News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Activizenship is a magazine edited by the European Civic Forum, aiming to connect ideas and experiences, explore and capture current trends and transformations affecting civil society in Europe and beyond. Activizenship brings together stories and analyses to shed light on the potential of civic activism on democratic, social, environmental, cultural and political issues to contribute
Read more →Piloted in 2019, the CSO Meter assesses the civil society environment against a set of standards and indicators in 10 different areas. Based on the information in the country reports, ECNL developed a regional report to highlight the key trends and developments shaping civil society in the region and formulate recommendations to support efforts to
Read more →Rhetoric that attacks civil society’s fundamental freedoms and the rights of excluded groups – such as women, LGBTQI people, migrants, refugees and minorities – is increasingly adopted and promoted by political leaders, and anti-rights groups are claiming civic space at the domestic and international levels. Civil society that defends rights is under attack. CIVICUS research
Read more →The last half-year has seen a startling cluster of protests around the world. Large-scale mobilizations have taken place in a staggering number of places. There is a major problem, however, with the attention that such protests attract, especially at the international level. In the heat of revolt, local people’s involvement is high in energy and
Read more →The continued jailing of over 120 journalists in Turkey as a deep stain on the country’s human rights record was highlighted at the launch of a joint report on 18 November 2019 in Brussels by eight international press freedom and journalism organizations on the status of press freedom in the country. The report reveals an
Read more →In order to establish regular practice of wide-ranging consultations on setting priorities for funding of CSOs by the state, the Department for Cooperation with Non-Governmental Organizations of the General Secretariat in cooperation with the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) organized three consultative meetings with CSOs in three different cities the country. The consultative meetings
Read more →Attacks against journalists and media workers, and impunity for these violations and abuses, are one of the greatest challenges to freedom of expression worldwide. Such attacks are deliberate attempts to obstruct the free flow of information within our societies. A prevailing culture of impunity for threats to the safety of journalists fuels their repetition. A
Read more →Despite deep concerns about the future of democracy, people in Central and Eastern Europe retain a strong attachment to civil society and faith in the freedoms achieved with the collapse of Communism, according to States of Change: Attitudes in Central and Eastern Europe 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall, a report from
Read more →Countries in Central and Eastern Europe that made significant gains in building their new democracies following the Cold War are now experiencing a crisis of illiberalism that is weakening the rule of law, the separation of powers, and the integrity of elections, according to a new Brookings analysis. In recent years, the overall environment for
Read more →Public service media in SEE is an important part of the media landscape. Their existence is enshrined in the law of all countries and their mandate is to serve the whole society by informing, educating, consulting and entertaining. However, public service media have repeatedly been criticized of being the mouthpiece of the government. Thus, this
Read more →Anti-Serbian traitors and members of the “foreign services” who, by seeking “security-sensitive information,” threaten the national security of the Republic of Serbia, this is how the tabloids, as well as some officials and members of the government, see the non-governmental organizations in Serbia. Despite claiming that Serbia is firmly committed to the European path and
Read more →CSOs organized at National and European level, coming from a diversity of areas of citizens concerns have written to Věra Jourová, as the European Commission Vice President designate on Values and Transparency. The signatories of the letter, coordinated by Civil Society Europe, welcome Věra Jourová’s important commitment in a context where freedoms of assembly, association
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