News and updates from BCSDN and the region
BCSDN’s has just released its latest research, Donor Support, Civic Space, and the Future of Civil Society in the Western Balkans, which finds the region’s civil society at a pivotal point. While international assistance remains the sector’s lifeline, shifting donor practices risk entrenching a fragile, donor-driven model. The abrupt USAID withdrawal in 2025 was a
Read more →The Proceedings from the Regional Civil Society Conference “Resilient Voices: Western Balkans Civil Society in a Changing World,” held in Tirana and organized by BCSDN and Partners Albania, confirm that over 150 CSOs, policymakers, and donors gathered to call for stronger protection and sustainable support for the sector. Participants warned that restrictive laws, “foreign-agent” initiatives,
Read more →The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) has placed civil society at the center of its new work programme, “Civil Society at the heart of Europe.” The EESC President, Séamus Boland, announced a people-centered vision focusing on three pillars: A Union of opportunities, security, and resilience. The programme explicitly commits to protecting democracy and civic
Read more →The first Reform Agenda Update: Pilot Reform Monitor introduces mid-year reports on reform implementation in the Western Balkans. The key findings from the Reform Monitor reports, which track the implementation of the national reform agendas in the WB, reveal a persistent gap between political commitments and effective implementation, with many reform steps remaining pending. The
Read more →A new analysis by Alberto Alemanno for EUobserver reveals that policies originally intended for transparency are being weaponized across Europe to dismantle independent civil society. Under the guise of simplification, governments and EU institutions are imposing heavy burdens, with national laws (e.g., in Hungary and Slovakia) classifying EU funds as a form of foreign influence.
Read more →The European Parliament (EP) has delivered a powerful validation of civil society concerns, adopting a resolution that places stringent conditions on Serbia’s EU accession path. The text strongly condemns the escalating political polarization and state repression in the country, aligning directly with the alarms raised by the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) regarding shrinking
Read more →The “Resilient Voices: Western Balkans Civil Society in a Changing World” (Tirana, Oct 1, 2025) gathered over 150 CSOs, policymakers, and donors to confront escalating pressures on civic space, including smear campaigns and potential burdensome EU foreign funding regulations. The event culminated in the publication of a Declaration, which outlines concrete steps for CSOs, governments,
Read more →Balkan Civil Society Development Network Executive Director Biljana Spasovska, speaking at the OGP Global Summit in Vitoria-Gasteiz during the “Participation and Inclusion” Global Dialogue, highlighted the escalating crisis facing CSOs in the Western Balkans. The threat now includes new, problematic legislation alongside tactics like smear campaigns and arbitrary inspections, which effectively silence independent voices. Spasovska
Read more →The Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration was officially adopted at the 2025 OGP Global Summit, securing almost 160 new endorsements. This major commitment unites governments, civil society, and partners in a shared global effort to strengthen democracy and protect civic space. The Declaration reaffirms the open government community’s core commitment to transparency, participation, and accountability as tools to
Read more →The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Gina Romero, has released a new report sounding the alarm over the escalating threats to civic space worldwide. According to the report, the erosion of these fundamental rights has been compounded by the dismantling of global aid systems and increasing
Read more →The “Guidelines on the Right to Peaceful Environmental Protest and Civil Disobedience” have been released, drawing on both the Aarhus Convention and international human rights treaties and standards. These Guidelines provide both guiding and operational principles to assist Aarhus Parties and other UN Member States in protecting environmental defenders who engage in peaceful protest, including
Read more →The Regional Conference “Resilient Voices: Western Balkans Civil Society in a Changing World”, co-hosted by BCSDN and Partners Albania, concluded successfully on October 1, 2025, in Tirana. The event gathered civil society representatives, policymakers, institutional actors, and donors from across the Western Balkans and the European Union. The conference addressed the sector’s challenges and opportunities,
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