News and updates from BCSDN and the region
CIVICUS Monitor marked the civic space in BiH as narrowed and added the country to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist following the latest developments on the passed Anti-Defamation Law, and the proposed “foreign agents” prohibiting foreign-funded CSOs and not-for-profit media from engaging in “political activities” under penalty of closure or criminal prosecution. This came as a
Read more →The Council for Cooperation of the Government with Civil Society in North Macedonia plays a crucial role in building trust and fostering cooperation between the Macedonian government and civil society. It aims to ensure that the views of civil society are acknowledged and considered. However, the Council has encountered numerous challenges since its establishment, including
Read more →On September 18-19, world leaders convened at the UN SDG Summit to recommit to Agenda 2030. The Global People’s Assembly, comprising over 2000 activists in-person and virtually, marked the summit’s culmination, featuring 44 national and regional assemblies and numerous local actions. BCSDN ED, Biljana Spasovska, addressed the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) session on
Read more →Emerging from extensive consultations on specific elements of the Model, the revised Template 2.0 presents a comprehensive proposal for amending the EU’s current accession policy. It outlines the overall structure of the Staged Accession Model, providing new specifications on the EU’s ‘fundamentals first’ approach. It defines the ‘essential elements’ of the proposal, which represent the
Read more →Following the letter sent to the Council of Europe where we expressed concerns and reservations over the Report on the regional terrorism financing risk assessment of the not-for-profit (NPO) sector in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, the Council of Europe (CoE) initiated a meeting with BCSDN and all signatories of the letter to further the dialogue on the
Read more →Civil Society Europe has issued the Civil Society State of the Union report, directed at EU institutions and Member States. The report focuses on strengthening democracy, fundamental rights, and the civic space within the European Union. It presents a collective vision from civil society and vital recommendations to promote a more democratic, socially equitable, and
Read more →The Open Society Foundations–Western Balkans, in partnership with the Government of Albania and ELIAMEP and CDI, is hosting the 2023 Civil Society and Think Tank Forum. This event fosters dialogue among civil society, public authorities, EU representatives, donors, and stakeholders from the Western Balkans and EU member states. Seven working groups advocate with Western Balkan
Read more →Convened by the President of the General Assembly, the SDG Summit 2023 marks the halfway point to the deadline set for achieving the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Summit on September 18-19, 2023, in New York, aims to address global crises and renew enthusiasm for this agenda. CPDE’s involvement includes
Read more →The proposal stems from the EP resolution of 17 February 2022, aiming to promote associations and other NPOs in the EU in completing the internal market, protecting their fundamental rights, and fostering an EU democratic space. The European Commission answered positively sharing the need to create an enabling environment for the non-profit sector, out of
Read more →More than a year has passed since the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) concluded its unprecedented, deliberative exercise that put citizens front and centre in the discussions on the future of the EU. An inter-institutional effort by the EC, EP, and the Council, the CoFoE brought citizens together in four transnational citizens’ panels
Read more →BCSDN is glad to announce its newly re-elected Board members, made up of esteemed member representatives: Aida Daguda, Director, CPCD, Klotilda Kosta, Director of Programs, Partners Albania, Rana Kotan, Secretary General, TUSEV, Taulant Hoxha, Executive Director, KCSF, Tina Divljak, Head of Advocacy, CNVOS. Along with, Maja Stojanovic, Director of Civic Initiatives, and Snezhana Kamilovska Trpovska,
Read more →We are thrilled to announce the continuation of BCSDN’s partnership with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through a newly granted 4-year project. In the forthcoming period, the Hub will enhance the cooperation and resilience of CSOs in the Western Balkans with the aim to facilitate CSO and multi-stakeholder collaboration and contribute to promoting
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