News and updates from BCSDN and the region
In a move to empower civil society actors, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) has released a new guide on how to use EU law to challenge restrictive national legislation. This resource provides a practical, step-by-step approach for organizations facing unlawful or limiting measures, clarifying legal avenues at both the national and EU levels.
Read more →Across the Western Balkans, the last decade has witnessed a deepening of democratic backsliding, marked by the rise of competitive authoritarian regimes and the growing use of nationalism and religion as political tools. While the formal mechanisms for EU integration remain intact, the underlying commitment to democratic reform appears increasingly compromised. Key institutions are frequently
Read more →The European Union System for an Enabling Environment for civil society (EU SEE) project has released the first batch of its Country Focus Reports, offering detailed, evidence-based insights into the conditions in which civil society operates across 86 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, the Americas and the Caribbean. Rather than
Read more →Between April and June 2025, key developments took place in North Macedonia related to the rule of law and its EU accession process, particularly within the areas of democratic institutions, public administration reform, and Chapter 23 on Judiciary and Fundamental Rights. In April, the Council for Cooperation between the Government and Civil Society held its
Read more →The European Commission has opened a public consultation seeking input on the “retention of data by service providers for criminal proceedings”, inviting civil society organisations and individuals to share their views on how such rules may impact fundamental rights. This move comes as part of broader plans to introduce legislative and non-legislative measures at the
Read more →In June 2025, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) introduced a new procedure intended to mitigate the unintended consequences that its standards can have on non-profit organizations (NPOs). While the measure aims to ensure that rules on combating terrorist financing are applied proportionately and without suppressing legitimate civil society activity, leading UN Special Rapporteurs have
Read more →The Council of Europe Steering Committee on Democracy (CDDEM) has launched a public consultation seeking input on the draft text of a revised Recommendation concerning the legal status of CSOs. Recognising CSOs as essential to democracy, the rule of law, and human rights through their role in promoting public awareness and participation, the committee is
Read more →A new U.S. executive order is poised to fundamentally reshape federal grant funding by aligning it directly with the President’s policy priorities. The article outlines how this “structural transformation” will introduce political oversight, potentially terminate existing grants, and make peer review optional. For grantees, this creates new administrative and legal challenges, potentially leading to the
Read more →Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe reacts to the new EU-US trade agreement with concern. The deal, which triples U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports, directly undermines the stability and sustainability of the civil society sector by locking the continent into a long-term dependency on fossil fuels. This move, which clashes with the goals of the
Read more →The working document on “Enhancing Western Balkans’ Participation in Horizon Europe and Framework Programme 10,” provides an analysis of current participation trends, structural challenges, and opportunities for scaling up engagement in EU-funded research and innovation programmes. This working document finds that WB6 has improved its participation in Horizon Europe, with Serbia and Montenegro emerging as
Read more →The Clingendael Institute’s geopolitical mapping of the Western Balkans highlights a troubling trend: external influences are actively undermining the enabling environment for a stable and democratic civil society. While the region is formally on the path to EU integration, a complex web of international powers is exerting influence that erodes democracy and stability. This poses
Read more →The intensifying crackdown on the “Students in Blockade” movement in Serbia is a critical challenge to the enabling environment for civil society. What began as a demand for accountability following a tragic infrastructure collapse has evolved into a nationwide protest for democracy and transparency. However, UN experts report that the Serbian government is responding with
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