By Simona Mladenovska
Policy and Advocacy Officer in BCSD EO
More than 7 years have passed since the largest civic protest in the capital of North Macedonia. I remember it vividly, as vicious times of activists, as an unsafe era defending democratic values, as a hot spring and long summer I spent on the streets and commuting with highly unreliable public transportation of Skopje.
Many things have changed in the past 7 years, some for the better and many for the worse. Yet, it was a recent encounter on the dysfunctional red bus, and the conversation occurring, has taken me back to reigniting my past fears.
Two passengers sitting right behind me are apparently catching up on life and discussing career paths. Based on my personal assessment, the older one is asking about the current work of the younger one and is just finding out that he is working for a non-governmental organization. Without any hesitation, he`s concluding: “- Oh, a Sorosoid!, awkward silence takes place. – So what do you do in the non-governmental organization?”. The other response with an attempt for an explanation of judicial trial monitoring.
To fully understand the gravity of the situation, it is crucial to reflect on the events that transpired over seven years ago. During that period, the civil society community in North Macedonia endured a smear campaign orchestrated by a newly established citizens’ alliance called Stop Operation Soros – SOS. This campaign aimed to tarnish the reputation of civil society organizations, employing derogatory terms like “Sorosoid” and “Sorospija” to delegitimize their work and discredit their mission.
Amidst the challenges faced by civil society organizations (CSOs), it is disheartening to witness a significant drop in the public image and trust towards these vital actors in recent times. Current data from reputable surveys and polls substantiate these concerns, indicating a growing skepticism and diminishing confidence in the civil society sector. This alarming trend points towards a worrisome future trajectory for public perception.
Over seven years have passed It has been over 7 years since the orchestrated attacks and state interference plagued the civil society community. While the memories seem to be slowly fading, the targets on our backs seem not to be. What is even more devastating to see, is those same targets being drawn on our fellow CSO activists across the region.
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Balkans, have been the key actors and drivers for the EU integration in the Western Balkan region, promoting the EU values and acting as agents of change contributing to a more just and equitable society. For most of the civil society actors, the EU represents more than the administrative status of a country, it is rather a set of shared values. Through fulfilling these values, countries aspire to ensure a better standard of living, functional democracies, and effective rule of law.
Working on good governance, judicial reforms, anti-corruption, freedom of expression, and human rights, civil society organizations have, through the years, proven that they are the real ally in the defense of the public interest.
Latest developments across Western Balkans, but also the EU, however, are presenting a real danger to the already narrowed space for CSO action, preventing CSOs to fulfill their important role.
In March, the government of Republika Srpska adopted a draft law that would require civil society organizations funded from abroad and active in the Bosnian Serb entity to register and report on their work, in addition to the existing requirements for annual submission of financial and narrative reports, regulated with the Law on associations and foundations. The official communique, states that the amended law shall enable “supervision of the legality of their work and other provisions”, leaving too much space for potential misuse and free interpretation.
Republika Srpska currently counts 7.000 civil society organizations that are officially registered in the entity. Most certainly, the vast majority of them would be marked as “foreign agents” by those provisions, due to the fact that most of the civil society organizations in the region are foreign-donor dependent. BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix Regional Report 2022, notes: ‘’Overall public funding support across the region is marginal and non-predictable. In some countries, like Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia, state financial support is an important source of funding for some CSOs but this support is largely unavailable for CSOs dealing with issues like democracy, human rights, monitoring, etc. There is a notable lack of transparency in the distribution of funds in most of the countries, and this has been one of the initial reasons for increasing GONGO activities, and significant cases of misused funds and non-transparent open calls, especially in Serbia, BiH, and Turkey.”
Despite the claims that this draft law is in line with strengthening the transparency and accountability of the sector, civil society actors, as well as the EU and US diplomatic presence in the country, are stating that the draft in RS is significantly similar to the Russian one from 2017.
Moreover, the risks from this kind of narrowing are not arising only in “democracies in the making”, aspiring to achieve the EU level of democratization.
Bulgaria is an EU member state for 10 years now, and this is the third attempt for a law limiting, prohibiting, and targeting civil society organizations to be brought into force. Submitted to the National Assembly in October 2022, by a group of MPs from the political party Vazrazhdane, the Bill on the registration of foreign agents is another example of the anti-democratic trend in recent years to use legislative initiatives to stigmatize civil society organizations in Bulgaria and attack the fundamental notions of the protection of civil rights – the freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly of citizens. Although the details of this Bill are already known to the public, unlike the one in Republika Srpska, the event this bill is more in line with defeating instead of defending democracy. Foreseeing registration of civil society organizations and individuals as foreign agents for any receipt of funds that goes beyond aprx. EUR 500 while associating their parties with foreign agents, with the exclusion of religious organizations, and delegating additional administrative burden while prohibiting cooperation with state institutions, the law goes directly against basic civic freedoms.
In this part of Europe, civil society is already facing unkind circumstances for optimal operation, and at many times – bare existence as it is. The adoption of this kind of legislation would mean, quite literally, putting a target sign on the whole sector, leading to the personal endangerment of activists and people professionally engaged with civil society. With the most recent development, these slight authoritarian tendencies are threatening to overspill in the EU countries as well. The proposed ‘foreign interference’ directive which would create a register of Foreign Funded organizations, within the awaited Defence of Democracy Package which will be introduced in the following period, threaten to undermine existing and future efforts.
In the face of mounting challenges and unjust targeting, the resilience of civil society organizations and activists shines as a beacon of hope in our increasingly complex world. As defenders of democracy, their unwavering commitment to justice, human rights, and the rule of law remains unyielding. It is our collective responsibility to rally behind them, offering support, protection, and solidarity. By amplifying their voices, standing against suppression, and creating an enabling environment, we can ensure that civil society continues to play a vital role in shaping a future where democracy thrives and where the rights and aspirations of all are safeguarded.
The journey to defend democracy is not an easy one, but it is a fight worth pursuing.