, European and global networks, and also discussed the results from his experience with BCSDN , of which MCIC is the founding member and is the seat of its Executive Office. In the third part there were discussions for the reconstruction of FENS from a network into a platform. The…
Following the recent publication of the European Commission’s Progress Reports on candidate and potential candidate countries, BCSDN reviewed them immediately. We have compiled a short analysis of the reports as they pertain to civil society and this is now available for download. Additionally raw data from the Progress Reports are available along with the benchmarks.
Following the recent publication of the European Commission’s Progress Reports on candidate and potential candidate countries, BCSDN reviewed them immediately. We have compiled a short analysis of the reports as they pertain to civil society and this is now available for download. Additionally raw data from the Progress Reports are available along with the benchmarks.