News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The Venice Commission has updated its Rule of Law Checklist, a key reference tool for assessing how the rule of law functions in practice across different legal systems. The Checklist sets out a comprehensive framework covering core principles such as legality and legal certainty, including transparent law-making, legal clarity, and the predictability of laws. It
Read more →New EU initiatives, including the EU Civil Society Strategy, the European Democracy Shield, and preparations for the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, signal a shift toward making civic space, participation, and civil society protection central conditions for accession rather than peripheral concerns. These developments are unfolding amid growing political pressure on civil society within the EU
Read more →For BCSDN, 2025 marked a period of consolidation and increased influence within the regional advocacy landscape. We have released several key pieces of research and tools aimed at strengthening democratic participation. We have concluded a new Monitoring Matrix cycle, with an annual regional report on the civil society environment, and launch of an interactive Monitoring
Read more →Throughout Europe’s history, moments of mass mobilisation have marked demands for democratic change. In 2025, renewed civic mobilisation has re-emerged across the continent, including through large-scale student-led protests in Serbia against systemic corruption and governance failures. This mobilisation is unfolding alongside mounting restrictions on civic freedoms. The European Civic Forum’s latest Civic Space Report documents
Read more →Managed by BIRN, the SPEAK platform provides a secure and anonymous channel for reporting digital rights violations across the Western Balkans and neighbouring countries, enabling citizens, journalists, and activists to document illegal surveillance, data misuse, online harassment, and disinformation. Using BIRN’s ECR tool, the platform ensures anonymity while exposing how digital abuses increasingly shape civic
Read more →The Aspen Institute has released its new study, capturing key insights and policy recommendations from its October 2025 Tirana conference. The publication analyzes how rapid technological shifts, demographic changes, climate pressures, and geopolitical tensions are reshaping the region’s labor markets and social cohesion. It highlights civil society as a key actor in managing structural change
Read more →BCSDN has published its 2025 Research in Focus report, “The Missing Lens: Rethinking the Enabling Environment for Gender Equality and Civil Society in the Western Balkans,” which analyzes the civic space for gender equality and feminist organizations in the Western Balkans. The research reveals a concerning trend, highlighting the growing influence of coordinated anti-gender movements.
Read more →The CIVICUS Monitor’s 2025 People Power Under Attack report signals a significant global decline in civic space, with fundamental freedoms under severe attack. The report reveals that only 7.2% of the world’s population now lives in countries with “Open” or “Narrowed” civic space, while 83 countries are rated “Repressed” or “Closed.” The most frequent violations are the detention of protesters, journalists, and human rights defenders;
Read more →The CIVICUS Monitor downgraded Serbia’s civic space from “Obstructed” to “Repressed” in its 2025 annual report, citing escalating attacks on fundamental freedoms. Authorities have clamped down on protests, leading to violence and mass detentions, while freedom of expression is under sustained attack. Civil society warns that a proposed Criminal Code amendment threatens to criminalize peaceful
Read more →The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted its opinion on the European Commission’s proposals for the 2028–2034 AgoraEU and Justice Programmes with near-unanimous support. The EESC strongly endorses the Commission’s ambitions and urges the European Parliament and Council to maintain the proposed budget, emphasizing that democracy, rights, and the rule of law must remain
Read more →Our member, Građanske Inicijative (Civic Initiatives), was presented with this year’s Lala Human Rights Award by Ambassador Martijn Ehlersma of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Serbia. The award, granted annually by the Dutch government for courageous and tireless work in advancing human rights, recognized Civic Initiatives for its long-standing, constructive, and
Read more →The European Parliament has adopted its position on the draft Directive on Transparency of Third-Country Interest Representation, intended to expose lobbying on behalf of non-EU governments while excluding normal civil society work, research, media, and general foreign funding; however, European CSOs warn that vague definitions, unclear safeguards, and new terms such as “third-country sponsor” leave
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