News and updates from BCSDN and the region
As the global community looks beyond 2030, Forus presents its new Vision Paper, What We Defend, Demand and Decline, outlining key priorities for the next global development framework. Based on consultations across a global network representing over 24,000 NGOs, the paper explores possible futures—from continuity to reset or fragmentation—while highlighting the need to defend a
Read more →BCSDN joined over 500 organisations from across Europe’s cultural, media, and civil society sectors in calling for a substantial increase in funding for the AgoraEU programme within the EU’s next long-term budget (2028–2034). Supporting the European Parliament’s position, the coalition highlights that the current allocation—around 0.43% of the EU budget—is insufficient to address rising challenges,
Read more →The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is inviting CSOs to share the challenges they faced in their day-to-day work related to civic space in 2025, along with suggestions on ways forward. The survey is open to CSOs across EU Member States, at EU level, as well as in enlargement countries including Albania, North
Read more →Members of the European Parliament from the Greens/EFA and Renew Europe groups, Vladimir Prebilič and Sandro Gozi, have called on the European Commission to urgently respond to the serious deterioration of the rule of law and democratic standards in Serbia. In a letter addressed to Ursula von der Leyen, they condemn recent police actions targeting
Read more →At a March 2026 conference in Skopje, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) highlighted a critical moment for North Macedonia’s EU path. While public support for EU membership remains strong, reforms must deliver tangible improvements to maintain trust, particularly within a narrowing “window of opportunity” for enlargement. Discussions pointed to largely procedural civil and
Read more →The latest European Democracy Hub report highlights how civil society worldwide faces increasingly severe and existential threats, with restrictions intensifying in speed and scale. Regimes are moving beyond ad hoc measures to undermine the existence of an independent civic sphere, while cuts in western funding further weaken CSOs. The report argues that new thinking is
Read more →The Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) 2026 finds that East-Central and Southeast Europe remains the best-performing region among developing and transition countries, combining resilient economies with mixed progress in political transformation. While some countries continue democratic consolidation and Poland has been undoing the damage of previous illiberal rule, backsliding has deepened in Hungary, Slovakia and
Read more →BCSDN contributed to a high-level meeting in Brussels on establishing a European Community of Practice for Human Rights Defenders, hosted by OHCHR. The initiative aims to strengthen coordination, communication, and protection mechanisms for defenders across Europe, though key aspects such as geographic scope are still under discussion. Representing BCSDN, Simona Mladenovska highlighted the need for
Read more →The EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has dismissed a proposal by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to accelerate EU integration for candidate countries without full membership rights. The proposal suggested allowing access to the EU single market and the Schengen area without granting veto power, effectively creating a two-tier
Read more →The Liberties Rule of Law Report 2026 highlights a deepening rule of law crisis across the EU, marked by persistent democratic decline and a widening gap between recommendations and implementation. Drawing on input from nearly 40 organisations, the report finds that 93% of previous recommendations remain unimplemented, with many countries stagnating or backsliding, and some
Read more →A new discussion paper by International IDEA warns that democracy in the Western Balkans is entering a period of deep uncertainty, shaped by shifting global dynamics and internal structural challenges. The report explores how the region’s democratic future could evolve by 2040 through four alternative scenarios, ranging from successful EU-driven consolidation to authoritarian decline. The
Read more →The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) 2026 Civic Space Update highlights a continued deterioration of conditions for civil society across the EU, with 75% of organisations reporting barriers to their work and over 70% noting worsening conditions at EU or national level . CSOs face persistent threats, including online attacks (67%), smear campaigns (60%),
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