The 2015 CSO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia Developed by: United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Europe and Eurasia Technical Support Office (TSO), Democracy and Governance (DG) Division TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................................ ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................ 1 2015 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX SCORES ......................................................................................................... 11 ALBANIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 12 ARMENIA ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 21 AZERBAIJAN ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 32 BELARUS ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 43 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ............................................................................................................................................................. 54 BULGARIA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 64 CROATIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 73 CZECH REPUBLIC ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 83 ESTONIA ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 92 GEORGIA ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 101 HUNGARY ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 110 KOSOVO ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 120 LATVIA .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 129 LITHUANIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 139 MACEDONIA .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 149 MOLDOVA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 159 MONTENEGRO ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 171 POLAND ....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 181 ROMANIA .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 191 RUSSIA ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 202 SERBIA .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 214 SLOVAKIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 225 SLOVENIA ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 234 UKRAINE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 244 ANNEX A: CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX METHODOLOGY ........................................................................... 255 ANNEX B: STATISTICAL DATA.............................................................................................................................. 271 ANNEX C: REGIONAL MAP ..................................................................................................................................... 282 THE 2015 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND EURASIA INTRODUCTION The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is pleased to present the nineteenth edition of the CSO Sustainability Index (CSOSI) for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, covering developments in 2015. This year’s Index reports on the CSO sectors in twenty-four countries in the region, from the Baltics in the north to the Caucasus in the south, and the Visegrad countries in the west to Russia, which stretches east to the Pacific Ocean.1 It addresses both advances and setbacks in seven key components or “dimensions” of the sustainability of the civil society sector: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image. The Index’s methodology relies on CSO practitioners and researchers, who in each country form an expert panel to assess and rate these dimensions of CSO sustainability during the year. The panel agrees on a score for each dimension, which can range from 1 (most developed) to 7 (most challenged). All of the scores are then averaged to produce an overall sustainability score for the CSO sector of a given country. An editorial committee composed of technical and regional experts reviews each panel’s scores and corresponding narrative reports, with the aim of maintaining consistent approaches and standards so as to allow cross- country comparisons. Further details about the methodology used to calculate scores and produce corresponding narrative reports are provided in Annex A. The Index is a useful source of information for local CSOs, governments, donors, academics, and others who want to better understand and monitor key aspects of sustainability in the CSO sector. The CSO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia complements similar publications covering other regions: CSO Sustainability Index for Sub-Saharan Africa, which assesses the civil society sector in twenty-six countries; CSO Sustainability Index for the Middle East and North Africa, which covers seven countries; CSO Sustainability Index for Asia, covering seven countries; and CSO Sustainability Index for Afghanistan and CSO Sustainability Index for Pakistan, supported by the Aga Khan Foundation. These various editions of the CSO Sustainability Index bring the total number of countries surveyed in 2015 to more than seventy. A publication of this type would not be possible without the contributions of many individuals and organizations. We are especially grateful to our implementing partners, who played the critical role of facilitating the expert panel meetings and writing the country reports. We would also like to thank the many CSO representatives and experts, USAID partners, and international donors who participated in the expert panels in each country. Their knowledge, perceptions, ideas, observations, and contributions are the foundation upon which this Index is based. 1 Please note that due to funding limitations, the five countries of Central Asia are no longer covered by this publication. THE 2015 CSO SUSTAINABILITY INDEX FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE AND EURASIA i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Albania Erisa Lame and Aleka