What's New

News and updates from BCSDN and the region

Powerful Interests are Driving Digital Repression in Southeast Europe

Digital spaces are increasingly becoming a pressure point for civic voices in Southeast Europe, where environmental activists, independent media, and anti-corruption groups face growing risks from online harassment, surveillance concerns, disinformation, and legal intimidation. Monitoring by BIRN shows that attacks are often targeted at actors challenging entrenched political or economic interests. Environmental defenders have been

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Rule of Law at a Crossroads: EU Considers Freezing1.6 Billion EUR in Funds for Serbia

The European Union is reviewing its financial commitments to Serbia following the adoption of controversial judicial reforms, warning that these measures are “eroding trust.” EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos confirmed that the Commission is reconsidering a 1.6 billion EUR allocation of loans and grants under the EU Growth Plan, citing strict rule-of-law preconditions. The new

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Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska Confirms “Foreign Agents” Law Unconstitutional, Ending Pressure on Civil Society and Media

The Constitutional Court of Republika Srpska has confirmed the unconstitutionality of the Law on the Special Registry and Publicity of Non-Profit Organisations, known as the “foreign agents” law, months after the Constitutional Court of BiH struck it down. The law, adopted in 2025, had been widely criticised as a repressive measure targeting civil society, journalists,

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Corruption Perceptions Index 2025: Anti-Corruption Efforts Stall as Civic Space Shrinks

The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) signals a worrying global stagnation in the fight against corruption, with the world average at 42 and more than two-thirds of countries scoring below 50. The results point to persistent weaknesses in governance, accountability, and the effectiveness of oversight institutions, alongside growing pressure on those working to expose wrongdoing.

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Digital Repression at a Record High: 15 Years of Global Internet Decline

According to Freedom House’s Freedom on the Net 2025 report, global internet freedom has declined for the 15th consecutive year, with conditions worsening in 28 of the 72 countries assessed. The findings point to a troubling global trend marked by more arrests for online expression, expanded digital surveillance, and growing use of information manipulation by

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BCSDN: Western Balkans CSOs and the EU’s New Democracy Instruments- Leverage to Defend Civic Space, or New Risks of Restriction?

At a BCSDN online roundtable on the new EU democracy instruments: EU Civil Society Strategy, the European Democracy Shield, and the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework and WBT civic space, experts highlighted opportunities for engagement, protection, and support for CSOs, but warned of risks from security-driven approaches that could restrict civic space. While the EU Civil

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Survey on the Enabling Environment for Civil Society in 2025 in BiH and North Macedonia (Deadline: February 2026)

BCSDN members MCIC and CPCD are conducting surveys to monitor the enabling environment for CSOs in North Macedonia and BiH in 2025. The surveys are part of BCSDN members annual research cycle and the broader regional study on the enabling civil society environment, BCSDN flagship product, based on Monitoring Matrix methodology. The research aims to

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EU Media Platforms: Further Protections for Journalists and Media Freedom Needed in Democracy Shield

The International Press Institute (IPI) and Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) have welcomed the EU Democracy Shield initiative and the European Parliament’s Special Committee’s Rapporteur’s draft report published on 21 January, and call for concrete implementation plans. They acknowledge the initiative’s strong focus on media freedom, journalist safety, and Anti-SLAPP measures, while stressing that political

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CASE Coalition 2025 SLAPPs Report: Democracy in the Dock

Abusive lawsuits aimed at silencing journalists, activists, and other public watchdogs continue to rise across Europe, according to the 2025 Annual SLAPPs Report by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, despite the EU’s new Anti-SLAPP Directive entering into force in May 2024. The report records 167 new SLAPP

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The Cost of Non-Enlargement Would Exceed the Cost of Accession

In a report adopted on 28 January, the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) frames EU enlargement as a strategic investment in the Union’s security and stability, warning that delaying enlargement risks creating geopolitical grey zones vulnerable to malign influence. The cost of non-enlargement would exceed the cost of accession. The report reaffirms that

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