European Fund for the Balkans

The European Fund for the Balkans (Serbian Cyrillic: Европски фонд за Балкан; abbreviation: EFB) is a foundation based in Belgrade. It was founded in 2008 as a joint initiative by the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the ERSTE Foundation, the King Baudouin Foundation and the Compagnia di San Paolo[2] in order to support countries from the former Yugoslavia during their EU association process.[3]

European Fund for the Balkans
Европски фонд за Балкан
10th anniversary logo of the foundation
Formation16 April 2008
Founded atBelgrade, Serbia
TypeFoundation
Legal statusActive
PurposeJustice, public administration reform, civil society, international cooperation, European integration;[1]
HeadquartersMajke Jevrosime 20, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Location
Region
Southeastern Europe
Official language
English
Executive Director
Aleksandra Tomanic
Websitewww.balkanfund.org

The EFB coordinates the Civil Society Forum within the framework of the Berlin Process.[4] On its 10th anniversary of the foundation launched the Declaration of a European Balkans Partnership, a document signed by numerous Balkan actors which calls for more engagement by the EU in the former Yugoslavia to complete the region's socio-economic transformation. Declaration was authored by Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) who consulted Balkans state officials, representatives of European Union, representatives of civil society and renowned experts and intellectuals. [5]

Programmes

The European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) has two main programs aimed at developing human capital. One is the Fellowship Programme for Government Officials from the Western Balkans launched in 2008 which aims to educate civil servants about European political and social systems. The other is a series of Policy Hackathons, events aiming to create new solutions for issues faced by the citizens in the Balkans.[6]

The Think and Link Regional Policy Programme was launched in 2008. Its aim is to support Balkan civil society organisations and independent institutes in the fields of public analysis, research and public policy proposals. [7]

A project aimed at improving regional cooperation is the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), which represents a group of experts engaged in researching political, economic and social trends in the Balkans. EFB established this group together with the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz in 2013.[8][9]

10th anniversary

On 16 April 2018, its 10th anniversary, the foundation launched the Declaration of a European Balkans Partnership, a document signed by numerous Balkan actors that calls for more engagement by the EU in the Yugoslav successor states in order to complete the region's socio-economic transformation.[10][11][12]

Balkanoscope

On 26 March 2018 a new project called "Balkanoscope" was presented in Brussels. It is a joint initiative of European Western Balkans and European Fund for the Balkans.[13] Aim of the project is to "present the Balkans from a different viewpoint...where real people are struggling with real issues" by publishing different stories and interviews.[14]

As of 7 August 2018 there are English and French version of the portal.

References
  1. "Vodič kroz potencijalne izvore finansiranja | Evropski Fond za Balkan". vodic.gradjanske.org (in Serbian). Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  2. "Launch of the European Fund for the Balkans – ERSTE Stiftung". ERSTE Stiftung. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  3. "European Fund for the Balkans | Robert Bosch Stiftung". www.bosch-stiftung.de. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  4. "About - The Berlin Process". The Berlin Process. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  5. "Zalažemo se za novo partnerstvo Evropske unije i Balkana". Dnevni list Danas (in Serbian). 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-07-04.
  6. "Developing human capital - Balkan Fund". Balkan Fund. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  7. "Building the capacities of think tanks - Balkan Fund". Balkan Fund. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  8. "Advocating Europeanization and regional cooperation - Balkan Fund". Balkan Fund. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  9. "About the Group – BiEPAG". www.biepag.eu. Archived from the original on 2018-06-26. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  10. "The Declaration of a European Balkans Partnership is launched". www.kbs-frb.be. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  11. "More sincerity and transparency needed between EU and WB". N1. 16 April 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  12. "Evropski fond predstavlja deklaraciju o evropskom partnerstvu s Balkanom". Novinska agencija Patria. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
  13. "Sutra u Briselu "Balkanoskop – priče o Balkanu u prvom licu" | Srpska dijaspora | Vesti iz dijaspore i o dijaspori". www.srpskadijaspora.info (in Serbian). Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  14. EWB (2018-03-27). "Balkanoscope presented in Brussels - European Western Balkans". European Western Balkans. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
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