This position paper addresses the common challenges to democracy in the Western Balkans (WB) and Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries from a civil society perspective. In these regions, democracy is often a matter of procedural compliance rather than substance and as long as managed democracy and hybrid authoritarianism prevail, democratic resilience will remain fragile.
Despite these challenges, civic action stays vibrant and resilient. However, while popular uprisings can disrupt the system, it is difficult to transform that energy into lasting reform without structural support. For democratic consolidation to happen, it needs more than just formal frameworks; it requires a vibrant civil society acting as an active architect in a continuous, dialogue-based process.
This position paper created as a joint effort by a consortium of nine civil society organizations with the support of International Visegrad Fund and invaluable contributions by different authors from the regions presents a series of recommendations not only to the EU but also to civil society organizations from within and from outside the analyzed regions.
