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Balkan Trust for Democracy Bulletin – Fall 2007 September 18, 2007

Letter From the Executive Director

Dear Friends,

A very active summer for the Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) is coming to a close. Taking advantage of the summer holidays, BTD organized numerous conferences, workshops, and forums that enabled the sharing of ideas, educational opportunities, and the development and articulation of strategies to achieve common goals among civil society, policymakers, researchers, and academics. Most of the meetings were of a regional nature, demonstrating that the nations of Southeastern Europe share common challenges that deserve coordinated efforts and regional approaches to their solution. Information on individual events can be found in the BTD News section of this newsletter.

Also putting the holidays to good use, many notable events were organized for students and young leaders during their school breaks. BTD supports many of these opportunities for young people in the region to: develop their leadership skills, advance their educations, expand their horizons, and work together on challenges they face in their communities, countries, and regional areas. Developing our younger generations is a key goal for BTD as broad-minded, forward-looking, and actively-aware youth are essential to building equal and stable societies of tomorrow. In the last year, 36 percent of BTD-funded projects directly targeted youth, with many involving a network, often regional, thus simultaneously encouraging multicultural tolerance and cooperation. Recent highlights of BTD-supported youth projects are detailed below, including the highly successful School of Politics network.

We are pleased to announce continued support from the Tipping Point Foundation, a private Bulgarian foundation, which renewed its commitment to BTD for an additional year. In addition, to its commitment to BTD, the Tipping Point Foundation continues to provide support to other valuable projects of the German Marshall Fund, such as the high-level Brussels Forum and Transatlantic Trends, a public opinion survey that examines American and European attitudes toward the transatlantic relationship. Bulgaria and Romania, the newest members of the European Union, were included in the survey for the second consecutive year. On September 10, I traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, for the official launch of the 2007 Transatlantic Trends key findings report to highlight those issues of particular interest to Bulgarians.

Preparations for BTD's annual advisory board meeting, which will take place this year in Cavtat, Croatia, are currently being finalized. The gathering will provide an opportunity to reflect upon our last year of work, as well as plan for the future. We hope that you will join BTD and our partners as we continue supporting democratization efforts in the region.

Best wishes,

Ivan Vejvoda
Executive Director

BTD News

Young Leaders from Eastern Europe gather for Summer University for Democracy

From July 2-6, over 600 participants from 15 countries in the Balkans, Caucuses, Russia, and Ukraine attended the second Summer University for Democracy, the annual meeting of the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe. Since its establishment, each of the schools has participated in an annual closing seminar in Strasbourg, the seat of several European institutions. In 2006, in order to increase the visibility of the program and forge stronger ties among participants from all schools, closing seminars were merged into a single large event, the Summer University for Democracy.

BTD supports five of the 15 schools in countries in transition, which consist of year-long courses to develop future leaders in politics, economics, culture, and society, held under the aegis of the Council of Europe. Held in the Palais de l’Europe (Palace of Europe), the seat of the Council of Europe, this year’s summer university with the theme, The Future of the European Project, was a truly important event, where graduates benefited from a week of listening to international and European leaders and experts and discussing common regional problem as well as forging bonds for future engagement. Summarizing its significance, particularly for the Balkan region, Amir Redzic, a participant from Sarajevo, said, "The summer school is proof that the two main factors needed for the development of our region are education and mutual communication."

Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg, Parliamentary Assembly Vice President Göran Lindblad, Vice-Chairman of the French Senate Philippe Richert, Chairman of the Open Society Foundation George Soros, Belarus Opposition Leader Alexandre Milinkevich, and BTD Executive Director Ivan Vejvoda were among the notable speakers at the event. There was a strong presence from Serbia with President Boris Tadic and Speaker of the Parliament of Serbia Oliver Dulic, which coincided with the current Serbian presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Black Sea Trust and Balkan Trust present at workshop to elaborate civil society goals in the Black Sea region

