News and updates from BCSDN and the region
Target group: Civil activists with outstanding achievements Countries: International Short description: The Prize aims to reward outstanding civil society action in defending human rights in Europe and beyond. Candidates should have made a real difference to the human rights situation of a given group, been instrumental in uncovering large-scale systemic violations or have successfully mobilized
Read more →The Aspen Institute Germany and the Southeast Europe Association have published the recommendations-based conference report from the Civil Society and Think Tank Forum of the Western Balkans Summit, which happened in Berlin in late 2022. Key subjects of this year’s CSF were the Green Agenda, sustainable infrastructure investments, information disorder, and the EU integration process
Read more →The OECD’s first comparative report on civic space offers a baseline of data from 33 OECD Members and 19 non-Members and a nuanced overview of the different dimensions of civic space, with a focus on civic freedoms, media freedoms, civic space in the digital age, and the enabling environment for civil society. It provides an
Read more →The European Policy Institute – Skopje has published a policy brief that examines thoroughly the Open Balkan Initiative. Although regional cooperation is not a newly introduced concept, the publication emphasizes that what makes this idea different from the previous ones, is that it is homeborn, created, and led by the countries themselves. The document further
Read more →Friends of Europe’s flagship annual high-level roundtable has recognized that the hardship imposed on citizens across Europe by the economic impact of Russia’s war has given added urgency to the need for a Renewed Social Contract. The follow-up report from the roundtable, suggests that the contract must define the role of government, business, and civil
Read more →As part of the regional workshop on “The risk of misuse of non-profit organizations for terrorist financing in the Western Balkans”, held in Tirana, BCSDN member Partners for Change and Development Albania presented the Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment Methodology for CSOs. The two-day event focused on the common understanding of global standards of relevance in
Read more →The policy paper published by the European Trade Union Institute explores the EU recovery strategy with a specific focus on its potentially transformative aspects vis-à-vis European integration and on its implications for the social dimension of the EU’s socioeconomic governance, intending to reflect on whether the established measures put forward sufficient safeguards against the specter
Read more →The evolving relationship between Kosovo and Serbia, facilitated by the European Union, is facing its sternest test since 2011 when barricades throughout north Kosovo reflected a situation threatening to spiral out of control. To supplement however this path towards sustainable peace, the EU must consider how it can better engage those constructive voices from civil
Read more →The Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) has published a survey examining the attitudes of the Dutch population towards EU enlargement in the Western Balkans. It presents the perception of previous EU enlargement steps, and the general view of the EU, following the 2019 Dutch parliament veto on EU accession negotiations with Albania, which alongside the
Read more →The UN report reflects the outcome of a hybrid roundtable on CSOs’ engagement in countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism in South-East Europe. The document notes that most of the SEE countries have adopted comprehensive national counter-terrorism strategies, and there is a trend of increasing engagement and openness among member states in the
Read more →The European Civic Forum has launched its podcast series under the title #CivicSpace – an audio piece dedicated to conversation with those fighting for systemic change in Europe and beyond, highlighting important campaigns and sharing inspiring stories of successful activism. The first episode focuses on the 2022 events and why Europe needs strategies for open
Read more →The Tamarack Institute has published the Guide for Building a Sustainable and Resilient Collaboration – a document unpacking the concepts of sustainability and resilience and shares ideas, stories, and resources that will benefit collaborations as they consider them. The publications help interested parties to define the key terms and explore the factors relevant to creating
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