One of entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska is moving ahead with its controversial “foreign agents” law despite domestic and international pressure and CSOs’ concerns. These worrisome developments, following examples of narrowing civic space in the country, reflect a broader pattern of suppressing dissent. The draft law on the Special Registry and Publicity of Non-Profit Organizations, known as ‘foreign agents’ law, published on the Ministry of Justice’s website on April 3, 2024, imposes strict reporting and compliance rules on CSOs funded from foreign funding, going beyond international standards. Failure to comply could result in serious sanctions, including bans on…
Author: anja
Curious about recent concerns over manipulated elections in Serbia? Wondering how citizens are mobilizing amidst these irregularities? How do government responses impact civic engagement, and what successful advocacy strategies have emerged amid challenges? BCSDN and Civic Initiatives are organizing an online discussion, scheduled for April 17th at 11 am CET via Zoom, to address these questions. The event will provide an opportunity to discuss successful citizen mobilization and advocacy efforts, as well as anticipate and prepare for potential repercussions arising from these developments. If interested in joining the conversation, read the full concept note and agenda and register here. Source:…
As part of our efforts to provide a more enabling civil society environment, and to inform our audience about recent civil society developments in the region, we present our periodical civil society updates. Divided into three areas based on our flagship tool, the Monitoring Matrix, the April 2024 report highlights ongoing challenges and progress in areas of basic freedoms, financial sustainability, and government-CSO relations. In this edition, we find delays in legal reforms impacting civil society, increased state interference, and obstacles to freedom of expression across the Western Balkans. CSOs in Albania and Montenegro face regulatory challenges hindering VAT exemptions…
In its latest Nations in Transit report, Freedom House reveals that all Western Balkan countries remain categorized as hybrid or transitional regimes. In 2024, Freedom House introduced new labels to indicate differences between hybrid regime types depending on the overall trajectory of democracy in the last five years – differentiating between “autocratizing hybrids”, “democratizing hybrids, and “cyclical hybrids”. The report cites events such as protests in reaction to mass shootings in Serbia in May, leading President Aleksandar Vučić’s government to rig the snap December elections. In North Macedonia, corruption increased following Bulgaria’s veto of the state’s EU accession. In Bosnia…
Ahead of the European Commission’s fifth annual rule of law report in July 2024, 39 CSOs across the EU urge action to enhance the effectiveness of the rule of law dialogue, improve reporting impact, and combat systematic human rights violations in EU Member States. CSOs emphasize the need for a transparent, participatory, and rule of law-centered approach by the incoming Commissioner. Key recommendations include prioritizing the rule of law in the Commission’s agenda, empowering the new Commissioner for Justice, enhancing self-assessment mechanisms, contextualizing and detailing annual rule of law reports, addressing concerns regarding civic space, enforcing court decisions, safeguarding freedom…
Open Gov Week is a global initiative promoted by the Open Government Partnership (OGP) to raise public awareness of the values of open government. On this occasion, reformers will come together in public debates, assemblies, hackathons, and webinars, and by sharing stories and good practices will accelerate solutions to respond most pressing problems and advance democracy. They aim to achieve this by protecting the right to information, fighting corruption, safeguarding civic space, combating climate change, improving digital governance, opening up budgets, ensuring all voices are heard, expanding access to justice, guaranteeing media freedom, and enhancing public participation. For the open…
Despite opposition and criticism, Republika Srpska proceeded with its controversial proposed law on “foreign agents,” targeting the work of NPOs in the entity. The law would define “agents of foreign influence” as NPOs assisted by foreign entities that are engaged in political activities, try to influence public opinion and undermine the integrity and constitution of RS. The law mandates reporting to the Justice Ministry within 15 days of receiving any support. Previously, BCSDN took several actions to react and raise awareness of this adverse trend in BiH and its impact in the region, urging relevant international stakeholders in the region,…
The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers adopted the Recommendation on countering the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). The newly adopted Recommendation provides a definition of SLAPPs, understood “as legal actions that are threatened, initiated or pursued as means of harassing or intimidating their target, and which seek to prevent, inhibit, restrict or penalise free expression on matters of public interest and the exercise of rights associated with public participation. For application of the Recommendation, broad public participation is intended. The recommendation, welcomed by the CASE Coalition, sets standards for member states to uphold human rights obligations…
ENCL’s latest position paper analyzes how the proposed Directive of the European Parliament and the Council establishing harmonised requirements in the internal market on transparency of interest representation carried out on behalf of third countries and amending the previous Directive may unnecessarily and disproportionately impact CSOs’ activities, as well as their freedom of expression, association, and privacy. The reasons behind this include a broad definition of ‘interest representation activities,’ an unclear definition of ‘activities of economic nature,’ and a problematic definition of ‘remuneration.’ Additionally, there’s an unclear definition of what constitutes representation carried out on behalf of third countries, and…
The SafeJournalists Network expresses concern over coordinated efforts to undermine Citizens Channel, an independent media outlet in Albania. Recent actions to remove its content from Facebook, citing violations such as spam or rule-breaking, threaten independent journalism and citizens’ right to quality information. Such attacks not only infringe on journalistic rights but also intimidate other media entities, potentially hampering investigative journalism in Albania. Authorities and online platforms are urged to protect Citizens Channel and uphold journalistic integrity online, with a call for Facebook to review and reinstate unjustly removed content. The SafeJournalists Network stands in solidarity with Citizens Channel, advocating for…