European Fund for the Balkans

23/04/2026

Over the past weeks, we have been presenting the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) study "Mining in the Western Balkans: How to counter authoritarian extractivism?" in Sarajevo and Belgrade.

📍On 15 April in Sarajevo, the discussion was organised together with the Fondacija Atelje za društvene promjene - ACT and focused on environmental protection, governance gaps, and the growing resistance of local communities to large-scale mining projects.

📍In Belgrade, on 17 April, in cooperation with Institut za filozofiju i društvenu teoriju (IFDT), the debate addressed the political and institutional context in which critical raw material projects are unfolding, and what this means for rule of law, democratic accountability, and EU enlargement credibility.

As the European Union advances its Critical Raw Materials strategy, the Western Balkans are increasingly positioned as a near-shore supplier. The key question on the study remains: can resource extraction strengthen governance, or will it deepen existing structural weaknesses?

📖 The full study will be published in May. Until then, download the policy paper authored by BiEPAG members Vedran Džihić and Marko Kmezić, which summarises the main findings and key arguments of the forthcoming publication.

🔗 Download here: https://www.biepag.eu/publication/mining-in-the-western-balkans-how-to-counter-authoritarian-extractivism

21/04/2026

Join us tomorrow in Berlin and online to discuss how critical raw materials are reshaping the European Union’s green and digital transitions, and what this means for governance, environmental standards, and enlargement in the Western Balkans.

The conversation builds on the BiEPAG publication Mining in the Western Balkans: How to counter authoritarian extractivism?

📅 22 April 2026 | Berlin & Online
🔗 Registration and details in the post below

Critical raw materials (CRM) seem central to the EU’s green, digital, and defence transitions but remain in short supply. To reduce dependencies, the European Commission launched the Critical...

17/04/2026

📣 U jeku najezde velikih rudarskih projekata: Domaće vlasti da osiguraju očuvanje okoliša i zaštitu zdravlja stanovništva!

📍 U organizaciji Evropskog fonda za Balkan (EFB), Savjetodavne grupe za politiku Balkana u Evropi (BiEPAG) i Fondacije Atelje za društvene promjene - ACT u Sarajevu je danas, 15.04.2026. godine upriličeno predstavljanje dvaju analiza koje se detaljno bave problematikom rastućeg interesa stranih rudarskih kompanija za realizaciju projekata širom našeg regiona.

👉 Događaj je okupio istraživače, predstavnike institucija i aktiviste koji su otvorili diskusiju o sve većem interesu za eksploataciju kritičnih sirovina na Zapadnom Balkanu, ali i o ključnim dilemama koje ova tema otvara, od zaštite okoliša i učešća javnosti do pitanja demokratskog upravljanja i evropskih integracija.

📘 Istraživači Vedran Džihić, viši istraživač Austrijskog instituta za međunarodne odnose, i Marko Kmezić, predavač i viši istraživač Centra za studije Jugoistočne Evrope na Univerzitetu u Gracu, predstavili su svoje djelo "Rudarstvo na Zapadnom Balkanu: Kako se suprotstaviti autoritarnom ekstraktivizmu", čiji je fokus to kako politički i institucionalni kontekst utiče na razvoj rudarskih projekata, kao i na ulogu Evropske unije u ovom procesu.

✊ Posebna pažnja posvećena je rastućem otporu lokalnih zajednica i širim društvenim implikacijama rudarenja u regiji.

ℹ️ S druge strane, "Analiza pravnog okvira za rudarenje u Bosni i Hercegovini", u izdavaštvu Fondacije ACT, identifikuje ključne nedostatke postojećeg zakonodavnog okvira u oblasti geoloških istraživanja i eksploatacije mineralnih sirovina u našoj zemlji, kao i preporuke za njegovo unaprjeđenje.

🗣️ Kroz predstavljene analize i širu diskusiju 60-ak prisutnih predstavnika institucija i civilnog sektora ukazano je na realnu opasnost da Bosna i Hercegovina i ostale države regiona postanu prostor masovnih rudarskih aktivnosti s ograničenim ili nikakvim benefita za domaće društvo, uz upućenu poruku vlastima na svim nivoima da upravo na njima leži najveća odgovornost da osiguraju efikasnu zaštitu javnog interesa, odnosno očuvanje okoliša, zaštitu zdravlja i sigurnosti stanovništva i očuvanja domaćih ekonomskih interesa.

🛑 Ne pristajemo i nikada nećemo pristati na ulogu rudarske kolonije!

15/04/2026

⚠️ Rudarski projekti u regionu: Nama uništena životna sredina, a rudarskim kompanijama ogromni profiti!

📘 U toku je događaj na kojem predstavljamo istraživanja pod nazivom
"Rudarenje na Zapadnom Balkanu: evropske vrijednosti ili evropski interesi".

🗣 Otvaramo diskusiju o sve većem interesu za eksploataciju kritičnih sirovina na Zapadnom Balkanu, ali i o ključnim dilemama koje ova tema otvara, od zaštite okoliša i učešća javnosti do pitanja demokratskog upravljanja.

15/04/2026

📣 Zdravlje ljudi nema alternativu!

🗣 Kratki osvrt Marka Kmezića, višeg straživača Centra za studije Jugoistočne Evrope na Univerzitetu u Gracu i jednog od dvojice autora, na analizu "Rudarstvo na Zapadnom Balkanu: Kako se suprotstaviti autoritarnom ekstraktivizmu".

