News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The Government of North Macedonia’s Department for Cooperation with NGOs has published a questionnaire for CSOs to assess the implementation of the Action Plan of the Government’s Strategy for Cooperation with and Development of Civil Society 2025–2028 in 2025. The form asks NGOs to provide information about their sector of work, participation in policy‑making processes,
Read more →North Macedonia is advancing a new legal framework for associations and foundations aimed at aligning the sector with EU and Council of Europe standards. The proposed law seeks to strengthen the civil society framework through clearer rules on public support, CSO participation in decision-making, non-profit principles, transparency, and institutional cooperation with public authorities. It also
Read more →In 2025, Serbian student-led protesters intentionally avoided formal links with CSOs to protect their movement’s legitimacy. Following the 2024 Novi Sad station tragedy, organizers rejected NGO cooperation to bypass government-led “foreign agent” narratives and preserve public trust. While some students cited concerns over interference by individual organisations or the presence of GONGOs, the distancing went
Read more →Albania’s EU accession process accelerated rapidly in 2025, with negotiation clusters opening in quick succession, intergovernmental conferences following closely, and reform delivery periods shrinking. Concerns are growing that accelerated accession may outpace domestic democratic development, leaving transparency, accountability, civic oversight, and media freedom struggling to keep up. Observers note that challenges in media freedom, elections,
Read more →Three years after the Belgrade Court of Appeal acquitted four former Serbian security officials in the 1999 murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, Serbia’s Supreme Court ruled that the verdict violated the law. The ruling, issued in October 2025 but only recently made public, found legal errors in how the Court of Appeal handled witness testimony
Read more →Despite recent efforts to strengthen Turkey’s cybersecurity framework, experts say mass data breaches continue to expose tens of millions of citizens, with the root causes tied less to technology than to governance, institutional culture, and poor coordination. In October, personal data of over 5,000 members of the Turkish Business Association appeared for sale online, followed
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
Read more →The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) 2025 report, Better Legislation – Human Rights Impact Assessments in Lawmaking, reveals that the use of Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) remains uneven and often superficial across the EU and its Member States. The report criticizes that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is frequently overlooked in national
Read more →Two UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Working Groups have launched new guidance to help Member States ensure full respect for human rights while implementing measures to counter the financing of terrorism (CFT). The document provides practical recommendations for defining financing offences, gathering financial intelligence, conducting investigations, and applying targeted financial sanctions. It specifically examines the
Read more →BCSDN underscores the vital role of volunteering as a powerful act of resilience against shrinking civic space in the Western Balkans. Following the Regional EU Conference, we emphasize that volunteers are crucial for activating local agency, building cross-border solidarity, and championing transparency. With 2026 declared the International Volunteering Year (IVY), BCSDN calls for governments to
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