Over the past years, LGBTI equality laws and policies have slowly but steadily advanced all across Europe. When it comes to the LGBTI domain in Bulgaria, however, the picture is more than alarming. Not only do gay people often face discrimination and hate speech, both from politicians and society at large, but the legal framework deprives them of basic rights, which for heterosexual persons are taken for granted by
During 13th–1 5th April, the second edition of Together for the Future, the national meeting of civic group members and partners from the Contract Romania national civic network, took place in Sibiu, Romania. The Together for the Future II conference was organised by Inițiativa Romania in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and is a continuation of a Contract Romania project that began in 2017. The aim of
The amazing increase in the quantity and speed of information, provided by digital means that were unthinkable just 10 years ago, brings us ever-closer to a digital world. This makes the world perceivably smaller, yet more complex at the same time. Goods and services are delivered in shorter periods, while citizens’ expectations towards public services and information, as well as political participation, changes. Download the publication “eDemocracy and eParticipation: The precious
It seems easy to lose hope for a better life in Bulgaria–more than half of the young people between the ages of 18 and 25 are willing to leave their country. The mood among those studying medicine is especially alarming; two-thirds of them claim that they would like to seek their happiness abroad. Their reasons are well-known and all relate to the buzzwords “corruption” and “a lack of jobs and
“What does our dream state look like and how could our country transform into such a place?” This topic prompted 55 Bulgarians between the ages of 18 and 25 from all over the country to participate in a five-day discussionary format in search of specific actions to address those problems that they would like to see solved in their own future Bulgaria. This first of its kind youth seminar offered
Against the backdrop of rising national discussions about restricting the i-voting in the world’s internet voting leader – Estonia, the European Liberal Forum with the support of the Academy of Liberalism of Estonia and the Project office for Southeast Europe of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom organised the workshop “Digital Democracy and e-Participation. A Liberal Approach to Inclusive Governance in Northern Europe” in Tallinn on 14 June 2017.
The civil society across the region demands a change and slowly shapes e-Democracy initiatives. If e-democracy tools meet the public and political support, they will allow for wider and broader citizen’s participation and involvement in decision-making. The ELF Workshop “Digital Democracy and e-participation. Inclusive Governance in Southeast Europe” was the first of three ELF workshops, researching and assessing the current trends and best practices in the area of e-Democracy
This year’s Free Market Road Show across Europe and the Caucasus was convened in the aftermath of Trump’s election as President of the US and Brexit – both events menacing the liberal basis of modern free economies. To initiate an open, wide-ranging debate on the negatives of protectionism and divided Europe, the Austrian Economic Centre and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Southeast Europe organised the traditional FMRS 2017 in Bulgaria on
An interview with Daniel Kaddik, Project Director of Friedrich Naumann Foundation Southeast Europe on the Bulgarian National Radio. During the recent presentation of the Bulgarian edition of the Black Book of Government Waste 2017 you encouraged the people in Bulgaria to get angry. Considering the results of the presidential elections, do you think that the Bulgarians got angry? Unfortunately, I see that Bulgarians are angry quite a lot. However, they
A strategic planning workshop of the Liberal South East European Network (LIBSEEN) was held in Sofia, Bulgaria, to evaluate the network’s capacity and to help strengthen the political cooperation within Southeast Europe. The strategic planning workshop came as the culmination of the efforts to revitalise regional cooperation in Southeast Europe over the past two years. LIBSEEN began to intensify its activities in 2015 following the establishment of its Steering Committee