News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The European Democracy Shield marks an important recognition of democratic resilience as a European security imperative, but its success will depend on concrete action rather than new structures, according to EU CRTA. This is particularly relevant for the Western Balkans, one of Europe’s most exposed democratic frontlines, where civil society, independent media, researchers and human
Read more →KoneKtor 2026 will bring together foundations, donors and civil society in Chișinău to examine how philanthropy can respond to rising authoritarianism, shrinking civic space and growing pressure on communities. The event will explore what authoritarianism looks like today, who is most at risk, and how philanthropic actors can help protect vulnerable groups, support independent media
Read more →A new civil society report following the first UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance calls for a more inclusive, equitable and human rights-based approach to governing artificial intelligence. Developed by five civil society coalitions, the report welcomes the Dialogue as a step towards international cooperation but identifies gaps in civil society participation, representation of marginalised
Read more →The European Commission has published its 2026 Rule of Law Report, including country chapters for Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The report identifies persistent challenges affecting civic space, including pressure on civil society and journalists, SLAPPs, political interference, restrictions on fundamental freedoms, and limited access to information. It also highlights uneven public consultation practices,
Read more →The Civil Society & Think Tank Forum (CSF) 2026 will take place from 5–7 October in Prishtina, organised by the Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans in partnership with the Government of Kosovo and in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro under the Berlin Process Chairmanship. As the official civil society platform of the Berlin
Read more →BIRN’s latest regional digital rights report documents 152 violations recorded in the first quarter of 2026, highlighting increasing pressure on digital rights across the Western Balkans and Türkiye. The report identifies economic fraud, online harassment, gender-based violence, data breaches and coordinated attacks targeting journalists and civil society as the region’s most pressing digital rights challenges.
Read more →Albania has provisionally closed its first three negotiating chapters in its EU accession process, marking a significant milestone on its path towards EU membership. At the ninth Accession Conference, the country closed the chapters on Science and Research (25), Education and Culture (26), and External Relations (30) following the European Commission’s positive assessment of its
Read more →A report by the IPI and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) consortium warns that media freedom in Serbia is facing a deepening crisis. The findings point to record levels of violence against journalists, death threats, online smear campaigns, SLAPPs, surveillance and growing political control over the media landscape. In 2025 alone, 209 press freedom violations
Read more →The European Commission has launched a Call for Expression of Interest for membership in the new Civil Society Platform, a key deliverable of the EU Strategy for Civil Society. The Platform will provide a permanent and structured framework for dialogue between the Commission and civil society on democracy, the rule of law, fundamental rights, equality
Read more →The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will host its High-level Debate on EU Enlargement 2026 on 16 July in Brussels, bringing together EU institutions, governments and organised civil society to discuss the future of enlargement. The event will be opened by EESC President Séamus Boland and Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, while Valentina Superti,
Read more →Thirty European civil society networks, including BCSDN, have urged the Council of the European Union to strengthen, not reduce EU investment in democracy by increasing the AgoraEU budget and safeguarding funding for the CERV+ programme in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The joint letter warns that proposed budget cuts come as CSOs across Europe
Read more →The Annual Western Balkans Perception Surveys 2026, conducted under the WeBalkans project, show that public support for the European Union remains strong across the Western Balkans, with Serbia standing out as the only country where support for EU membership does not exceed 60%. Albania records the most positive perception of the EU (82%), followed by
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