Author: Фондација Метаморфозис

Small and local media outlets across the Western Balkans are invited to apply for support aimed at boosting their internal development, operational sustainability, and digital adaptation. The initiative aims to ensure the long-term viability and independence of media organisations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia through tailored technical and structural […]
The post Empowering Journalism in the Western Balkans: Grants Available for Local Media first appeared on Metamorphosis.

The Balkan News Truck is starting its journey across 20 cities in six Western Balkan countries: Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia, from September to November 2025. The first stop is Prizren, Kosovo, on September 8, followed by Mitrovica on September 9, Peja on September 10, and wrapping up the Kosovo […]
The post Balkan Media Truck is Starting Its Journey first appeared on Metamorphosis.

On behalf of the Metamorphosis Foundation and Civic Literacy Initiative, in partnership with CIVICUS, we are excited to share our Open Call for Applications for the Digital Democracy Hackathon, part of the Digital Democracy Initiative. What is this about? We’re inviting applications from civil society organizations, activists, and digital innovators working to protect and expand […]
The post Open Call for EECA Civic Tech Innovators – Digital Democracy Hackathon first appeared on Metamorphosis.

The Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society, for the second year in a row, publishes a
CONTEST
For the annual “Ilija Županoski” Award for journalists, civil society organizations, and individuals who contribute to combating disinformation in the country.
Two annual awards will be given in the following categories:
A. Best journalistic work, i.e. professional work prepared by civil society organizations and individuals that may relate to:

complex fact-checking to expose widespread disinformation in public discourse;
fact-checking to uncover a series of similar or thematically close disinformation in public discourse;
analyses of the problem of disinformation or of thematic or other segments of this phenomenon with recommendations for overcoming it;
analyses of future trends in the field of disinformation and expectations of possible disinformation types and trends in the future (pre-bunking);
expert/analytical papers/research findings that advance the fight against disinformation;
investigative stories about the origin and/or movement/spread of disinformation through the public sphere and its consequences;
analyses of the consequences caused by highly harmful disinformation and the future expected damages from them;
detection of disinformation narratives and actions present in the region and Europe that have the reach (or tendency to reach) to cause harm in North Macedonia; and
other professional and journalistic works in the field of dealing with disinformation.

B. Educational multimedia content prepared for young people aged 18 to 28, where information and communication technologies are used in a creative and innovative way, in order to reach young people and educate them to strengthen resilience against disinformation.

The right to participate is open to all those who (individually or in groups) have created and published the material (from the categories under A. and B. listed in the Contest) in a newspaper, on television, or on internet portals (online media outlets) in the period from November 1, 2024 to October 1, 2025 .

Authors may also submit a series of interconnected pieces of content, but relating to a specific topic. By submitting to the Contest, the author agrees that his/her work will be re-published in a Proceedings, which is a special electronic publication that may be prepared by Metamorphosis, after the Contest ends.

The submitted materials will be reviewed by a committee of relevant representatives from the media and public spheres.
When evaluating materials, preference will be given to those materials that:

Refer to disinformation that has a high capacity to cause harm in society;
Expose disinformation that concerns the broad public interest, i.e. affects a large number of citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia;
Increase knowledge or gain new insights into the problem of disinformation and offer solutions to address the problem; and
Have a creative, contemporary, effective, and innovative approach in presenting findings to the general public.

The contest is open until October 1, 2025. Applications should be submitted to info@metamorphosis.org.mk with the following subject: For the annual “Ilija Županoski” award for journalists, civil society organizations, and individuals who contribute to combating disinformation in the country.
The award for the first category “Best journalistic or professional work” is 2,000 euros in denar equivalent.
The prize for the second category “Educational multimedia content prepared for young people aged 18 to 28” is 1,000 euros in denar equivalent.
Employees of Metamorphosis are not eligible to participate in the Contest. External collaborators of Metamorphosis are also not eligible to participate in the Contest with materials that were/are prepared and published within the framework of projects implemented by Metamorphosis.

