News and updates from BCSDN and the region
At the Press Day in Turkey, on 24 July, journalists’ unions and media organizations called on the Turkish government to end pressures, violence, censorship, and imprisonment of journalists and the alleged criminalization of the journalistic profession. The Turkish press council has stated that news can be treated as ‘terrorism’ and a journalist as a ‘terrorist’.
Read more →The Macedonian Journalists’ Association (AJM) is demanding an urgent response to the explicit threats made to journalist Rita Behadini at her announcement regarding the public stance by Saraj’s social network Facebook. In solidarity with the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), the gender equality platform demands an urgent response by strongly condemning hate speech and
Read more →The European Parliament acted in favor of protecting journalists, media organizations, activists, academics, artists, and researchers from unjustified and harmful legal actions. The Legal Affairs Committee voted in favor of new regulations to safeguard against strategic lawsuits intended to silence individuals involved in the public interest sphere. To enhance protection against SLAPPs, MEPs expanded the
Read more →Istanbul’s Prosecutors’ Office has initiated an investigation into social media posts related to the protests in France, which started in June after a 17-year-old was shot dead by police. The investigation focuses on accounts suggesting that similar events may occur with refugees in Turkey. Istanbul’s Prosecutors’ Office announced that it has sent an order to
Read more →The Balkans experiences significant increase in internet penetration and the integration of Biometrics and Digital Identity BDI technologies in various sectors. Between 2020-23, Albania, BiH, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia reported increase in cyberattacks, specifically phishing and ransomware incidents. BIRN has mapped 40 cases and has collated data on cyberattacks targeting the Balkan region’s BDI
Read more →Civil society is calling for a comprehensive scope and definition of AI systems, without any exceptions for national defense/security. CoE Committee on AI has been entrusted with negotiating a Framework Convention on AI, law, human rights, and democracy. Encouraged by the Conference of INGOs, civil society observers are pushing for the inclusion of a broad
Read more →EU organizations have expressed their support, and concerns for the European Commission’s decision to conduct an impact assessment of the Democracy package. This decision comes after a written request from 230 CSOs. The organizations appreciate that the Commission recognizes the importance of considering the fundamental rights implications of the proposed package. They trust that the
Read more →The article analyzes the recent protests in Serbia in response to violence and citizens’ demands. Despite only two of the nine demands being met, the minister of education has resigned, and the National Assembly held a session on mass shootings and security. However, the concessions made by the non-ruling party minister did not incur significant
Read more →On 6 June 2023, Philea and Civil Society Europe held a webinar discussing the impact of EU AML/CFT policy on civil society, featuring high-level policymakers and sector representatives. The timely discussion occurred amidst ongoing negotiations on the new EU AML/CFT Package, which is expected to be adopted soon and enforced in 2027.The conversation explored unintended
Read more →The European Parliament plenary voted in favor of strong fundamental rights protections in their official position on the Artificial Intelligence Act, including maintaining positive steps on fundamental rights impact assessments and transparency requirements. While EU wants to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure better conditions for the development and use of this innovative technology, in
Read more →EC presented its recommendations to Member States to ease barriers to cross-border philanthropy and to work towards a more enabling environment for civil society and the wider social economy. This is a result of the long-awaited European Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on developing the social economy framework conditions and the guidance for Member
Read more →EU has taken a significant step forward in its commitment to combat violence against women by adopting a decision on its accession to the Istanbul Convention. By joining the Istanbul Convention, the EU affirms its commitment to preventing violence, protecting victims, and prosecuting perpetrators. The decision underscores the EU’s recognition of violence against women as
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