Non-governmental organizations and civic initiatives in South Eastern Europe: towards a transnational civil society?

This paper argues that there is an emerging transnational civil society in South Eastern Europe even though civil society in the region like elsewhere in the post-Communist context remains weak. By analyzing projects linking groups or organizations from at least two countries in the region, which participate in conferences and public discussions, joint social research projects, training in democratic state-building, voluntary work and local cross-border cooperation, it shows that transnational ties have by and large been created among pro-European elites and among the young with Western funding. The creation of transnational links in the non-state sphere has unfolded despite obstacles posed by political instability, economic hardship and the diffusion of negative stereotypes among the nations in South Eastern Europe.