News and updates from BCSDN and the region
As part of our efforts to provide a more enabling civil society environment, and to inform our audience about recent civil society developments in the region, we present our periodical civil society updates. Divided into three areas based on our flagship tool, the Monitoring Matrix, the April 2024 report highlights ongoing challenges and progress in
Read more →In its latest Nations in Transit report, Freedom House reveals that all Western Balkan countries remain categorized as hybrid or transitional regimes. In 2024, Freedom House introduced new labels to indicate differences between hybrid regime types depending on the overall trajectory of democracy in the last five years – differentiating between “autocratizing hybrids”, “democratizing hybrids,
Read more →Ahead of the European Commission’s fifth annual rule of law report in July 2024, 39 CSOs across the EU urge action to enhance the effectiveness of the rule of law dialogue, improve reporting impact, and combat systematic human rights violations in EU Member States. CSOs emphasize the need for a transparent, participatory, and rule of
Read more →Open Gov Week is a global initiative promoted by the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to raise public awareness of the values of open government. On this occasion, reformers will come together in public debates, assemblies, hackathons, and webinars, and by sharing stories and good practices will accelerate solutions to respond most pressing problems and advance
Read more →BCSDN’s 18th Annual Council Meeting held in Vienna focused on reviewing past achievements, future plans, and adopting the new BCSDN Strategy 2024-2027. The meeting emphasized the importance of inclusive discussions, supported by Peace Nexus, to enhance monitoring, evidence-based advocacy, and stakeholder awareness. Significant milestones included the effectiveness of the Monitoring Matrix in advocating for an
Read more →The EU approves membership negotiations with BiH, eight years post-application, following the European Commission’s recognition of BiH’s progress in aligning with EU standards. The president of the European Council, Charles Michel welcomed the decision, affirming BiH’s place in the European family. President of the EC von der Leyen hails historic advancements, including foreign policy alignment
Read more →RECLAIM, an initiative aiming to counter the EU’s democracy crisis and the increasing global disregard for human rights, launches an EU Law Helpdesk to aid European CSOs combating government efforts to restrict civil society. Autocratic-leaning governments enact laws limiting CSO operations, violating democratic principles. RECLAIM offers legal counseling, assisting in constructing arguments, suggesting procedural avenues,
Read more →Western Balkans leaders, under the Berlin process, launched the Common Regional Market initiative, centered on the four freedoms and including digital, investment, innovation, and industry policies. The Western Balkan countries undergo different progress and challenges of the Common Regional Market initiative, focusing on the ratification status of mobility agreements. While Montenegro ratified all four agreements,
Read more →The European Parliament held a public hearing on 20 March, discussing on the Future of Europe, featuring topics such as the Conference on the Future of Europe and the European Parliament’s Treaty Change Resolution. The members of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (AFCO) assessed progress and future steps, aiming to enhance EU competences, while discussions
Read more →The Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Transformation Index (BTI), which analyzes transformation processes toward democracy and a market economy in international comparison and identifies successful strategies for peaceful change, presents its 2024 results for Eastern European countries. Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine causing anxiety, the report presents fostered cooperation and a shift towards Western alignment. Progress in democratization,
Read more →Bosnia and Herzegovina has received green light for EU accession negotiations, marking significant progress. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision, citing BiH’s alignment with EU policies and adoption of crucial laws, such as the Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest, and the Law on Prevention of Money Laundering and Financing
Read more →In its latest opinion, EESC emphasizes the need to enhance citizen participation, as outlined in Article 11 of the Treaty of the European Union, and calls for a coherent strategy for civil dialogue, proposing an action plan and a potential interinstitutional agreement among EU bodies. It suggests making Article 11 more effective by reinforcing actors
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