What's New

News and updates from BCSDN and the region

CIVICA Mobilitas Citizen for Change Newsletter, May – August 2020

In the fifth edition of the magazine “Citizens for change”, Civica Mobilitas presents the challenges with which were faced the CSOs in North Macedonia, as well as the adjustment to the new circumstances. The CSOs have continued their activities in response to the COVID-19 crisis by providing services to the target groups they serve. They

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The EU’s strategic interest in the Western Balkans: Stimulating EU’s Strategic Autonomy Through Cross-Border Cooperation, Policy Paper Published

A policy paper, published by IDSC, the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis” – Skopje, finds that the Western Balkans are a compelling place for the EU to begin exercising the role of a strategically autonomous actor. The COVID-19 crisis has provided EU member states with a new-found sense of solidarity, with initiatives such as “Corona

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The State of Digital Organizing in Europe 2020, Report Published

In the first study of its kind, Tectonica and GQR surveyed 150 progressive organizations fighting for social, environmental, and economic justice across Europe. The organizations provided answers to questions, such as: How can we define digital organising? How well is it understood? What do digital organising practices look like? How much are they utilised in

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New Website Dedicated to Monitoring the Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development in the Western Balkans and Turkey Launched

BCSDN is happy to announce it has launched a new website for monitoring the enabling environment for civil society development in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The new website is based on the comprehensive Monitoring Matrix tool, developed to assess the legal, regulatory, and financial environment in which CSOs operate. The website features present the

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CSOSI 2019 for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia Published

USAID published the 23rd edition of their Civil Society Organization Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 24 countries in the region during 2019. In 2019, CSOs across Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia continued to be impacted by and respond to major political developments, including elections and changes

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Civil Society Concerned About the abolition of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society in Serbia

In a statement, Serbian CSOs demand the Government to provide sufficient resources and formal competencies for mechanisms to involve citizens in decision-making processes. They also request the Government to explain why the decision to abolish the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society and reduce the existing competencies within the new Ministry, was made through a

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BCSDN Background Analysis of the Enlargement Package 2020: Should Civil Society Be Satisfied with Just Being Acknowledged?

BCSDN published its 11th consecutive analysis of the European Commission Enlargement Package 2020, assessing the progress made in the area of civil society development and dialogue with public institutions in Enlargement countries, and published recently, against BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development. Regarding the overall progress in the enabling environment for

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Civil Society Role Amid COVID- 19 in the Balkans

During the COVID- 19 pandemic, governments in Southeast Europe have imposed significant restrictions on fundamental human rights and freedoms. The Associate Direction for programs at Human Rights Watch has suggested that government actions have been detrimental to human rights through excessive restrictions of movement, as well as, deepening discriminatory patterns to vulnerable groups, such as

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BCSDN Background Analysis of the Enlargement Package 2020: Should Civil Society Be Satisfied with Just Being Acknowledged?

BCSDN published its 11th consecutive analysis of the European Commission Enlargement Package 2020, assessing the progress made in the area of civil society development and dialogue with public institutions in Enlargement countries, and published recently, against BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development. Regarding the overall progress in the enabling environment for

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BCSDN/ CPDE Webinar: Effectiveness in COVID 19- Lessons Learnt on Effectiveness in Covid-19- Albanian and Armenian Case study

The CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) coordinates a global activity in evidencing Effectiveness in COVID-19 response to catch the application of effective development cooperation (EDC) principles in national and sectoral strategies policies for COVID-19 response. As part of this global effort, on 1 October 2020, BCSDN organized a regional webinar on the Zoom platform to

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