Dear partners and members, 2019 has been a great year for internal growth and recognition of our work. At the same time, it has been a difficult year for the region, for civil society, and for citizens. We have seen a decline in democracy and civic space in many countries. We present a short recap of 2019, wishing for a 2020 and a new decade where civil society actors take the power back and lead a positive change in our region. We invite to stay tuned for future BCSDN activities, where we stay committed to closely monitoring the environment in which we operate, to stronger advocacy towards the Governments and the EU and opening our actions towards other CSOs through regional grants and supporting innovation in civil society functioning.