The application consists of:
Completed form for the appropriate category (available in attachment).
А Application form
B Application form
For additional information and questions, please contact us via email at info@metamorphosis.org.mk with the subject: “Annual “Ilija Županoski” Award for journalists, civil society organizations, and individuals who contribute to combating disinformation in the country” no later than September 1, 2025.

The SMS Facility – Small Media Support project in the Western Balkans, implemented by CPCD in cooperation with partners from Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Germany, is launching a Public Call for External Assessors to assess applications submitted under the Call for Small Grants for Media Content Production.

The call is open to all interested candidates who meet the following criteria:
– A relevant university degree (in social sciences, media, law, communications, etc.),
– At least 5 years of experience in the civil society sector, preferably with a focus on media,
– Proven experience in project evaluation,
– Proficiency in English and local languages (for North Macedonia: Macedonian and/or Albanian)
– Understanding of the local media landscape and the challenges faced by small local media outlets,
– Strong analytical and reporting skills,
– Experience in international projects or projects involving sub-granting funded by donors,
– Citizenship of one of the WB6 countries.
Engagement period:
– September 2025
– June 2026
Application deadline: August 8, 2025, by 17:00 PM
Applications must be submitted exclusively via email to: konkurs@metamorphosis.org.mk
Details on the application process and required documentation are available here: https://journalift.org/apply-now-open-call-for-external-assessors-for-small-media-support-grants/
This project is co – funded by the EU.

Youth organisations across Europe are taking a proactive step toward ensuring ethical and human rights-based use of artificial intelligence. The study session, “Open your AIs: responsible use of AI tools by youth organisations”, is taking place at the European Youth Centre Strasbourg (EYCS) from 23 to 27 June 2025 with the aim to spark critical discussions around Artificial Intelligence (AI) ethics and empower youth groups to adopt internal standards rooted in the protection of young people’s rights.
As AI tools increasingly shape how youth organisations operate, this initiative underscores the need for conscious and informed usage by that ensuring technology serves young people rather than putting their rights at risk. The study session also draws on the principles of the Council of Europe’s newly adopted AI Convention, helping prepare the youth sector to act as advocates and watchdogs in this rapidly evolving landscape.
The study session pursues three key objectives: helping youth organisations remain vigilant and responsible when integrating AI into their work; supporting them to become vocal advocates for AI ethics within their structures and among their beneficiaries and building knowledge to navigate and contribute to key policy processes like the EU AI Act and the Council of Europe’s AI Convention, especially considering growing concerns around AI-driven discrimination.

By bridging policy with practice, the study session aims to position youth organisations as meaningful contributors to ethical AI governance and protectors of young people’s digital rights.
The study session is truly remarkable experience for the participants, offering a unique opportunity to engage also with staff members of the Council of Europe secretariat from various Units. They met representatives who shared insights into the organisation’s work on the AI Convention, the intersection of artificial intelligence with hate speech and hate crime, and the various forms of support available through the European Youth Foundation. Participants also explored pathways for meaningful youth advocacy at multiple levels, learning how they could get involved in the Council of Europe’s distinctive co-management structure either by applying to join the Advisory Council on Youth or by ensuring representation through their organisational networks.
Many participants reflected on this meeting saying that the exchange was impactful, affirming the importance of including young people in policy-making processes that shape their today and the future.

Link to the original text: Open your AIs: responsible use of AI tools by youth organisations discussed in Strasbourg – Youth

The study session is organised within the Youth for Democracy programme in cooperation with Connect International in with partner Curiosite Centre de Formation and expertise of Metamorphosis Foundation.

