HEINRICH BÖLL STIFTUNG BELGRADE

Welcome to the website of the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Office in Belgrade. We are responsible for the Foundation’s work in Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro. HBS is a German political foundation affiliated to the German Green Party. Fostering democracy and upholding human rights, taking action to prevent the destruction of the global ecosystem, advancing equality between women and men, securing peace through conflict prevention, and defending the freedom of individuals against excessive state and economic power – these are the objectives that drive the ideas and actions of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. As a think tank for green visions and projects and an international political network we work in over 60 countries with currently 32 international offices.

Democracy and Human Rights

Environment and Energy

Political Culture and Dialogue

Photo: Night protest in a Serbian city, large crowd fills the street, many hold up phones with flashlights, one sign reads "Don't lie to my grandma!" in Serbian Cyrillic.

How Brussels Risks Undermining Serbia’s Democratization Potential

Commentary

While Brussels may see the Jadar lithium mining project as a strategic step toward a greener future, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić sees it as a tactical tool to reinforce his grip on power - just as hundreds of thousands rise to reclaim democracy.

Mining Lithium, Undermining a Democratic Future: EU Deal Takes Serbia Further from Europe

Analysis

The lithium deal brings a new quality to Serbia’s foreign policy zigzagging. At one stroke, Serbia became a strategic partner and the guarantor for the future of the European Green Deal.

By Vedran Džihić

Through fake profiles, the "Digital Army" aims to silence voices critical of the government

The tactic of intimidating critics through constant and personal attacks is aimed at increasing the cost of public engagement of those who wish to criticize the government and thus discipline the public space.

By Blerta Agushi

The Ruins of the General Staff Building: A Stake for Gambling Away the Past and the Future

Comment

Due to its imposing design, function, as well as central location directly across the street from the Government of Serbia, the General Staff building has become a symbol of the 1999 bombing, and everything consciously or subconsciously connected to that event - the undeniable trauma from those times, the self-righteous indignation at the “unprovoked” illegal NATO aggression and violation of Serbia’s territorial integrity, as well as the all-consuming stagnation and inability to recover from the defeat and create a functional society.

By Nemanja Georgijević

Kosovo’s waste (mis)management: From failures to alternatives

Article

The Western Balkans lag behind in the fight against climate change and environmental protection. The signature of the ambitious Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda in November 2020 was considered a meaningful step forward. Two years later, the situation remains gloomy, and the reduction of the consumption footprint is far from becoming a reality.

By Gentiola Madhi and Francesco Trupia

Resolution on the Genocide in Srebrenica: a new boiling point for chauvinism in Serbia

The resolution on the Srebrenica genocide would have found its way onto the agenda no matter how Serbia behaved. It is also possible that some hypothetical Serbia with more dignity, one that has taken responsibility for victims, the past, and the future, would have agreed with the resolution.

By Srđan Milošević

What is the European Green Deal?

The European Green Deal is an EU sustainable development strategy for the 21st century. The central problem this strategy tackles are the environment and climate change - how to develop the EU's economy without exacerbating climate change. The EU Commission defines it as "a new growth strategy that aims to transform the EU into a fair and prosperous society, with a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy where there are no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050 and where economic growth is decoupled from resource use." The Commission also promises to “mainstream sustainability” into all policies, by adopting “a green oath: ‘do no harm.'” In October 2020, on the ocassion of the Berlin Process summit in Sofia, the governments of the Western Balkans 6 committed to the "Green Agenda for the Western Balkans" as a concrete plan to expand the European Green Deals to Southeast Europe.

This dossier comprises texts and analyses which develop some of the most important elements of the European Green Deal in the Western Balkans context.

Same-sex Partnerships in the Region

With this series of analytical articles, the Heinrich Böll Foundation wishes to tackle the process of adopting laws on same-sex partnerships in the region and its timeline, as well as the experiences noticed by civil society organizations that shared their observations for this dossier.

