The Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans (OSF-WB), in partnership with the Government of Kosovo, and in cooperation with the Government of Montenegro within the framework of the Berlin Process Chairmanship, announces the Civil Society & Think Tank Forum (CSF) 2026, to be held from 5 to 7 October 2026 in Prishtina.
CSF is the official civil society platform of the Berlin Process, established in 2014 to advance regional cooperation, economic integration, and the European perspective of the Western Balkans. Since 2015, it has enabled civil society organizations and think tanks from across the region to formulate joint, evidence-based policy recommendations and present them directly to Heads of Government ahead of the annual Leaders' Summit. The 2026 edition is hosted by the Government of Kosovo and organised by Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans, building on its earlier stewardship of CSF Tirana 2023.
The Forum will bring together civil society organizations and think tanks from across the Western Balkans, representatives of EU institutions and Berlin Process partner countries, and regional and international organizations.
The Forum will be structured around six thematic working groups, each tasked with developing regionally grounded, evidence-based policy recommendations in the following areas:
• Competitiveness and Growth: From Common Regional Market to the Single Market;
• Digital Transformation, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Sovereignty;
• Security, Resilience, and Geopolitics;
• Civic Space and Democratization;
• Green and Sustainable Transition;
• Enlargement and the Common European Future.
CSF 2026 follows a three-phase architecture: a consultative phase from June to September, during which the working groups conduct thematic consultations and draft recommendations under the coordination of Open Society Foundations – Western Balkans and its regional partners, the Main Forum in Prishtina from 5 to 7 October, and a post-forum advocacy phase culminating at the Berlin Process Leaders' Summit in Podgorica, where CSF rapporteurs will present the Forum's recommendations directly to Heads of Government.
The 2026 edition builds on previous Civil Society Forums and on the work of Ignita the regional civil society initiative. Ignita has since served as the OSF-WB regional platform for work on EU integration, the green transition, digitalization, security, and democratic resilience, and will serve as knowledge partner for the 2026 thematic working groups.
Further information on the program, thematic working group leads, and participation will be announced in the coming months.