Balkan Civil Society Development Network Executive Director Biljana Spasovska, speaking at the OGP Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz during the “Participation and Inclusion” Global Dialogue, highlighted the escalating crisis facing CSOs in the Western Balkans. The threat now includes new, problematic legislation alongside tactics like smear campaigns and arbitrary inspections, which effectively silence independent voices. Spasovska warned that “when participation becomes performative, reforms lose meaning,” leading to hollow democracy. The network urged the OGP to take action, treat these systemic, non-legal tactics as violations of civic space, and actively support CSOs in rebuilding eroded social trust for genuine democratic resilience. Read more here.
Source: BCSDN