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Western Balkan citizens believe that the civil society is the main correctional factor for governments to take responsibility for their actions. This fact was announced during the latest meeting of the 7th Western Balkans Forum.
The Civil Society Forum for the Western Balkans (WB), launched yesterday in Tirana, will discuss some challenging topics: The role of civil society organizations in promoting regional cooperation (trade and investment, connectivity and people in human relations), the state of social dialogue, and enabling civic space in the region.The Forum brings about 150 participants, including a wide range of civil society representatives from the EU and the Western Balkans, as well as representatives of EU institutions, international organizations and regional governments.
"The level of civic trust in governments and politics in general in the Western Balkans is worrying, as 60% of citizens do not trust their governments, parliaments and judicial systems, according to the findings of the new Balkan Barometer edition, based on data from 2018" , said Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC).
"According to the same conclusion, WB citizens believe that civil society is the most functional body that can hold responsible the governments - every other citizen believes civil society can play a critical role in government action, better than the media or parliaments. So since citizens' trust is set up with civil society organizations, expecting them to put pressure on governments and have a critical approach, they should focus on four key elements: Rule tof law; Strengthening the institutions; Exercise the culture of civil pressure, not allowing the first two to be violated; and finally, not to become hostage to the funds of governments that currently buy the critics. Civil society does not need to convince anyone of their irreplaceable role, especially in our region. They must act according to the power they have."
Bregu invited CSOs to work with RCC and the region in developing the new Southeastern Europe Strategy 2030.
Luca Jahier, chair of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), stressed the importance of civil society's role in promoting reconciliation in the region, underlining its support for the European Union's enlargement process.
The forum is expected to issue a final statement with the recommendations of civil society organizations at the end of the event.