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Crisis Management Initiative organized a two-day workshop July 10-11 in Bucharest, "Matching Words and Deeds - Enhancing the Role of Civil Society in Building Black Sea Regional Security," under the auspices of the Black Sea Forum for Dialogue and Partnership. In 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became EU member states, the European Commission recognized the need to treat the Black Sea as a region, and GMF’s Black Sea Trust (BST) became operational (the official launch will be in October 2007). In light of these events, it is clear that an active civil society is necessary to secure peace and stability in the region. With participants from NGOs, think tanks, experts, and government representatives, the workshop aimed to assess the region’s priorities and develop means to engage governments and civil society to cooperate on challenges in the region.

On behalf of the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Alina Inayeh, BST director; Mark Cunningham, BST program officer; and Ivan Vejvoda, BTD executive director, presented the work of BTD and introduced BST. The sharing of best-practices and transfers of experience from GMF projects, the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe and BTD were also offered as valuable tools, while their active engagement proved GMF’s genuine interest in building democracy and strategic thinking in the region. The opportunity to meet with participants also stressed the eagerness of civil society leaders to cooperate with the Black Sea Trust on promising regional projects.

A list of 10 conclusions from the conference included the recommendation that if regional security is the goal, conflict resolution and building peaceful societies must be a priority for civil society and donors alike.

Young leaders convene in Greece around security issues in SEE and Middle East

The Hellenic Foundation For European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in cooperation with BTD and the Arab Reform Initiative organized the 17th Annual Halki International Seminars on "Re-defining Security in SEE and the Middle East: Searching for New Ways to Address Regional Security Problems" from September 12-17 on the Island of Rhodes, Greece. The goals of the seminars are to create strong links among emerging young leaders, including political and economic decision-makers, researchers, academics, and journalists; increase participants’ knowledge through the exchange of ideas and experiences; and provide training on European integration processes and strengthening civil society. The focus of this year’s seminars was the role of transatlantic institutions in helping local stakeholders deal with security challenges. GMF’s Senior Transatlantic Fellow Ian Lesser was present at the seminar, while BTD Executive Director Ivan Vejvoda gave introductory remarks and spoke on a panel discussing major flashpoints that included Southeastern Europe, the Middle East, the Black Sea region, and the Caucasus.

Belgrade launch of book on citizens' role in democratic breakthroughs in Central and Eastern Europe

A presentation of the book "Reclaiming Democracy: Civil Society and Electoral Change in Central and Eastern Europe," edited by GMF program officer Joerg Forbrig and GMF director for Central and Eastern Europe Pavol Demeš, was held in Belgrade on June 18. The book, authored by civil society leaders, researchers, and academics, explores how the semi-authoritarian regimes that gained power following the fall of communism in 1989 were deposed by citizens and the civil society sector and additional factors such as economics and youth participation helped to bring about democratic changes. BTD executive director Ivan Vejvoda and Pavol Demeš were joined by one of the contributing authors, Jelica Minic of European Movement in Serbia, who together with Miljenko Dereta, director of Citizens' Initiative, wrote about the mass movements to overthrow the Milosevic regime in Serbia in 2000. Wide media coverage accompanied the presentation, including the popular daily, Danas, which reported that Vejvoda "stressed the significance of solidarity as an important European value which made political change possible." It is important to remember the strength of citizens to enact positive change, as many more reforms are still needed in the societies of the region. The book was also presented in other countries covered in the book.

Locally-produced documentary on Yugoslavia's children of war re-airs in the region and internationally

NGO Document's award-winning documentary series, Lexicon, produced with the support of BTD is to re-air on Serbian national television station, Radio Television Serbia (RTS), as well as on satellite, reaching audiences in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Winner of the UNICEF award for Best Media Reporting on Children and Child Rights in Electronic Media, the nine-part series follows the exchanges and communication among pairs of 16-26 year-olds from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia who were children during the Yugoslav wars. Each young person was assigned to another from another country, providing a face to the other side, and allowing the development of new friendships. The participants and the viewers of the documentary are then able to learn something new through personal stories, rather than representations of a country in general, as each young person has his/her own unique experience. The series will air every Tuesday at 5 p.m. on RTS beginning September 11. The satellite program began September 4, airing every Tuesday at 1:20 p.m.

