The Balkan Civil Society Development Network has launched a 12-month pilot of a system for the early identification of threats to civic space in the Western Balkans and Türkiye.
Announced on 14 August 2026, the Regional Civic Space Early Warning System and Response Mechanism will be developed and tested by the network together with its members. It is intended to detect emerging risks, assess their severity and link them to advocacy and response measures. The pilot builds on more than a decade of monitoring conducted by the network through its Monitoring Matrix.
Restrictions on civil society typically develop incrementally rather than through single decisive measures. The pilot will also examine how early-warning evidence can inform enlargement and rule of law monitoring, the Growth Plan and the Reform Agendas.
More information: https://balkancsd.net/bcsdn-to-pilot-a-regional-civic-space-early-warning-system-2/ (opens in a new tab)