Responding to Political and Social Consequences of the Global Economic Crisis in the Balkans

Project outline

The goal of the project is to help devise and implement common strategies for minimising the effects of the global economic crisis on the political, institutional and social development of the Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The goal will be achieved through the active cooperation among civil society organisations, national, regional and local authorities and businesses. The exchange of good practices and advice on monitoring and proposing policy options with Bulgaria, as an EU member, and its civic organisations will be an important means to achieve the project’s goal.

The specific objectives of the present effort comprise: (i) Establishment of policy expertise which would guide policy-makers and the civil society in confronting the political, institutional and social effects of the world economic downturn on a vulnerable region such as the Balkans; (ii) Establishment of modes of cooperation among the various domestic actors in jointly addressing the challenges of the day. This includes, above all, cooperation among civic organisations, state authorities and the businesses; (iii) Establishing a network of think tanks and NGOs from Bulgaria and the Western Balkans which could serve as a forum for future joint actions in analysing and preventing the political and social effects of a major economic crisis; (iv) Raising the level of social awareness of the negative effects the global downturn may have on the functioning of statehood, democracy and society in small, open economies such as those in SEE.

 Duration: October 2009 - October 2010

The project is supported by the Balkan Trust for Democracy of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

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