Balkan Euroatlantic integration highlighted at security forum in Macedonia

Macedonia was the host of the second Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Security Forum "Promoting Peace and Stability: Current Challenges and Solutions" on June 28-29 in Ohrid. EAPC (a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries) and Partnership for Peace gathered the informal meeting of ministers, senior officials, parliamentarians, academics, NGO representatives, and journalists from 49 EAPC and partner countries for in-depth discussions of important security policy issues. The NATO delegation was led by Secretary-General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and the United States delegation was led by the U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Victoria Nuland. One of the three topics of the forum "Kosovo and the Future of the Balkans / Prospects for Euroatlantic Integration of the Balkans," consisted of two sessions highlighting the importance of Balkan integration into Euroatlantic structures. The first, on Kosovo, brought together the foreign ministers of Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Hungary, as well as UNMIK’s Director of the Office of Political Affairs. The second, on the Balkans as a whole, included the Albanian and Romanian foreign ministers, the Austrian Ambassador to the United Nations, and Gerald Knaus of European Stability Initiative, with one important discussion topic being the intensification of regional cooperation regarding NATO issues.

BTD program officer, Jovan Jovanovic attended on behalf of BTD and summarized that NATO’s desire to stir internal debate by bringing fresh ideas from the outside should be praised and encouraged.

Croatia takes leading role in discussions on advancing progress in SEE at summit

The government of Croatia and the Croatian Prime Minister, Ivo Sanadar hosted the second Croatia Summit 2007: Europe's New South in Dubrovnik July 6-7. As a NATO candidate country, Croatia has "an important role in South-Eastern Europe…with added responsibilities," said Prime Minister Sanadar during his welcome address. The main goal of the conference was to pinpoint the most effective ways to make the most of the Euroatlantic integration process, as the process itself can spur much-needed reforms in the countries of the region. The highly-visible event also helped to raise public awareness to increase support for NATO throughout the region. Participants consisted of presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia including Kosovo, Slovakia, as well as Daniel Fried, U.S. State Department assistant secretary of state; Zbigniew Brzezinski of the Center for Strategic and International Studies; and Peter Semneby, EU special envoy for the Caucuses, among others. BTD Executive Director, Ivan Vejvoda, attended the summit, along with the Executive Director of GMF’s Transatlantic Center in Brussels, Ronald D. Asmus.

Slovenian forum enlists public-private leaders to tackle key European and global issues

The Bled Strategic Forum organized its second annual conference titled "European Union 2020: Enlarging and Integrating" in Bled, Slovenia, August 26-27. The conference brought together government representatives at the highest level, politicians, EU officials, private-sector leaders, and senior representatives from think tanks and civil society to examine the key challenges that Europe is currently facing. The Bled Strategic Forum was set up to expose strategic issues impacting Europe and the transatlantic community, but more importantly, to encourage commitments to implement new strategies and to stimulate public-private cooperation in developing common approaches to specific challenges. BTD Executive Director, Ivan Vejvoda, was a speaker on the panel , "The Next EU Enlargement," which is currently a central issue for the EU following the accession of Central, Eastern and Baltic states and is now focused on the Western Balkans and Turkey. Director of GMF’s Berlin office, Constanze Stelzenmüller, was also a speaker on a panel concerning Turkey. Energy, the environment, and climate change were also one of the main concerns at the forum, as Europe is and must be one of the leaders in combating global warming.