Western Balkans Strategy Group

The “Strategy Group for a political, societal and economic European integration of the Western Balkans Six” is a group of legal, historical and political researches from all WB6 countries organized by Heinrich Böll Stiftung’s Belgrade, Sarajevo and Berlin offices. Its aim is to credibly advocate for a more effective European integration of the Balkans in European as well as Balkan capitals.

Stefan Nemanja Monument Belgrade

Whom is the Monument to Stefan Nemanja dedicated to?

This dossier was created in cooperation with the project "Kulture sećanja u dijalogu" (Memory culture in dialogue), in order to contribute to a more meaningful public debate on the topic of managing public goods in the context of memorialization and memory culture.

Social Links

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Publications

Policy on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment

This policy is part of a broader safeguarding framework developed by hbs on the basis of international guidelines for protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PSEAH). This framework also includes hbs’ Code of Conduct, Guidelinesfor the implementation of this policy and a Complaints and Allegation Management Policy.

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Principi ozelenjavanja školskih dvorišta sa analizom pravilnika i praksi iz regiona

Publikacija

Iako je jedan od glavnih ciljeva ove publikacije da osvetli i približi dobre prakse iz regiona radi podsticanja sistemskih i pojedinačnih promena ka zelenijoj i harmoničnijoj budućnosti i istom takvom obrazovanju, namera je i da kroz tekst i fotografije validiramo, podržimo i promovišemo i obilje pozitivnih primera iz naših školskih dvorišta.

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The battle of Košare as a place of memory

Analysis

The uproar raised in the general public by the rare attempts, even in the critical media,to move the events at Košare from the mythical framework into the field of political discussion, indicates that the dominant narrative about this event corresponds to the needs of significant parts of society, as well as that it goes beyond the public’s views of the current regime. In this sense, one can speak of the constitution of a new political myth that relies on the already existing cultural framework and political discourses.

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The Use of Biomass for Energy in the EU

Policy Brief

This brief is the first of four briefs prepared within the framework of the project „Woody biomass: win-win or lose-lose? Energy, climate and air pollution effects of biomass to power projects in the context of selected Western Balkan countries.”

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Political Discourse on the Jadar Project

Report

The aim of this study by the Belgrade Center for Security Policy is to analyse the political debate surrounding the Jadar Project. It presents the development of the debate around Lithium in Serbia, the key actors, and the dominant discourses that formulated it.

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A Green Agenda with No Agenda

Shadow Report

The Green Agenda is a key process for planning the development of our society for this decade, and it is vital that it contains all the elements that a good plan must have: ambitious goals, feasible steps towards those goals, financial resources for implementation, as well as mandatory evaluation and means for adjustment and correction. This is the only way we can effectively carry out the upcoming reforms for the benefit of all citizens. This, the tenth report by Coalition 27, provides an overview of these issues from the point of view of civil society organizations.

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All publications

Perspectives Southeast Europe

Our Flagship Publication

Perspectives: The Past is Now

Perspectives

After the devastating wars on the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, in recent decades, we have observed that the (re)construction of national historiographies is also driving societies further and further apart. Despite the gloomy picture drawn in this publication, coming to terms with the region’s traumatic history could be an essential contribution to European unification. With this publication, we hope to provide an impulse to that end.

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Perspectives - Green Transition and Social (In)justice

After decades of warnings, it seems that the green transition – the huge change that should slow down, mitigate, and eventually stop, if not reverse, the threatening deterioration of living conditions on this planet – is finally on everybody’s lips. This edition of Perspectives explains the concept of a just transition - a way to make the change without leaving anyone behind.

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Perspectives - Kosovo 1999-2019: A Hostage Crisis

Twenty years on from the Kosovo War, the collective memory of both parties in the conflict remains burdened by myths and incontestable truths about what actually took place. The process of reconciliation and building longstanding peace is being undermined, primarily, by political elites in both countries, whose populist policies amplify the prejudices between Kosovar Albanians and Serbs. In this issue of Perspectives we aim to highlight the fact that Kosovo is not just a toponym, but a country burdened by its recent violent history, where common people are struggling to rebuild the broken societies that the conflict has left behind.

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Dossiers

Tekstet në shqip

Talks on Europe