Welcome to the May edition of EED News.
EED is currently preparing for the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2026 in Gdańsk, Poland, where EED is co-organising a Civil Society Forum on 24 June in the margins of the conference. This event will bring together leading civil society actors from across Ukraine for a discussion on their contribution to Ukraine's democratic future and their central role in its reconstruction and recovery. Further information on the URC and the Civil Society Forum will be available at the official event programme website.
In Ukraine, EED co-organised the Democracy Leaders School this May, with the support of the European Union. Thirty participants from across Ukraine took part in expert-led discussions and trainings on democratic governance, electoral standards, communications and advocacy in both national and local contexts. As with previous editions, the School provided an important space for networking and coordination for civil society actors operating under wartime conditions, strengthening opportunities for collaboration and strategic exchange.
In Turkey, on the morning of May 21, the population woke up to one of its most serious democratic crises in recent years after a court ruled the previous leadership congress of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the country’s main opposition party, legally invalid over allegations of bribery and vote-rigging. Opposition figures, legal experts, and civil society actors strongly criticised the decision, describing it as an instrumentalisation of the judiciary by the government.
Demonstrations have spread across Ankara, Istanbul, and other cities, bringing together CHP supporters, trade unions, youth groups, women's organisations and LGBTQI+ activists. EED’s independent media partners are covering the demonstrations and broader political developments and are helping to ensure that a wide range of voices and perspectives are reflected in public reporting. The extent of the crackdown on the main opposition party has intensified broader concerns about shrinking democratic space for civil society, given the ongoing judicial harassment of activists and journalists, and a deepening government pressure against LGBTQI+ civil society. This has included a court ruling closing down former EED grantee Genç LGBTI+ and a lawsuit against its board members.
EED in the Western Balkans
In Albania, concerns over media freedom intensified when the car of journalist and EED media partner Sami Curri was set alight during the night of 26 April while parked near his home in Bulqizë. Curri is the founder of bulqizaime.al, an investigative local outlet reporting on governance, environmental issues and rural communities in the Dibër region. Numerous independent journalists, media organisations and networks, including EED partners Ditar Media, Citizens, Amfora, Grupi ATA and other media, such as SciDev, Safe Journalists Albania, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Unioni i Gazetarëve Shqiptarë, and Reporter.al, expressed solidarity and called for a transparent investigation and accountability.
In Kosovo*, concerns around political pressure, disinformation and the shrinking space for independent Serbian-language media continued throughout April and May. In mid-May, Kosovo Serb local media outlet Medija Centar Čaglavica organised a public debate on the dismissal of employees from Serbian-run health and educational institutions in Kosovo, reportedly linked to political pressure and political affiliation. The debate provided a rare public platform for dismissed workers to share their experiences and generated significant public engagement, with clips from the event receiving more than 300,000 views on social media within a single day. At the same time, EED partners, Radio Gorazdevac and KoSSev reported continued pressure and smear campaigns targeting their editorial work. A series of defamatory articles were published against both outlets in a Serbian propaganda outlet, further contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for independent Serbian-language journalism in Kosovo.
Also in Kosovo, EED partner Hibrid.info, Kosovo's leading fact-checking initiative, launched a social media awareness campaign “#2fake2betrue”, promoting critical thinking and encouraging citizens to verify information before reacting to or sharing online content.
In North Macedonia, members of the EED partner Forum for Educational Change and their families were threatened following a press conference on 30 April about a university professor allegedly promoted without meeting required criteria. They reported the threats to the police station in Tetovo, stressing the importance of resisting attempts to normalise such pressure or undermine their work.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, environmental activists, including EED partners, continue to face SLAPP lawsuits, police detention and public accusations. Despite this pressure, EED partners remain engaged in supporting communities confronted by opaque decision-making processes, ad hoc amendments to spatial plans, and the exclusion of citizens and civil society from public consultation.
In Serbia, media freedom concerns continue to deepen. According to the 2026 RSF World Press Freedom Index, Serbia dropped eight places to 104th position, while Bosnia and Herzegovina fell to 90th. Reporters Without Borders described both countries as increasingly hostile environments for journalism and vulnerable to propaganda. EED supports significant numbers of independent media in both countries.
Awards for EED media partners in the Western Balkans
EED partner Radio Gorazdevac was officially nominated by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo for the European Max van der Stoel Award, presented by the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, in recognition of its contribution to minority rights and independent journalism.
Journalists from a local media outlet in southern Serbia received an investigative journalism award from the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an EED media grantee from Republika Srpska received the “Journalist of the Year” award in the online and written media category from the Journalists Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The outlet has become recognised for its reporting on human rights, marginalised groups, corruption, and nepotism. It was highlighted as a rare example of transparent and professional journalism among the country’s nearly 500 registered online media outlets, many of which conceal ownership structures and newsroom staff and are often linked to political or special interest groups.
Pride and IDAHOBIT in the Western Balkans
Across the Western Balkans, EED partners held a series of events for Pride Month and the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) “In the Heart of Democracy” which took place on 17 May.
In Albania, Citizens.al dedicated a series of reports and social media productions to the Pride Parade on 23 May and the broader situation of LGBTQI+ rights. Their coverage reached more than 2 million people and included human, first-person stories of activists, a couple attending the Pride for the first time and parents of LGBTQI+ community, reporting on the implementation gaps of the National Action Plan for LGBTQI+ rights, and explainers addressing the wave of hate speech and disinformation that followed the Pride Parade in Tirana. Despite the overall positive response, the coverage triggered a backlash from their audience with thousands of hostile comments. Citizens.al followed up with an editorial in support of human rights, equality and the protection of marginalized communities, reaffirming that defending LGBTQI+ rights is an essential part of independent rights-based journalism.
In Montenegro, an exhibition of postcards and panel discussions was organised at the European House in Podgorica. EED partner Queer Montenegro participated in a panel discussion on the rights and visibility of LGBTQI+ communities, including reflections on the latest ILGA Rainbow Map report on human rights. An exhibition by former EED partner and visual artist Andrijana Vešović, known as Zombijana, also took place, presenting the lived experiences of queer people in Podgorica through testimonies, sketches and everyday anecdotes.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, an EED-supported local LGBTQI+ organisation is preparing to open an inclusive youth centre that will function as a hub for education, activism and civic participation. The centre will support young people and marginalised groups through community activities, human rights education and local advocacy initiatives.
In Serbia, EED partner Da se zna marked its tenth anniversary in May through the campaign “10 Years of Struggle”. The campaign highlighted the evolution of LGBTQI+ rights in Serbia since 2016 and presented data on the organisation’s work over the past decade, including more than 150 legal aid cases and hundreds of psychotherapy sessions annually. On the day of the year’s IDAHOBIT, they publicly criticised the Serbian National Assembly’s third rejection of a proposal to place the Draft Law on Civil Partnership on the parliamentary agenda. They called for solidarity and the continuation of institutional efforts towards legal recognition of same-sex unions.