✊️ Život, fizičko i mentalno blagostanje > ekonomski interesi rudarskih kompanija!

15/04/2026

We're excited to share an invitation to the presentation of a brand new research study by the European Fund for the Balkans and BiEPAG:

"Mining in the Western Balkans: European Values or European Interests?"

Join us on 17 April 2026, starting at 10:00, at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (45 Kraljice Natalije Street, Belgrade) for an open discussion on one of the most important and contested issues shaping the region's future.

The programme includes:
🔹 Panel 1 (10:00–11:15) – Presentation by the research team
🔹 Panel 2 (11:30–12:45) – Discussion with stakeholders from Serbia
🔹 Closed roundtable (13:30–14:30) – Experts, activists & civil society

📋 Register here: https://tinyurl.com/mpu7en6r

📄 Read the policy analysis: https://tinyurl.com/mtdevs7c

We look forward to seeing you there!

Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are central to the EU’s green, digital, and defence transitions but remain in short supply. To reduce dependencies, the European C...

03/04/2026

A new generation of changemakers has officially joined the EFB community through the successful completion of the BeeEffect programme. 🎉

Through shared learning and collaboration, participants have worked on ideas that contribute to positive change across the region, and their journey continues beyond the programme.

🎥 The video highlights some of the key moments, energy, and impact created throughout the programme.

For more about the programme and its outcomes, visit: https://balkanfund.org/news/beeeffect-programme-successfully-concludes-welcoming-a-new-generation-into-the-efb-community

Congratulations to everyone involved, looking forward to your continued contributions and impact across the region and beyond! 🚀

02/04/2026

Looking forward to the discussion “Is the EU Ready? Security, Enlargement, and Europe’s Geopolitical Responsibility” taking place in Vienna on 9 April.

At a time of shifting geopolitics, security challenges, and renewed momentum for EU enlargement, this discussion will explore whether the European Union is ready to assume greater strategic responsibility in the Western Balkans and beyond.

The event brings together members of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and is organised in cooperation with the Austrian Institute for International Affairs.

More information and registration:

The Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG), in cooperation with the Austrian Institute for International Affairs (oiip), is pleased to invite you to a public panel discussion on the futur...

18/03/2026

📢 FUNDING OPPORTUNITY – INNOVATION GRANTS 💡

Have you identified a new way to reach citizens that no one in your context has tried yet? Are you sitting on an idea for a tool or approach that could change how local transparency or civic participation works, but haven't had the space or resources to test it? Have you seen a gap in how movements communicate, organize, or advocate, and have a hypothesis about how to close it?

Our Innovation Grants are the civic sector's R&D fund, and they exist for exactly these moments of creative possibility.
Unlike most grants, these are not designed for proven models or established activities. They are designed for experimentation: for piloting, testing, and iterating new ideas over a maximum period of six months, with the understanding that not everything will work, and that learning from what doesn't is part of the value.

We are not looking for certainty. We are looking for bold ideas and a genuine commitment to trying something that could shift how civil society operates in the Western Balkans.

Thematic focus areas: Human Rights, Environment, Media, Decent Work, Public Spaces

Learn more & apply: https://www.balkanfund.org/applications/response-hub-innovation

Connecting People, Ideas, and Institutions for a Democratic Western Balkans.

16/03/2026

⚡ Electricity • 🔥 Heating • 🌐 Internet • 🏠 Rent

None of these appear in a mission statement. None of them make it into a programme report. But without them, there is no organization. No team. No mission. No movement.

Local activism is too often derailed not by a lack of vision or commitment, but by the "boring" costs of keeping an organization alive through a difficult stretch. A delayed grant disbursement, an unexpected expense, a funding gap between projects: these are the things that quietly close doors that took years to open.

Our Organizational Urgency Grants exist to be a lifeline in exactly these moments. They are designed to cover essential core operational costs for organizations facing a temporary short-term crisis that threatens their daily functioning. Not to scale a programme, not to launch something new, but simply to ensure that a vital organization can keep its lights on while it finds its footing again.

This grant is available once per calendar year and there is a limited number of total grants available.

Thematic focus areas: Human Rights, Environment, Media, Decent Work, Public Spaces.

Learn more & apply: https://www.balkanfund.org/applications/response-hub-organizational-urgency

Connecting People, Ideas, and Institutions for a Democratic Western Balkans.

14/03/2026

SOCIAL URGENCY GRANTS - open on a rolling basis 🚨💡

A flash protest against illegal construction that will harm the environment and needs logistical support overnight. An emergency advocacy campaign against a legislative change pushed through without public consultation. A community in shock after a local disaster, looking for someone to help coordinate their voice.
These are the moments when civic action matters most, and when the speed of events can outpace the capacity of even the most committed organizations.

Our Social Urgency Grants are built for exactly these high-stakes windows. They support rapid interventions in response to sudden social, political, or environmental developments where a fast reaction can steer public discourse, prevent the rollback of hard-won rights, or seize an opportunity for policy change.

We know that in these moments, slow funding processes are not just inconvenient, they are part of the problem. That is why this grant is designed to move quickly, so that you can too.
If your organization is facing a moment that demands immediate civic action, we want to hear from you. Don't wait.

Eligible countries: Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro.

Thematic focus areas: Human Rights, Environment, Media, Decent Work, Public Spaces

Learn more & apply: https://www.balkanfund.org/applications/response-hub-social-urgency

Connecting People, Ideas, and Institutions for a Democratic Western Balkans.