Western Balkans
For three decades, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has been active in the countries of the Western Balkans, supporting the states on their way to a united Europe. From its project office in Belgrade, it coordinates its political and civil society work and consulting in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia. Together with domestic partners from politics and civil society, the foundation works primarily on the topics of human and civil rights, digital and open society, democracy and the rule of law, as well as on embracing European values and standards in the course of the EU integration process.
News
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New government in the Federation of BiH with liberals in it
Naša stranka, the liberal party, participates in the new government of the Federation of BiH with two ministers: Nasiha Pozder as Minister of Environment and Tourism, and Amir Hasičević as Minister of Trade. The government was finally approved after protracted government formation talks and despite series of blockades and obstructions by outgoing parties, SDA and DF.
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Liberal Serbian Foundation Included in European Think Tank Network
One cannot claim that liberalism is exactly flourishing in Serbia. Nevertheless, successes for liberal politics in Serbian society and beyond can be seen: for example, three representatives of the party “Movement of Free Citizens (PSG)” were elected to the Serbian parliament in the last parliamentary election. Also, due to its clear liberal and pro-European values, the party was accepted as a full member to the European liberal ALDE party in December 2022.
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An Election without Voters
Von den 45.095 wahlberechtigten Bürgerinnen und Bürgern – die meisten davon ethnische Serben – in den vier nördlichen Gemeinden des Kosovo machten lediglich 1.556 von ihrem Wahlrecht Gebrauch: die überwiegende Mehrheit der Wählerinnen und Wähler waren ethnische Albaner und nur 13 ethnische Serben. Infolgedessen sind nun alle gewählten Bürgermeister der vier überwiegend serbischen Gemeinden nun ethnische Albaner. Bei den Wahlen wurde mit nur 3,5 % eine der niedrigsten Wahlbeteiligungen überhaupt verzeichnet.
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Change in Montenegro: Long-term president voted out of office
The newcomer Jakov Milatović, only 36 years old, beats Milo Djukanović, the "permanent president" of Montenegro who had dominated for decades, with an outstanding result. Six weeks earlier, his victory was still considered almost impossible. Since Djukanović dissolved parliament shortly before the presidential election, the future course of the country will only become clear after the parliamentary election on 11 June and the formation of a new government.
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The identity question as a sticking point
About 540,000 Montenegrin citizens are called to vote for one of the seven presidential candidates on 19 March. Incumbent Milo Djukanović wants to do it again, although he has already held this position twice. Even 17 years after the proclamation of independence, the political disputes in the capital Podgorica are marked by the question of identity: Do the country's inhabitants feel they belong to the Montenegrin or Serbian nation? Which language do the inhabitants speak - Serbian or Montenegrin? Does the Serbian or the Montenegrin Orthodox Church exercise spiritual power in Montenegro? These questions determine the political reality of the small country and have already brought down several governments.
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Building Capacities on the Local Level
In times of economic turmoil, it is very important that also municipalities play a vital role in the economic development and sustainability. It is the local level that can best make use of a bottom-up approach including as many citizens as possible.
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Liberal Communicators Network (LCN): Non-Profit Academy 2023
The LCN-Non-Profit Academy will empower liberal communicators to adapt cutting-edge communication strategies, innovation, and marketing trends for he specific context of the mission-driven sector. By innovating non-profit communications, liberals will be better equipped to win the hearts and minds, influence shifts in values and behaviour. Join the Academy to become a member of this European network of marketing professionals in international development.
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Study confirms Serbian media bias in favour of President Vučić
The project focusses on a detailed analysis and assessment of election-related media coverage and the (equal) representation of election candidates in the media, including the identification of possible cases of political bias and violations of standards of truthful objective reporting. One of the main results of this project is that a brief flicker of supposed *media pluralism” was rather artificial and due to the awareness of international observation. I
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EuroPride 2022 - the complicated birth of the first EuroPride in South Eastern Europe
Belgrade hosted EuroPride this weekend, an international event dedicated to the rights of the LGBTIQ+ community. Despite strong opposition from the ultra-right, but also from the Serbian Orthodox Church and parts of the government, the final rally took place in the centre of the Serbian capital on Saturday.
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Regular Economic Report for the first half of 2022
The economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina entered the year 2022 with a series of uncertainties, but also with optimistic expectations that the COVID-19 pandemic has finally passed and that the normalization of economic activities will continue. "There is no more time to lose: 2022 must be the year of social and economic recovery in Bosnia and Herzegovina" is the author's text of the resident coordinator of the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Serbia: Gays and lesbians “temporarily” declared personae non-gratae
Europride begins today in Serbia. Although thousands of protesters have once again taken to the streets in Belgrade against the large-scale event and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had previously announced the cancellation of the Pride event, the international pressure was too great. In the conservative world view of the Serbian president, same-sex partnerships and alternative life plans have no place. LGBTIQ activist Stefan Šparavalo talks about equal rights and social participation in Europe.
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Rainbow Families in Croatia
Two years ago, political scientist Nikolina Herceg Kolman presented an exciting and interesting analysis of how respect for LGBT* rights became a “key issue” and even a “litmus test for being European” in Croatia, which began accession negotiations with the EU in the early 2000s.
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New Head for the Foundation in the Western Balkans
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Belgrade has a new director for its activities in the Western Balkans. In mid-August, Markus Kaiser took over from his predecessor Michael Roick, who is leaving the region after three years. The 42-year-old, who is now in charge of the Foundation’s work in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo, previously worked as Head of Unit for Europe at the Foundation's headquarters in Potsdam.
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Reading recommendations from the Western Balkans
Vacation time is often also reading time. In recent years, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Western Balkans has produced a wealth of publications on the region as well as on developments in individual countries.
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The Inner Courtyard of the European Union
The Western Balkans are again increasingly in the focus of European politics.
In particular, Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has increased fears that this could also have an impact on the still unstable Western Balkan region.
Social Media
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We'd like to acknowledge the work of CRTA and its director, Vukosava Crnjanski. It appears we're not alone in doing so: Ambassade de France en Serbie / Ambasada Francuske u Srbiji has also recognized her efforts towards preserving democracy in 🇷🇸Serbia. As a result, she was awarded the National Order of Merit of the 🇫🇷 French Republic on Friday. Congratulations, Vukosava. Félicitations, chère amie!
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In cooperation with Friedrich Naumann Foundation Europe’s Security Hub we hosted the Liberal Defence Expert Network in #sarajevo at the beginning of this month. The group met with domestic and international experts who provided assessments and insights on various topics related to security and defence. The participants met with the leadership of Naša stranka, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian Schmidt, various experts in the fight against corruption, defence experts, and the Commander of European Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Major General Helmut Habermayer. In addition, the group paid a visit to the Srebrenica Memorial Centre and met with genocide survivors. #security #defence #eu #cooperation #bosniaandherzegovina
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🇧🇦 Our partner and member of ALDE group, Naša stranka is now part of the government on all levels in BiH. Despite blockades, the new government in the Federation of BiH has been formed with two ministers from Naša stranka, Nasiha Pozder as Minister of Environment and Tourism and Amir Hasičević as Minister of Trade. We extend our heartfelt congratulations and best wishes to them as they embark on this new journey. We believe in their capacity to excel and make impactful contributions. Good luck and onward to success! #bosniaandherzegovina #europe #nasastranka #ALDE
