civil society

The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, GRETA, an independent monitoring group, said in a report for the Council of Europe published on Tuesday that Bosnia and Herzegovina's has improved legislation to combat human trafficking but it needs to be implemented more effectively to ensure protection and justice for victims.

An election official holds up a ballot paper during the counting process for the Istanbul mayoral elections re-run in June 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/AKIN CELIKTAS

The Venice Commission said that even under the new law, the election threshold remains "among the highest in Europe", despite being reduced from 10 per cent to 7 per cent.

A study conducted by BIRN in 2021 showed social media platforms removed reported threats of violence and harassment in local languages in 60 and 50 per cent of the cases respectively in four Western Balkans countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Ljubljana – RTV Slovenija journalists continued on Monday the strike they first staged on 23 May, ending the day with a rally protesting against political interference. The public broadcaster’s heads meanwhile ordered that news shows be radically short or cancelled today, a move the staff see as an attempt to undermine the strike.

Ljubljana – A film about leprosy in Sudan by Slovenian human rights activists Tomo Križnar and Bojana Pivk Križnar premiered in Ljubljana on Monday. In a debate that followed, the chair of the WHO executive board and a Foreign Ministry official commented on the failure of institutions to tackle the issue, arguing for cooperation between authorities and NGOs.

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), together with 72 NGOs and professional bodies, on Wednesday sent an open letter to the European Commission demanding it withdraw proposed child abuse legislation and replace it with a provision that secures privacy, security and free expression for all.

Ljubljana – The opposition has presented a critical take on some ministerial candidates in parliament on Wednesday while expressing fears about measures it sees as reminiscent of the socialist era.

Presenting the Democrat (SDS) deputy group’s position, Anže Logar, the outgoing foreign minister, noted that Robert Golob wanted to form a government quickly.

Ljubljana – Slovenia will have to use all EU funds available, grants and loans, to achieve balanced regional development, said Mayor Aleksander Jevšek before his candidacy for minister without portfolio for development and European cohesion policy was endorsed by two parliamentary working bodies on Saturday.

The OSCE ambassador underscored that the problem of surveillance and its impact on media freedoms is not just an issue for the Serbian government, but for European countries as well. Those who control information, control the future.

The "Bulgarian Rise" party of the former caretaker Prime Minister and Defense Minister Stefan Yanev was officially established in the capital, and the Initiative Committee met today.