News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The rationale of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans has been changing during the last couple of years. The consolidation of stability and the full implementation of liberal political and economic reforms are no longer the principal for the region’s EU accession. European decision-makers have been increasingly claiming that the EU should move on to
Read more →BCSDN published its 10th analysis of the annual Commission Enlargement Reports, assesing the progress made in the area of civil society development and dialogue with public institutions in 2019, set against BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix. Along with the progess reports, the EC published a Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, noting with a remarkably positive tone the historic agreement on
Read more →On June 4th, 2019, BCSDN participated at the ‘International Civil Society Forum 2019’, in Bucharest, Romania. The Forum gathered more than 200 participants from 28 European countries, concerned that democracy, human rights or the rule of law are increasingly threatened throughout Europe. The event was organised by FDSC Romania and CNVOS in cooperation with the European
Read more →On the 30th and 31st of May, BCSDN participated at the consultation meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (FoAA), organized jointly by CIVICUS, ICNL and OHCHR in Johannesburg, South Africa. The consultations addressed the Special Rapporteur’s coming report to the UNGA where – following up on
Read more →Antidemocratic leaders in Central Europe and the Balkans—including some who have brazenly consolidated power beyond constitutional limits—continued undermining institutions that protect freedoms of expression and association and the rule of law, writes Freedom House in its latest report “Freedom In The World 2019“. This annual global report on political rights and civil liberties covers 195
Read more →On 29th May, the European Commission published its annual enlargement package – a set of documents explaining its policy on EU enlargement. This year the package includes a Communication on enlargement which sets out the way forward – 2019 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy and country reports that present detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made
Read more →The European Commission published the reports and analysis of the progress made in April 2019 by Facebook, Google and Twitter to fight disinformation. The three online platforms are signatories to the Code of Practice against disinformation and have committed to report monthly on measures taken ahead of the European Parliament elections in May 2019. Vice-President for the Digital Single Market
Read more →The Open Government Partnership (OGP) published a thoughtprovoking collection of essays to breathe new life into the debate on the future of Europe. The essays are written by a diversity of European voices from all Member States, including leading decisionmakers, civil society activists, journalists, academics, and youth leaders, among others. The publication focuses on three main ideas: Better quality dialogue and participation on issues people care about, Smarter use of technology, combined with ‘European-style’ regulation and More collaboration and leadership inside the EU and across the globe. Read more here Source: OGP
Read more →Continuing the efforts of the Balkan Civic Practices edition on Promoting Civic Space, BCSDN invites contributions from its members and partners in the form of op-eds, articles, case studies and creative reflections for the second edition, themed “Resilience through Togetherness”, to be published in June 2019, with the support of the Balkan Trust for Democracy. Contributors should submit abstracts
Read more →On the occasion of the informal summit discussing the vision of the future of the EU after Brexit, civil society from all parts of the Union sent European leaders an open letter with an appeal to Europe what its residents need. The summit in Romania’s Sibiu will bring together the leaders of the EU countries
Read more →The Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia and Minister of Defense Radmila Sekerinska made a statement to the media in which she affirmed the end of the “Desorosoization process” – the intuitional attack on thousands of Macedonian citizens and 22 CSOs in the country. The process of targeted financial inspections started in 2016, led by
Read more →Nearly two decades after the cessation of violent conflict in the Western Balkans and efforts by the international community to support democratic reform, analysis suggests that most countries in the region are losing ground on the rule of law, media freedoms, and democratic accountability more generally. Meanwhile, authoritarian powers such as Russia, Turkey, China, and
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