News and updates from BCSDN and the region
BCSDN is looking for a consultant to perform a mid-term evaluation for the project “Protecting Civic Space – Regional Civil Society Development Hub” financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The assignment will include evaluation of the Project’s initial setup, the establishment of the Regional Hub including all respective entities and the procedures
Read more →As the EU debates its new post-2020 funding instruments, EU civil society support faces a pivotal moment. The union has been fine-tuning this support in recent years and is now contemplating further reforms. Civil society around the world is undergoing far-reaching changes as new types of informal activism emerge, governments try to constrict civic activity,
Read more →Cooperation between Montenegrin CSOs and the Government of Montenegro is an important precondition for progress towards the EU. Having in mind the political situation in the country where rule of law needs to be improved and corruption tackled, concerns are raised whether CSOs can really make a difference and have their voices heard or their
Read more →The authors of the article state that the first overall impression of the document of the new EU methodology is that it is a small masterpiece of European compromise. The EC has managed to put together a sensible, even innovative, proposal, while at the same time not aggravating any of the member states. It uses
Read more →‘Shrinking civil space’ was one of the new terms we all had to learn in the past half-decade. Threats to the free, independent and autonomous operation and indeed to the sheer existence of CSOs is by now not something that only happens in faraway, exotic countries with little or no democratic traditions, but occurs within
Read more →The highlights of the document include clustering the negotiating chapters in thematic areas, the possibility for rewarding the reforms with more funding and phasing-in of candidates to individual policies, but also sanctioning lack of progress by putting the negotiations on hold in certain areas, or in the most serious cases, their overall suspension. The Commission
Read more →Seven of the leading Serbian think tanks and CSOs have joined the discussion on how to best reform the EU enlargement process in anticipation of the European Commission’s proposal this week by publishing their own set of recommendations to EU institutions in a document titled: “Integrating the Western Balkans: Completing Future Europe”. The organizations have
Read more →The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) is a financing instrument of the European Union, through which the EU supports reforms in the Enlargement region. Currently, the European Commission is working on the preparation of IPA III based on the lessons-learned during IPA and IPA II implementation and is consulting the relevant stakeholders, including CSOs. Participating
Read more →The second draft blueprint for the Conference advocates both a strong citizens’ and representative dimension and aims to closely link the two at the national and transnational level. The blueprint includes: Transnational Citizens’ Panels, which will prepare thematic questionnaires that will function as a starting point for the thematic discussions at both the national and transnational
Read more →The Guidelines for EU support to civil society in enlargement countries, 2014- 2020, have aimed to support and encourage enlargement countries to create legislation conducive for civil society, promote the involvement of civil society in the pre-accession process, and provide a framework for monitoring and evaluation of the results achieved with the EU assistance. Providing
Read more →Ahead of the commencement of the announced Conference on the Future of Europe, BCSDN provides its opinion and offers a proposal on the role and participation of the Western Balkan citizens and civil society in the forthcoming discussions. Considering the critical and uncertain momentum for the EU, enabling a space for citizens to deliberate and
Read more →European Parliament believes that Conference on the Future of Europe should seeks ways of involving representatives of the EU candidate countries in discussions. This is stated in a resolution setting out the vision of this institution for the upcoming Conference. The resolution was adopted with 494 votes for, 147 against and 49 abstentions. People of
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