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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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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Long road to new government – Liberals in it for the first time
On 2 October 2022, Bosnia and Herzegovina held its ninth regular parliamentary and presidential elections amidst brewing crises, both domestic and international. The liberal party “Naša stranka” is poised to be the part of the new governing coalition. Despite some successes of progressive parties, the ethnic nationalist and conservative parties continue to dominate. All of this will make for a challenging environment in which liberals will have to manoeuvre, seeking to affirm the principles and values around which the party was built.
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Final Report on Media Monitoring Serbia - 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. -
The Vučić System
Following the analysis of the protest movements in Serbia in recent years, another analysis of political developments in Serbia is now available from Serbia's former ambassador to Indonesia, Jovan Jovanović.
The focus is on the development of democracy and the rule of law. What the author presents in detail about the "Vučić System" and backs up with numerous sources is as illuminating as it is sobering. -
With whose head do you think, if not with your own?
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Serbia after the elections
The visit to Serbia, which took place from 3 – 6 May under the title ‘Serbia after the 2022 elections, was organised by the Southeast Europe Society (SOG) in cooperation with six German political foundations. Approximately 20 staff members for German MPs of different political persuasions had the opportunity to inform themselves comprehensively about the current political and social situation in talks with representatives from politics, culture and non-governmental
Social Media
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We just returned from #Zagreb where we spoke to our liberal partners Centar, Liberali - HSLS, and IDS - Istarski Demokratski Sabor. Next year is set to be a crucial election year in #Croatia, with European, parliamentary, and presidential elections on the horizon. During our visit, we took the opportunity to pay tribute to one of Croatia's most revered figures - 🏀Dražen Petrović, a true legend in the country's athletic history. #croatia #Europe #reshapeeurope
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