Updates

The draft of the Law on Initiating the Process of Armenia’s Accession to the European Union was proposed by the ‘Euroqve’ Initiative Group, showing the power of citizens’ constitutional right to legislative initiative.

The Government launched a process to amend the legal framework on transparency in decision-making, while CSOs propose a broader legal approach that extends beyond transparency, to ensure meaningful participation at all stages of policymaking.

New law introduces European standards regarding participation in decision-making processes, good governance, and dialogue between residents and local authorities.

Government has rolled back some elements of the newly-introduced licensing requirements on social service providers, because of their negative impact on the care homes sector.

Amendments to the Law on Grants establish a state agency to allocate 6.8 million EUR to organisations. Independent and critical CSOs consider this fund as an attempt to create a civic sector aligned with the ruling party's agenda.

The US funding freeze delivers yet another significant blow to an already fragile civic sector in the EaP region. But the sector is resilient, and funders must stand up and support the causes.

As part of the EU accession, the draft Roadmaps address important issues for CSO enabling environment, such as public participation, protection of defenders and financial sustainability.

In a troubling shift toward authoritarian governance, Georgia’s ruling party has enacted legislative reforms that drastically restrict freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and proposed changes to restrict media, public participation.

A new draft law proposes broader access rights for journalists and transparency obligations for parliamentary and local bodies, aiming to boost public trust during martial law — but concerns over misinterpretation remain.

Armenia takes important step with a new body dedicated to strengthening participatory governance and supporting civil society development.

Between January 25 and 26, websites hosted inside Belarus were blocked for viewing by foreign visitors, and popular VPNs were blocked for users inside the country.

Despite the release of over 200 political prisoners in 2024, the upcoming election is marked by hundreds of new criminal cases and thousands of ongoing persecutions.