Disinformation, information manipulation, and foreign influence (FIMI) continue to erode public trust, deepen social divisions, and weaken North Macedonia’s democratic processes and EU aspirations. Without decisive and coordinated action, the information manipulation industry will keep evolving, outpacing regulation and exploiting systemic vulnerabilities.
This was the central message of today’s validation meeting in Skopje, which focused on the draft report “Enablers and Incentives of Election-Related FIMI in North Macedonia.” The event brought together representatives of public institutions, media, civil society, and international organizations to review the findings and strengthen the report through participatory dialogue.
In her opening remarks, Khushbu Agrawal from International IDEA highlighted the broader scope of the initiative:
“This report by our partner Metamorphosis is part of a larger project on FIMI supported by Global Affairs Canada. While it’s not the first report on the topic in the country, we are trying to create a ‘one-stop shop’ that consolidates all relevant knowledge and research related to electoral FIMI in North Macedonia, particularly the vulnerabilities and incentives that enable it to take root and thrive”, said Agrawal.
Goran Rizaov, Program Manager for Information and Media Integrity at Metamorphosis and co-author of the report, presented the methodology developed by International IDEA, based on distinguishing enablers and incentives of FIMI.
“Despite other things, we also aimed to explain how gender-based disinformation, the use of AI, and global linkages are leveraged to manipulate information in an election context. Political polarization, often along ethnic or interethnic lines, as well as systemic corruption, weaken institutional resilience. Implementation of electoral reforms is poor, and misuse of public resources remains widespread”, said Rizaov.
Matej Trojachanec, Goran Rizaov and Despina Kovachevska | Photo: Vancho Dzambaski, CC BY
Despina Kovachevska and Matej Trojachanec, researchers from Metamorphosis, and also co-authors of the report presented the insights on societal enablers and social networks, with additional focus on gender narratives and AI-generated disinformation.
Kovachevska emphasized the use of fear-based messaging targeting women and LGBTI+ communities:
“We’ve seen narratives claiming that if North Macedonia joins the EU, children will be turned transgender, or girls will be forced to dress like boys. In pro-Russian disinformation, Ukrainian women are portrayed as heroes staying to fight, while men are shown as cowards fleeing. When attacking President Zelensky, disinformation often targets his wife and her alleged spending. There’s a broader theme of contrasting the ‘traditional mother’ with the ‘Western woman’—single, selfish, and even demonized through religious narratives”, Kovachevska said.
“These gendered narratives build on fear: fear of vaccines, fear of the West, fear of ‘moral decay’. Low media literacy, which is in decline, allows such manipulative content to flourish,” she added.
Rizaov also spoke about the fragility of the media landscape:
“Independent outlets are nearly unsustainable. There’s an illusion of pluralism due to the high number of media outlets, but in reality, they are often politically or commercially aligned. Copy-paste journalism dominates mainstream media. If all you’re doing is copying content, manipulation can easily slip through—especially if it originates from a powerful center of influence”, said Rizaov.
Trojachanec explored how social media algorithms and generative AI are shaping the disinformation ecosystem:
“The platforms amplify extreme content based on user behavior. While we haven’t yet seen deepfakes targeting local politicians, we’ve identified AI-generated videos promoting fake medicines, often using voices cloned from well-known doctors. These are mostly adapted from Bulgarian-language templates, making them relatively easy to detect. Still, the use of AI in this context remains limited—for now.”
The event concluded with a set of policy recommendations aimed at public institutions, the media sector, tech platforms, and civil society. These focus on improving legislation, media independence, digital transparency, and public awareness, while calling for stronger cross-sectoral cooperation and alignment with EU regulatory standards.

Today, June 19, 2025, the Committee on transport, digital transformation, environment and spatial planning held its 35th session. A public debate was held at the session on the topic “Draft Law Reform Package for the Digital Transformation of the Republic of North Macedonia,” and the following draft laws were reviewed and discussed: Draft Law on Electronic Communications; Draft Law on the Security of Network and Information Systems; Draft Law on Archives and Archival Activities; and Draft Law Amending and Supplementing the Law on Electronic Documents, Electronic Identification and Trust Services.
In addition to the members and deputy members of the Commission, MPs, the Minister of Digital Transformation, and representatives of line ministries, agencies, constituent bodies, and the business and academic communities, the public hearing was also attended by representatives of civil society. Filip Stojanovski, Partnership and Resource Development Director, and Marijana Jancheska-Ugarkovikj, Project Manager, presented the recommendations and suggestions of the Metamorphosis Foundation regarding the draft laws under discussion.

