News and updates from BCSDN and the region
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.
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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
Read more →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 →