Project BOOST (Balkans for Optimising Opportunities, Sustainability and Transformation of Civil Society) has defined the year for ALDA Balkans, advancing its flagship mission across the region, by supporting 67 selected projects at both regional and national levels. The programme is building a strong network of civil society organisations (CSOs) working across three key sectors: youth and entrepreneurship, rural development and environment & cultural heritage and community development.
Through the regional sub-granting scheme of Project #BOOST, six organisations from six Western Balkan countries received support, each partnering with two or three cross-border civil society organisations in their projects.
From 25–27 March 2025, ALDA hosted the first Regional Capacity-Building Training in Belgrade, Serbia. The three-day event gathered the selected CSOs and their partners from across the Western Balkans, offering valuable networking opportunities and driving forward regional cooperation.
A highlight of the training was the panel discussion “BOOSTing Integration: Civil Society as a Driver of EU Accession”. Distinguished speakers included Natasa Vuckovic, President of ALDA and Secretary General of the Center for Democracy Foundation Belgrade; H.E. Pierre Cochard, Ambassador of France to Serbia; and Arnaud Dauphin, Director of AFD Western Balkans Regional Office. They underlined the crucial role of civil society in strengthening democratic governance and supporting EU accession.
In October 2025, ALDA Balkans announced 61 nationally selected projects across six Western Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Ten CSOs from each of five countries, and eleven from Albania, received support to implement initiatives linked to youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, rural development, environmental protection, and cultural heritage.
Following the announcement, ALDA Balkans and its partners: LDA Subotica, LDA Montenegro (Nikšić), LDA Kosovo, LDA Mostar, Urban Research Institute Albania, Pulse France and Leader France – launched six National BOOST Training sessions in each of the countries during October and November 2025. These sessions provided hands-on guidance for project implementation, alongside transversal training modules on gender inclusion, civic participation, cultural heritage, rural development, environment & youth entrepreneurship.
Each national training was formally opened by representatives of the French embassies in the respective countries, together with officials from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which supports the BOOST project implemented by ALDA.
