News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The Law on Preventing Financing of Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Turkey entered into force on 31 December 2020, after was approved by the Parliament without public debate. It predicts changes in 6 different laws, including the Law on Collection of Aid and Law on Associations, which will increase control over aid collection
Read more →After Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering in Serbia has compiled a list of CSOs, media, and individuals requesting the banks to inspect their transactions in the last year, activating the law’s mechanism to investigate their possible participation in “money laundering” or terrorist financing, ECNL provided assistance to CSO to confront AML/CFT limitations and
Read more →With a team of experts, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) assessed North Macedonia’s crisis management response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The first segment of the assessment overviews the strategic framework in which the crisis management response system operates and analyzes the existing institutional and legal environment governing crisis management. The second segment is focused on
Read more →As a follow up to the ECNL-ICNL briefer on the measures targeting civil society actors working on climate justice, ECNL presents a paper on how government restrictions deter activists and groups from participating in decision-making processes on climate and environmental issues meaningfully. Focusing on Slovenia and Ireland examples illustrates how governments, through legislative efforts, hinder
Read more →Robust civic space is essential for good governance, the rule of law, and overall civil society enabling environment, and citizens’ efforts to shape society. The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has additionally impacted the civil society space. The rise of nationalism, populism, and illiberalism negatively influenced civil liberties. The autocratic governments across the world have
Read more →Serbian CSOs and media are demanding a response from the Directorate for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing regarding the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) findings. The FATF found that the Directorate investigated 57 organizations, media and individuals without legal grounds, therefore acting contrary to recommendations and standards of this international body. In
Read more →The European Union has allocated 4.2 million EUR to support Montenegrin CSOs to participate in the EU integration process. The aim is to reinforce inclusive civic participation in public policy processes and improve cooperation and dialogue between civil society and the government. BCSDN member Centar za Razvoj NVO (CRNVO), in partnership with two local NGOs,
Read more →In a blog post, Aida Daguda, the Executive Director of BCSDN member Centre for Civil Society Promotion (CPCD), reflects on some relevant facts about CSOs in the FBiH. It indicates that there is no answer to how many associations and foundations operate in the country, considering that the several registers available to the public present
Read more →Based on the findings covered in the ICNL’s COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker, the article suggests ways the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members could react to the governments’ responses to COVID-19 that seriously affected the civic space. OECD-DAC members could support efforts to counter the new restrictions on free speech and provide assistance to independent
Read more →The publication is a historical overview of the civic movements in Albania after the ’90s. By analyzing six current movements, it summarizes their current landscape in the country. It looks into their capacities, membership, activity level, and explores if they can mobilize support and initiate change into the democratization process. An essential part of the
Read more →In December 2020, the Slovenian government tried to introduce an amendment abolishing the state’s fund for NGOs in the 7th anti-corona stimulus package. It strived to cut the access to development grants and sustainability of jobs for humanitarian, volunteer, sports, cultural, human rights, and other NGOs, which was introduced in 2018 to provide a systemic
Read more →The European Recovery Package strives to help repair the economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic and engage the EU in a long-term, sustainable and inclusive recovery that promotes green and digital transitions. Considering that the EU Member States will have to present their National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) by the end
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