2008 Balkan European Marshall Memorial Fellows selected

The Balkan European Marshall Memorial selection committee convened at the BTD office in Belgrade September 6-7 to interview the final 15 candidates, finally selecting 8 fellows. The Balkan selection committee is comprised of carefully chosen leaders in their own right from throughout the region. The Marshall Memorial Fellowship is an opportunity for young leaders from the United States and Europe to gain insight into institutions, structures, and societies on the other side of the Atlantic by participating in a three to four week traveling program. The 2008 Balkan fellows are: Edon Vrenezi, an environment officer at the World Bank in Kovoso; Denisa Sarajlic-Maglic, policy director for the Governance and Accountability Project in Bosnia; Edvard Mitevski, public diplomacy counselor in Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Goranka Lalic, director of programs at the Croatian Law Center; Sandro Knezovic, research fellow at the Department for International Economic and Political Relations in Croatia; Srdjan Gligorijevic, director of analysis at International and Security Affairs Centre in Serbia; Emin Durakovic, member of the Constitutional Assembly of Montenegro on behalf of the strongest opposition party, the Movement for Changes; and Tina Lakic, a reporter for Jutarnji List, a Croatian daily where she writes on internal and foreign affairs.

First steps in EU for young Europeans

Groups of students from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia, including Kosovo traveled to Europe this summer – for many, their first trip abroad – as part of the Student Travel to Europe project supported by the Robert Bosch Foundation. Read more about their experience on the GMF Blog.

Grantmaking Highlights

Small Grants Program encourages community driven development throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina

Foundation Mozaik presented the completion of its Small Grants Program, ZAZ (Za aktivne zajednice, "For Active Communities"), in Sarajevo on July 12. The program's goal was to strengthen citizen participation in community development and was implemented in 2005 and 2006 with support from BTD. Achievements of the program include increasing the confidence of 40 community organizations to lead local projects and mobilize resources, encouraging rural communities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina to design and initiate their own projects, and empowering citizens to directly influence their local governments. Having monitored the program closely, Mozaik was able to report that an impressive 1,436 volunteers were engaged in implementation of the initiatives through a combined 18,236 hours of efforts; considerable results bearing in mind that community-driven volunteerism is in its early stages in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Examples of concrete improvements implemented as a result of the program include the building or renovation of 9 parks, 5 sports grounds, and 2 bus shelters; the planting of over 1,259 trees and plants; 3 performances of the epic ballad Hasanaginica, an important Bosnian cultural tradition originally handed down orally through four centuries; and the cleaning of over 9,000 square meters of land, rivers, and riverbanks; and countless other changes that benefit local communities. The Small Grants Program is continuing in 2007 with particular focus on supporting marginalized and vulnerable groups.

Prokosko Lake Protection: Joint Effort of Citizens and Government

Protection of the environment must be a joint endeavor of citizens and government. With BTD support, Centres for Civic Initiatives (CCI), a Bosnian nongovernmental organization with a strong track record of promoting active citizen participation in the democratic process, carried out the project, "Monitoring of Implementation of the Law on Proclaiming the Prokosko Lake a Monument of Nature." Prokosko Lake is a unique natural area and is the habitat of 15 percent of all endangered species of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Illegal construction and other polluters, however, have severely polluted the lake and its surroundings, additionally threatening its flora and fauna, including the "human fish," the Alpine Triton salamander, whose habitat is limited to this lake. CCI supervised the work of authorities and ultimately contributed to strengthening the rule of law as they pressured politicians to take greater responsibility for their work and to be more responsive to citizens' needs, as well as the preservation and protection of the area.

During the course of the project, CCI campaigned together with NGO Green Way for the adoption of the Protected Area Management Plan, which was accepted by the Central Bosnia cantonal government in late 2006. It declared the lake a monument of nature and protected area and included concrete measures to be undertaken and the allocation of necessary funds, ensuring the long-term sustainability of the plan. Simultaneously, CCI vociferously advocated for the protection of Prokosko Lake in the media to inform the public of the law’s necessity. Because the forming of the cantonal government was postponed, the implementation was delayed until its forming. But devoted environmentalists continue to put pressure on the cantonal government and envision further steps to be taken. An additional benefit of the project is that the financing of ecological projects has been formally introduced into the cantonal budget, with procedures institutionalized biannually, creating a mechanism linking citizens and NGOs to their government.

