Civic Space & Democratization

Lead: Partners Albania Co-Lead: Transparency International (BiH)

Civic space across the Western Balkans Six is under growing pressure, from restrictive NGO legislation and shrinking operating environments to threats against activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. This group treats democracy and civic freedoms as both a precondition and a goal of EU integration, and its central demand is that civic-space protection should become a binding accession benchmark rather than a declaratory aspiration. Its work spans electoral integrity and media freedom and sustainability. It also examines alignment with EU priorities such as the European Democracy Shield and the role of civil society in accession monitoring and public consultation.