The Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans is a key pillar of the European Commission’s Western Balkans Strategy published in February 2018. It covers a wide range of areas from broadband infrastructure, public sector modernization and the digitalization of industry to digital skills and cybersecurity, and a roadmap for lowering roaming charges. Most media, CSOs and governments in the region do not have the resources or the capacities to cover the issues of e-government and digital rights, denying the citizens opportunities to learn about the current tendencies.
Therefore, the consortium of CSOs from five Western Balkan countries was established, within the regional EU funded project, Increasing Civic Engagement in the Digital Agenda – ICEDA, with aim to increase the engagement of the CSOs in the shaping and implementation of the Digital Agenda in the Western Balkans. Among other activities, this network also implemented a small grants scheme for local CSOs from the Western Balkans of 300,000 EUR which included two LOTs.
LOT 1: Awarding sub-grants to e-Government Support Centers designed to award 15 small grants to CSOs from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia (approximately 3 grants per country), in the range of 13,000 to 17,000 euros per grant in the duration of 18 months. Main target groups of this LOT were the citizens as the final beneficiaries, alongside CSOs, media organisations and institutions.
A total of 15 sub-grants were awarded to work on the establishment and management of civic centers for e-Government support where they would support their target groups in using certain e-services and spreading digital literacy. The awarded sub-grants can be found on this link. Read more on the establishment and running of the e-Government support centers established through the ICEDA Small Grant Scheme and how they supported greater use of public e-services and tools.
LOT 2: Awarding of grants for Digital Agenda Advocacy Initiatives designed to award 15 small grants to CSOs from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia (approximately 3 grants per country), in the range between EUR 3.000 to EUR 7.000 per grant in the duration of 6 months. Main target groups of this LOT were institutions as decision-makers, and the final beneficiaries being the citizens.
A total of 14 sub-grants were awarded to CSOs together with their media partners to work on advocacy initiatives that tackle specific issues citizens from the Western Balkans face in areas covered by the Digital Agency and ICEDA. The awarded sub-grants can be found on the following link.
Results from the ICEDA initiative and the small grants scheme can be found here and here.
Empowering Civil Society for Digital Transformation
The ICEDA Small Grants Scheme served as a crucial platform for strengthening grassroots civil society organizations across the Western Balkans. By providing targeted financial support through sub-grants, tailor-made mentoring, and strategic capacity building, the scheme significantly enhanced the skills and knowledge of the sub-grantees. This empowerment enabled them to effectively engage with citizens, journalists, public officials, and other stakeholders, actively influencing the promotion, shaping, and implementation of the Digital Agenda at local, national, and regional levels. The supported organizations evolved into vigilant advocates for transparency, accountability, and digital inclusion, leveraging evidence-based research to strengthen their role in policy-making and fostering synergies with broader regional initiatives.
Beyond financial support, the ICEDA project provided continuous technical assistance tailored to each initiative’s needs, covering areas like public relations, communications, evaluation, and financial reporting. Crucially, ICEDA facilitated robust national, regional and international networking through various events. These platforms allowed sub-grantees to exchange experiences, collaborate on common challenges, and forge partnerships across the Western Balkans. This collaborative approach led to the formation of active national informal networks, which collectively form the broader ICEDA regional network, thereby advancing digital transformation and civic engagement throughout the entire region.
The project “Increasing Civic Engagement in the Digital Agenda – ICEDA” is implemented by the Metamorphosis Foundation (North Macedonia), the Academy of e-Governance (Estonia), Levizja Mjaft! (Albania), CRTA – Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability and Partners for Democratic Change (Serbia), NGO 35mm (Montenegro) and ODK – Open Data Kosovo (Kosovo). The project is being implemented with financial support from the European Union.
