[milos_rs]

Civil society organisations, journalists, and human rights defenders across the Western Balkans and European Union (EU) are operating in a digital environment defined by raising threats and inadequate protection. This analysis presents findings from a needs assessment survey conducted within the “Defending Digital Freedoms: Strengthening Civil Society Resilience against Digital Repression in Europe” project, gathering 239 responses from 11 countries (six Western Balkan and five EU member states).

The findings of this needs assessment demonstrate that civil society across the Western
Balkans and the European Union faces a digital threat environment that is persistent,
politically motivated, and institutionally not addressed. Surveillance, spyware, phishing,
and platform-based harassment, are deployed most intensively during elections,
protests, and investigative reporting, precisely when civic actors are most exposed.
Simultaneously, the protection mechanisms available remain critically insufficient.
The organisations most exposed to these threats are, in the majority of cases,
operating without adequate technical capacity, forensic support, effective legal recourse,
or consistent institutional backing