News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Dear partners and members, 2019 has been a great year for internal growth and recognition of our work. At the same time, it has been a difficult year for the region, for civil society, and for citizens. We have seen a decline in democracy and civic space in many countries. We present a short recap
Read more →The Human Freedom Index presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. The findings in the HFI suggest that freedom plays an important role in human well-being, and they offer opportunities for further research into the complex ways in which freedom influences, and can be influenced by, political regimes,
Read more →The ongoing debate at the EU and Member State levels on the new enlargement methodology indicates that there is a different understanding across Europe on how to renew the accession process. The French veto over the start of EU accession talks with N. Macedonia and Albania, despite the EC’s recommendation, and a non-paper coming from
Read more →A group of CSOs appealed to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković for transparency during Croatia’s EU presidency in 2020 so as to contribute to legislative and lobbyist transparency in the Council of the EU. Transparency is the key first step in curbing excessive corporate influence, noticeable in the Council’s many negotiations on new regulations and directives.
Read more →Liberties’ team of experts has prepared a series of one-page briefings for the new arrivals, summarizing a bunch of civil liberties issues that we are dealing with: what the problems are, why they matter to the EU, and what we think the EU can do to solve them. CSOs are key to the proper functioning
Read more →BCSDN has been selected through an open call for proposals and engaged within EU TACSO 3 project framework to conduct the Needs Assessment on the State of the Enabling Environment and Capacities of Civil Society of the Western Balkan and Turkey. During October and November, BCSDN members (Civic Initiatives, CPCD, CRNVO, KCSF, MCIC and Partners
Read more →The CIVICUS Monitor has released People Power Under Attack 2019, a new report showing that the fundamental freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression are backsliding across the world. In the space of a year, twice as many people are living in countries where these civic freedoms are being violated: 40% of the world’s population
Read more →In partnership with 30 organizations around the world, the global CSO platform CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) has launched the Global Day of Action Against Shrinking Civic Spaces. Under the theme ‘Working Together to Defend Human Rights and Civic Space for a Just and Sustainable World,’ the campaign aims to raise the awareness of
Read more →All over the world, millions of civic organizations and movements play an essential role in our societies, improving the lives of our communities and promoting citizens’ participation. They advocate, campaign and act to provide effective access to fundamental human rights for all. The role of independent CSOs is recognized by the UN and by the
Read more →The position of human rights defenders (HRDs) in the Western Balkans is increasingly precarious. Across the region, HRDs and organizations, as well as independent media outlets, are prone to intimidation, threats, smear campaigns, digital and physical attacks, and an overall disregard by national authorities. While the region shares several common features (sluggish integration, weak rule
Read more →An increasing number of EU officials and institutions is posing questions in regard to the effectiveness of regional organizations and initiatives in the WB in times when EU member states are engaging in something that might end in major overhaul of the accession process. The authors of the paper contribute to the overall debate by
Read more →The policy brief zooms precisely on this “executive bias” – the focus of the region’s EU integration process based largely on dialogue between elected governments, with insufficient involvement of parliaments and wider society. It contends that meeting membership criteria and securing the irreversibility of reforms post-accession is only possible if the ownership of reforms in
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