Skopje was the backdrop for the third convention of the Engaged Democracy Initiative (EDI), where nearly 100 activists, journalists, and changemakers converged from across the Western Balkans. Hosted by the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) from 21-23 May, the event carried the theme “Engage, Inspire, Empower!” and tackled pressing regional issues, including environmental degradation, the decline of public space, media sustainability, labor rights, digital surveillance, and the surging anti-gender movements. The key takeaways across all the EDI’s thematic areas were that we are witnessing a widespread disruption – whether through environmental destruction caused by mining, the shrinking of public space driven by global crises such as wars and national issues like corrupt urbanization, corporations exploiting workers’ rights across the region, the misuse of private data by big tech, or activists being surveilled and subjected to SLAPPs. On top of all this, the media landscape is grappling with existential challenges to sustainability amid shifting donor practices and priorities. Read more here.
Source: European Fund for the Balkans