Horizontal Facility - Vijesti
A public initiative to raise awareness on the fight against child trafficking for forced marriages to kick off in North Macedonia
"Change Your Mind - Stay Out of the Vicious Circle”
Forced child marriage is one of the common types of human trafficking, spiralling out of the circle of poverty. A significant number of the child trafficking victims in North Macedonia are victims of trafficking for forced marriage. To raise public awareness about this crime in North Macedonia,...
Montenegro advances judicial reforms and strengthens victim protection, HF 7’ Steering Committee concluded
Montenegro continues to make progress in judicial reform and enhancing the protection of victims' rights, as concluded in the forth Steering Committee Meeting of the action "Strengthening accountability of the judicial system and enhancing protection of victims' rights in Montenegro" that took...
Kragujevac schools celebrate the day of education for democratic culture
Mentor school for Democratic Culture, “Dragisa Lukovic Spanac” from Kragujevac, together with six local schools, marked the Day of Education for Democratic Culture with a series of creative, student-led activities aimed at promoting tolerance, diversity, and empathy in schools and the wider...
Strengthening the legal reasoning of Montenegro’s Administrative Court
With the aim of strengthening the quality of decisions in administrative disputes, intensive capacity building course was delivered to 14 judges and 14 advisors of the Administrative Court of Montenegro, focusing on skills needed to make a well-reasoned and fair decision. Through practical,...
Curricula working group of the state institute for education improvement finalised connecting reference framework of competences for democratic culture with selected subjects of national curricula in Serbia
Schools across Serbia will soon have access to a valuable new resource: the second volume of Guidelines for the Integration of the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) in National Curricula. Developed by a team of education experts from the State Institute for the...
Psychological aid is changing lives of marginalised groups in Bosnia Herzegovina under the joint EU and Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye"
Free psychological support: A key to living authentically
"When I first consulted a psychologist, I felt lost. I couldn't openly talk about my feelings with anyone around me. I felt like I was suffocating in my own thoughts. Free psychological support was my only way out. Through conversations with a psychologist, I began to understand my feelings and...
New platform for reporting violence against LGBTI
A new website, stopmrznji.ba, has been launched as a crucial tool for reporting hate crimes and hate speech against LGBTI individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This platform provides vital information and contacts for those who have experienced violence due to their sexual orientation or gender...
Gearing up for Hackathon on inclusion and digital citizenship in Podgorica
High school students from across Montenegro gathered on 11 October 2024 for an Info Day on the upcoming Hackathon on inclusion and digital citizenship. Organised by the Council of Europe’s Programme Office and the Science and Technology Park of Montenegro, the event introduced participants to the...
Improving the free legal aid system in North Macedonia - 15th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body gathers in Skopje
The 15th meeting of the National Co-ordination Body for the implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid (NCB), gathered in Skopje to discuss the most important challenges regarding the functioning of the free legal aid system in North Macedonia. Supported by the European Union and the Council of...
High-level officials of North Macedonia discussed necessary interventions following latest report of the Council of Europe Committee against Torture
In a high-level meeting, senior officials working on prison reform discussed the way forward to address the key challenges stemming from the main findings of the European Committee against Torture (CPT) 2023 report on North Macedonia. The event was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry...
Raising awareness on free legal aid for human trafficking victims in Montenegro
A new awareness raising initiative in Montenegro is putting the spotlight on free legal aid available to victims of human trafficking. An important part of this initiative are multilingual informational leaflets designed to inform victims about their legal rights. Created in collaboration with...
Towards reducing discrimination in sports in Bosnia and Herzegovina
In an effort to promote respect and diversity in sports, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, organised a workshop in Sarajevo on October 4. The workshop aimed at reducing homophobia and transphobia in sports...
A public initiative to raise awareness on the fight against child trafficking for forced marriages to kick off in North Macedonia
"Change Your Mind - Stay Out of the Vicious Circle”
Forced child marriage is one of the common types of human trafficking, spiralling out of the circle of poverty. A significant number of the child trafficking victims in North Macedonia are victims of trafficking for forced marriage, who are often sexually abused and exploited for their labour. To...
New pilot module to counter SLAPPs introduced for legal professionals
As part of its ongoing commitment to advance protection of freedom of expression in line with European standards, the Council of Europe Office in Pristina introduced for legal professionals in Kosovo* an importanttraining curriculum focused on countering the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against...
Montenegro takes action to strengthen local response to human trafficking and boost victim support
In a move to combat human trafficking and protect victims’ rights, three workshops were organised across Montenegro in September — gathering local authorities, social welfare centers, labour inspections, law enforcement, and judicial representatives. As part of the Strategy for the Fight Against...
Strong joint action needed that will foremost protect youth and children
Traffickers easier recruit, control and exploit victims of human trafficking
How to meet the challenges posed by the growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the recruitment, control and exploitation of victims of human trafficking? More than 60 national and regional experts met at a two-day conference in Sarajevo on 2 and 3 October 2024 to...
Montenegro police to boost human rights standards with new procedures
Police officers in Montenegro are stepping up efforts to protect human rights through the introduction of newly developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). During two days of training, held on 26-27 September in Bijelo Polje, middle management staff from the Regional Centre “North” were...
HIGHLIGHTS
Building an equal and inclusive society: regional co-operation against racism
Recent initiatives took place in the framework of the programme, to address racism and intolerance by promoting regional co-operation while highlighting its importance as part of the EU accession process. By fostering dialogue and partnership among key Beneficiaries, these efforts seek to create...
HIGHLIGHTS
Get to know the most recent publications published under the Horizontal Facility programme!
In this edition of Highlights, we present the main publications produced under the framework of the Horizontal Facility III programme with an aim to enhance knowledge and bring European standards in various areas closer to the beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and in Türkiye. To enhance public...
HIGHLIGHTS
Regional co-operation key to tackling discrimination and racism
Law enforcement institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and the Republic of Moldova met in Podgorica on 26-28 September with the aim to address racism, discrimination, and the protection of minority groups, especially the LGBTI community. This...