News and updates from BCSDN and the region
The Spotlight Report 2019 dives more deeply into the (global) governance arrangements and institutions that will be necessary to implement alternative policies and to unleash the transformative potential of the SDGs. It offers analysis and recommendations on how to strengthen inclusive and participatory governance and to overcome obstacles and gaps in the implementation of the
Read more →After the intense election period, it is time to draw lessons from messages in the ballot boxes and think about the key responsibilities of the EU leaders in the time to come. The votes express fragmentation of our societies, as a consequence of past and current policies. The increased participation clearly indicates that voters mobilised
Read more →The rule of law has to be one of the main goals of the Berlin Process and it is necessary to bring the reforms closer to citizens in a less complicated way and improve regional cooperation – this was the conclusion of the panel discussion “The Berlin Process: Ahead of the Poznań Summit” organised by
Read more →The rationale of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans has been changing during the last couple of years. The consolidation of stability and the full implementation of liberal political and economic reforms are no longer the principal for the region’s EU accession. European decision-makers have been increasingly claiming that the EU should move on to
Read more →BCSDN published its 10th analysis of the annual Commission Enlargement Reports, assesing the progress made in the area of civil society development and dialogue with public institutions in 2019, set against BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix. Along with the progess reports, the EC published a Communication on EU Enlargement Policy, noting with a remarkably positive tone the historic agreement on
Read more →On June 4th, 2019, BCSDN participated at the ‘International Civil Society Forum 2019’, in Bucharest, Romania. The Forum gathered more than 200 participants from 28 European countries, concerned that democracy, human rights or the rule of law are increasingly threatened throughout Europe. The event was organised by FDSC Romania and CNVOS in cooperation with the European
Read more →On the 30th and 31st of May, BCSDN participated at the consultation meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association (FoAA), organized jointly by CIVICUS, ICNL and OHCHR in Johannesburg, South Africa. The consultations addressed the Special Rapporteur’s coming report to the UNGA where – following up on
Read more →Antidemocratic leaders in Central Europe and the Balkans—including some who have brazenly consolidated power beyond constitutional limits—continued undermining institutions that protect freedoms of expression and association and the rule of law, writes Freedom House in its latest report “Freedom In The World 2019“. This annual global report on political rights and civil liberties covers 195
Read more →On 29th May, the European Commission published its annual enlargement package – a set of documents explaining its policy on EU enlargement. This year the package includes a Communication on enlargement which sets out the way forward – 2019 Communication on EU Enlargement Policy and country reports that present detailed assessment of the state of play and the progress made
Read more →The European Commission published the reports and analysis of the progress made in April 2019 by Facebook, Google and Twitter to fight disinformation. The three online platforms are signatories to the Code of Practice against disinformation and have committed to report monthly on measures taken ahead of the European Parliament elections in May 2019. Vice-President for the Digital Single Market
Read more →The Open Government Partnership (OGP) published a thoughtprovoking collection of essays to breathe new life into the debate on the future of Europe. The essays are written by a diversity of European voices from all Member States, including leading decisionmakers, civil society activists, journalists, academics, and youth leaders, among others. The publication focuses on three main ideas: Better quality dialogue and participation on issues people care about, Smarter use of technology, combined with ‘European-style’ regulation and More collaboration and leadership inside the EU and across the globe. Read more here Source: OGP
Read more →Continuing the efforts of the Balkan Civic Practices edition on Promoting Civic Space, BCSDN invites contributions from its members and partners in the form of op-eds, articles, case studies and creative reflections for the second edition, themed “Resilience through Togetherness”, to be published in June 2019, with the support of the Balkan Trust for Democracy. Contributors should submit abstracts
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