Non-governmental organization

Four swimmers, nationals of Turkey, Iran and the United Kingdom, have been training hard to cross the English Channel as part of a fundraising campaign for an educational non-governmental organization.

Protests have been organised in recent days by activists in Tirana, Belgrade and Podgorica against the damage done to the environment by the building of hydro-power plants.

They were staged under the umbrella name Action Weeks for Balkan Rivers, a joint project by various environmental NGOs, with the slogan "Our rivers - no damage!"

Sofia, June 03, 2019 - The Crisis Centre of PULSE Foundation nearby Sofia was renovated and refreshed by volunteers from L'Oréal Bulgaria. In just one working day - May 31, the employees from the cosmetics company succeeded to change the atmosphere and environment in the centre both inside the building and outside in the big yard and turn it into a better temporary residence.

The Culture Directorate of Sofia Municipality held working discussions with cultural figures, representatives of national and municipal institutions, artists and non-governmental organizations.

The idea of ​​the talks was one: Revision of the "Culture Development Strategy in Sofia 2013 - 2023".

Who - or what - are the gatekeepers of democracy? What do they do? A colleague in civil society, the director of an NGO board, suggested the term for a conference we are to cohost on the role of NGOs and think-tanks in democracy promotion. The term is commonplace among civil society theorists and practitioners, she assured me. I had my doubts initially.

A debate on the provisions of a draft bill that would pave the way for the legalization of illegally built structures on Greek shores continued in the Parliament's production and trade committee on Thursday, with the government facing stiff opposition from NGOs and experts.
Criticism focused on the possible legalisation of illegal construction by large businesses and hotels.

UK-based humanitarian relief agency Oxfam and another 24 nongovernmental organizations sent an open letter to European leaders calling for changes to migration policy, especially with regards to Greece, where the situation for thousands of refugees and migrants is "unsustainable."

Environmental NGOs and activists have condemned a government plan that sets aside only 1.6 million euros a year to tackle alarming levels of air pollution as farcical.

The Novi Sad-based SHARE Foundation NGO warned that the Serbian authorities are pushing through the country's first Law on Critical Infrastructure without a period of public discussion or a clear definition of what exactly is meant by critical infrastructure. 

Vice President Iliana Iotova is planning meetings with scientists, employers' organisations and the non-governmental sector, she said in an interview with Focus News Agency when asked if she would propose initiatives to tackle the demographic crisis, having presented alarming data at a press conference.