In her address, Ms. Jancheska-Ugarkovikj emphasized that the Metamorphosis Foundation for Internet and Society supports the process of adopting the package of four laws and welcomes the Parliament’s initiative to include civil society organizations in the process of structured discussions to improve the draft text of the proposed laws.
In her address, Jancheska emphasized that it is important that all envisaged legal solutions are aligned with European regulations, but also adapted to the local context in order to respond to the real challenges of citizens, institutions, and the private sector. She also pointed out the need for clear obligations for the implementation of security measures by institutions, transparency in the processing of sensitive information, accountability of service providers and interoperability of technical solutions.
The Metamorphosis Foundation believes that digital transformation is not just a technological tool, but a prerequisite for efficient, transparent, and accountable administration. To this end, it is necessary to systematically involve civil society organizations and experts in all phases of reforms–from design to evaluation–as well as invest in the capacities of public administration and promote digital literacy among all categories of citizens.

The implementation of the Reform Agenda in North Macedonia requires an inclusive approach and input from all relevant stakeholders to ensure its successful implementation. To this end, the European Policy Institute – EPI, in cooperation with the Ministry for European Affairs, on May 19, organized the First Meeting of the National Consultative Mechanism for the Reform Agenda 2024-2027–a new national platform that enables a structured, transparent, and inclusive evidence-based dialogue between state institutions, civil society organizations, chambers of commerce, academia, and other relevant factors for the implementation and monitoring of the Reform Agenda within the framework of the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans.
Mila Josifovska Danilovska and Marijana Jancheska-Ugarkovikj, from the Metamorphosis Foundation, participated in the meeting. Jancheska-Ugarkovikj presented the findings of the Metamorphosis research on the progress made so far in the field of digitalization, as a key area in the Reform Agenda. The research presents the results from 2025 divided into key sub-areas of digitalization: digitalization and cybersecurity, as well as the planned activities for 2026 and 2027.
Jancheska-Ugarkovikj, in addition to presenting the achievements, shared with the attendees the recommendations that emerged from the public policy document. Greater inclusiveness is needed, especially in digital accessibility for people with disabilities, in accordance with the National Strategy 2023–2030. Furthermore, the involvement of civil society organizations and experts in all phases of the envisaged reforms should be strengthened–from design to evaluation, while transparency and timely communication should also be ensured when creating regulations. In order to implement the commitments of the Reform Agenda in depth, it is necessary to invest in training and technical support for the administration for efficient implementation, as well as to adapt laws to the local context, instead of mechanically adopting European regulations. At the same time, digital literacy should be actively encouraged among all categories of citizens.
Digitalization is not just a technical tool–it is a prerequisite for efficient, transparent, and accountable administration. As the Metamorphosis Foundation, we remain committed to following the process and contributing to reforms that will be in the interest of all citizens.

On May 7, 2025, the Metamorphosis Foundation organized a one-day training on improving cybersecurity in civil society organizations. The training was aimed at civil society organizations that actively work with vulnerable categories of citizens and face increased risks in the digital space.
Fifteen representatives of civil society organizations had the opportunity to learn about the concept of digital fingerprinting, the importance of antivirus protection, creating and maintaining strong passwords, using password managers, as well as practical advice for strengthening cybersecurity and developing habits for regular cyber hygiene.
This training is part of the project “CyberShield: Empowered Citizens for Cyber ​​Resilience,” which aims to increase the awareness and resilience of citizens and organizations to cyber threats, through education, public information, and practical resources. The project envisages three such trainings, the first of which was held on April 9, while the last, third training, will be held on June 4. In addition to the trainings, the project will also prepare podcasts and videos to promote public awareness and understanding of the importance of cybersecurity.
The aim of the project is to emphasize the importance of regular cyber hygiene and effectively dealing with cyber threats such as phishing, social engineering, malware, identity theft, etc. Through joint efforts, the project aims to ensure that these topics receive adequate attention, resources, and responses to the challenges brought by the digital age.

The project “CyberShield: Empowered Citizens for Cyber Resilience” is supported by the National Interventions grant for the regional project “SMART Balkans—Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans” implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD) (Center for Civil Society Promotion), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), and financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.