News and updates from BCSDN and the region
A new report, “Next Wave: How Religious Extremism Regains Power,” reveals that European anti-gender movements spent $1.2 billion between 2019 and 2023 to target women’s reproductive rights, LGBTQI+ rights, and secular education. CSOs must be aware that this funding, sourced from the US, Russia, Hungary, and other European sources, supports the professionalization of these movements.
Read more →Spyware has emerged as a major threat to human rights and a tool for societal control, undermining privacy under the guise of national security. The book A Privacy Nightmare: Understanding Spyware explores the technical evolution of spyware to sophisticated systems like Pegasus and NoviSpy, its unregulated legal status, and its impact on democracy. Experts argue
Read more →The CASE Coalition has designated the legal actions launched by Stella O’Malley and Genspect against psychotherapist Leonie O’Dowd as a SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation). Despite O’Dowd complying with requests to delete parts of her article, O’Malley and Genspect have threatened further legal action, demanding apologies and retractions. The Coalition condemned the abusive litigation,
Read more →SCiDEV has released a new policy memo, “On the Edge of Convergence,” as part of the “Ignita 2025: On the Edge” Forum. The memo notes positive developments, including Horizon Europe association and Growth Plan financing. However, it highlights persistent structural challenges such as underinvestment in R&D, brain drain, weak governance, and limited EU research participation.
Read more →A new regional overview by the SafeJournalists Network highlights that women journalists across the Western Balkans face disproportionate digital violence that is often systemic and organized. This targeted violence aims to limit their participation in both public and online spaces. While North Macedonia and Croatia have positive legal frameworks, the primary challenge for CSOs seeking
Read more →A new article by researchers Gresa Hasa and Lura Pollozhani critically examines Serbia’s ongoing student-led mobilizations, described as the largest since 2000. The authors argue that the movement has exposed systemic corruption and fostered democratic practices and solidarity, yet also faces significant constraints. They point to the regime’s reliance on violence, elite loyalty, and external
Read more →Criminal defamation and insult provisions in Albania’s draft Penal Code have raised serious concerns over potential threats to freedom of expression and media independence. During the 10th Thematic Working Group on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists, the Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV) presented its independent legal analysis of the draft code,
Read more →EU enlargement continues to be one of the European Union’s most powerful instruments for shaping the future of the continent. Rooted in the Treaty on European Union and guided by the Copenhagen Criteria, enlargement is conditional and merit-based, relying on the commitment of candidate countries to implement reforms while navigating a complex institutional framework that
Read more →International research and innovation cooperation has become a strategic pillar for strengthening research and innovation ecosystems in the Western Balkans, the EU Member States and beyond. By connecting researchers, institutions and governments across borders, this cooperation facilitates knowledge exchange, builds institutional capacity, and fosters scientific progress that no country could achieve alone. Bilateral partnerships in
Read more →The Expert Council on NGO Law of the Conference of INGOs has launched a new study on “Recent national developments that actually or potentially undermine the ability of NGOs to operate”. CSOs across Council of Europe member States and Kosovo are invited to contribute by filling out a short questionnaire on the situation in their
Read more →The Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe has established the European Anti-SLAPP Monitor which aims at providing information on the status of transposition and implementation of European instruments on SLAPPs at national level. It will track the progress of European Union and Council of Europe member states in transposing and implementing the Anti-SLAPP Directive and the CoE Recommendation.
Read more →New EU anti-money laundering regulations, set to take effect in July 2027, pose a significant threat to the enabling environment for civil society organizations (CSOs) by targeting a vital fundraising tool: crowdfunding. Despite being a crucial and low-cost way for CSOs and informal groups to mobilize resources, platforms like North Macedonia’s Op-Op and Slovakia’s Donio
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