Transition, Islam, and Democracy topic of summer school for young leaders

BTD continues its support of the Anglo-Serbian Society, which in cooperation with the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, London organized the 10th International Summer School for Democracy with the theme, "Transition, Islam, and Democracy" from August 27 to September 7 in Belgrade. The Society conducts research in parliamentary tradition and democracy, while also working to advance the educations of young experts and maintaining and researching the historical relations of Serbia and England.

Thirty junior academics and young political and NGO activists from Southeastern Europe attended intensive two-week courses on Islam and democracy, dialogue between Islam and Christianity, and democratic transition in Southeastern and Central Europe. Lecturers were distinguished academics and notable policymakers from SEE countries, Western Europe, and the United States, including Ivan Vejvoda, BTD executive director. A one-day visit to the municipality of Novi Pazar enabled participants to observe inter- and intra-religious/ethnic relations in Sandzak, an ethnically diverse region in Southern Serbia, and meet leading Bosnian politicians of the area and prominent representatives of religious and NGO communities. Through discussions and debates, young scholars and political leaders exchanged ideas and experiences, thus building a community that will significantly contribute to the promotion of democracy and transatlantic cooperation.

The Society has long focused on provocative and current political issues, offering innovative insights. Understanding the relationship between Islam and democracies and its role in contemporary pluralistic society has both global and regional implications. Particularly important to reconciliation in the Balkans, a meeting-place of Christianity and Islam, democratic consolidation cannot be achieved without peaceful coexistence and cooperation between the region's two largest monotheistic religions. In light of this, BTD also supported a conference for young professionals on "Religion and Politics," with the objective to nurture dialogue, cooperation, and integration within Southeastern Europe and on a transatlantic scale. The conference was a project of an interdisciplinary network of young professionals from Southeastern Europe, wider Europe, and the United States and was created by European Movement in Banja Luka and the Transfuse Association.

The topic of next year’s summer school will be "Environmental Challenges and Democracy." BTD acknowledges the importance of understanding the relationship between the environment and democracy.

Regional political debate program promotes dialogue and develops skills of emerging leaders

The Bulgarian School of Politics (BSP), a leader in fostering a community of young politicians and civil servants with four years of experience in administering courses on political skills at a regional level, is currently implementing the project "Political Debate in Southeastern Europe" to promote a culture of dialogue and elaborate common solutions to challenges facing the region. A series of three five-day programs will strengthen leadership skills and cross-border cooperation among 35 young leaders from representing political parties, media, and NGOs from Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia, including Kosovo. Each session consists of a lecture, question and answer discussion, small group work on case studies, simulation games, and public discussion. Besides obtaining theoretical and practical knowledge, participants exchange ideas and experiences, and meet and debate directly with local experts and politicians. The first event was held in Skopje June 12-17 on the topic "Political Democracy." A highlight among the guest speakers was H.E. Kiro Gligorov, former president of the Republic of Macedonia, who captivated the young audience with his first-hand accounts from his political activities in Tito’s Yugoslavia following the end of the Second World War, to his role in negotiating the peaceful withdrawal of the Yugoslav army from Macedonia and the establishment of the independent Macedonian state. Relations among participants were friendly and supportive, creating a multiethnic, multinational training environment for acquiring political skills and exchanging best practices. The second session is scheduled for October 3-7 in Zagreb and will deal with conflict management and negotiations.

The disconnect between politicians and publics in Southeastern Europe is a critical problem, especially in light of important challenges including unresolved territorial issues, the rising influence of populist and nationalist parties and leaders, high levels of citizen distrust in political parties and their reluctance to participate in political reforms, and fragile civil and democratic institutions. The Bulgarian Political School has developed a proven approach to this problem through delivering high-quality courses to well-selected groups. So far 3 ministers, 5 deputy ministers, 32 mayors, 19 MPs, 38 municipal councilors, and many others have been trained in their programs.