At the last Western Balkans Summit in Vienna in August 2015, a Civil Society Forum was held for the first time, where political decision makers came to dialogue with civil society, and one civil society representative was able to join the leaders’ summit. Various civil society organisations gathered around this initiative with the desire to develop a common position when it comes to following the footsteps of the first Berlin Summit 2014, and to construct a sustainable platform for civil society to cooperate and develop a dialogue with political leaders and governments.

The Civil Society Forum Belgrade intends to continue to contribute to the greater role, visibility and impact of the civil society in the so-called “Berlin process”.

The May 2016 Forum will build on the work already done by following the Vienna Civil Society Forum held in August 2015 and RCC’s Regional Cooperation Day in Sarajevo in December 2015.

Heading towards the Western Balkans Paris Summit in early July 2016, it is legitimate to ask how civil society from the region can contribute to the continuation and promotion of this important initiative. Its main aim is to establish a sustainable and relevant second-track process as a common WB-EU platform dedicated to the challenges in the Western Balkans, but first and foremost to broader European cohesion, which has to be co-shaped by the civil society, policy community, media and other relevant stakeholders.

For detailed information about the Civil Society Forum Belgrade, have a look here.