News and updates from BCSDN and the region
On 19-20 October 2023, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) organized the 9th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Thessaloniki. Discussing the impact of geopolitical shifts on the WB and the EU’s enlargement policy, obstacles faced by the region in their accession path, the role of civil society, and ways to monitor civil society
Read more →European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights FRA’s ‘Civic Space Update 2023 highlights civil society challenges. Examples include strategic lawsuits (SLAPPs) and actions against those involved in migrant search and rescue at sea or against those representing vulnerable groups. It also addresses civil society financing. It also examines recent changes to the challenges holding back civil
Read more →For the last three decades, the climate COPs have represented a milestone in the global climate agenda, and with the effects of climate change becoming more and more visible, international, and cross-sectoral collaboration on climate is increasingly critical. Still, for many philanthropy practitioners, the COPs feel opaque, and their significance for their own work is
Read more →In light of significant threats to the civic space in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the reintroduced criminalization of defamation and the draft “foreign agents’ law”, BCSDN and CPCD are organizing a hybrid event in Sarajevo. The gathering will bring together affected CSOs and relevant stakeholders for a comprehensive discussion on identifying potential threats and formulating
Read more →BCSDN published a Policy Brief on AML/CFT Regulations in the Western Balkans and Turkey, providing a comparative analysis of regional AML/CTF regulations and their implications on the CSO sector. The AML/CFT regulations in the WBT have been reflected in many areas: the reporting requirements by the state, the registration of CSOs and related administration requirements,
Read more →ECNL and The Good Lobby offered valuable feedback on the European Commission’s Defense of Democracy package, emphasizing the need for a precise and narrow definition of “interest representation.” They highlighted the importance of adopting risk-based regulatory initiatives that carefully assess the impact on fundamental rights such as freedom of association, expression, and participation. The measures
Read more →According to the Policy Brief published by WB2EU Network CSOs, small and medium-sized enterprises, academia, or other interest groups must be at the center of all policies to ensure democratic institutions. The brief discusses that there is a gap between the Western Balkans and EU member states in human capital, infrastructure quality, the structure of
Read more →The European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), proposed by the European Commission in September 2022, is the first EU-level attempt to establish a binding common framework for media services. It introduces new rules on state advertising, transparency of ownership, audience measurement, and protection of journalistic sources and communications, as well as safeguards for public service media,
Read more →CIVICUS Monitor marked the civic space in BiH as narrowed and added the country to the Civicus Monitor Watchlist following the latest developments on the passed Anti-Defamation Law, and the proposed “foreign agents” prohibiting foreign-funded CSOs and not-for-profit media from engaging in “political activities” under penalty of closure or criminal prosecution. This came as a
Read more →The Council for Cooperation of the Government with Civil Society in North Macedonia plays a crucial role in building trust and fostering cooperation between the Macedonian government and civil society. It aims to ensure that the views of civil society are acknowledged and considered. However, the Council has encountered numerous challenges since its establishment, including
Read more →On September 18-19, world leaders convened at the UN SDG Summit to recommit to Agenda 2030. The Global People’s Assembly, comprising over 2000 activists in-person and virtually, marked the summit’s culmination, featuring 44 national and regional assemblies and numerous local actions. BCSDN ED, Biljana Spasovska, addressed the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) session on
Read more →Emerging from extensive consultations on specific elements of the Model, the revised Template 2.0 presents a comprehensive proposal for amending the EU’s current accession policy. It outlines the overall structure of the Staged Accession Model, providing new specifications on the EU’s ‘fundamentals first’ approach. It defines the ‘essential elements’ of the proposal, which represent the
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