Central Training TRIALOG Annual Exchange Meeting SERBIA Marija Dimitrijevic Miskovic Civic Initiatives Prague April 24-25, 2012

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1 Central Training TRIALOG Annual Exchange Meeting SERBIA Marija Dimitrijevic Miskovic Civic Initiatives Prague April 24-25, 2012

2 Country situation and challenges Serbia and the EU The EU is the major partner of the Republic of Serbia in the process of providing international support to the country s democratic and economic reforms. The priority of Serbia's foreign policy is the development of its relations with the EU National Strategy for Accession to the European Union Serbia s EU membership has been defined as a priority and longterm strategic goal. - Serbia presented its application for membership of the EU on 22 December Serbia granted candidate status on 1 March 2012

3 Serbia has been receiving EU financial assistance since 2001 (between 2001 and 2011, the EU committed over 2 billion to Serbia in the form of grants and 5.8 billion in the form of soft loans). From 2001 to 2006, Serbia benefited from EU CARDS assistance worth 1,045 million. Since 2007, CARDS has been replaced by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), under which Serbia received assistance worth 974 million between 2007 and The assistance under the IPA is designed to support the reforms undertaken as part of the European integration process, with a focus on the rule of law, institution-building, approximation with the EU acquis, sustainable economic &social development and support to civil society.

4 Serbia and development cooperation issues Serbia receives ODA but does not have development cooperation legislation or administrative structure Strategic basis for programming of international development assistance: ƒnational planning documents - The Needs of the Republic of Serbia for International Development Aid in the Period document - The National Program for Integration of the Republic of Serbia into the EU (2008), etc. (a comprehensive and ambitious plan for the period providing for approximation of its national legislation to the EU acquis) ƒstrategic planning documents of the EU and bilateral donors defining the priorities of support to the Republic of Serbia, as well as financial funds for implementing established priorities - The Enlargement Strategy, European Partnership, The Multi-Annual Indicative Financial Framework, The Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document

5 Overall framework related to CSOs in Serbia New Law of Associations defining precise rules regarding CSO registration and their operations came into force on 22 October 2009 Newly established Office for Cooperation with Civil Society (2010) gives an institutional framework for more structural cooperation arrangements. The Office is directly responsible to the Prime Minister and will work on developing the National Strategy for the Creation of the Enabling Environment for the Development of CSOs, which will eventually mainstream the process of registration and formal acknowledgment of CSOs. National Programme for Integration of the Republic of Serbia into the EU, December 2009, underlines the further promotion of development of CSOs. The Stabilisation and Association Agreement in its preamble also considers the commitment to contribute by all means to the political, economic and institutional stabilisation through the development of civil society and democratisation. Civil society in Serbia remains overly dependant on international donors (75% of all CSO funding is from foreign sources)

6 CSO situation and main challenges 15,600 CSOs registered in Serbia Insufficient capacities of CSOs to take part in the process of designing laws and other public policy elements due to restricted human and material resources Lack of coalitions, networks, platforms at the local and national levels, which should systematically deal with advocacy towards public policy implementers. Lack of understanding of the necessity of cooperation with State institutions in some civil society organizations. Lack of understanding of the importance of laws and other instruments of public policies for regulation of issues of importance for CSO activities Lack of knowledge and capacity of CSOs to influence donors

7 The relationship between the government and CSOs is still marked by fragmented cooperation, lack of government understanding for civil society, and a selective approach towards individual CSOs. The Serbian European Integration Office (SEIO) published on 18 January 2011 an open call entitled Programme of cooperation with CSOs in the area of development assistance planning, in particular programming and monitoring of the Instrument of Pre-accession Assistance The Programme is supported by TACSO Technical Assistance for Civil Society for Civil Society Organisations The main actor of the proposed Programme is the Sector Civil Society Organisation (SECO), a consortium of CSOs of maximum three partners (1 lead partner)

8 SECTOR WORK GROUPS FOR PROGRAMMING OF IPA AND DEVELOPMENT AID For the purpose of an effective and coordinated IPA programming process, 8 sector work groups have been formed: Rule of law (including justice and home affairs, protection of human and minority rights etc.) Public administration reform (including institution building and acquis, public finance management, decentralization of powers, statistics, e- government) Civil society, media and cultural rights (CI lead partner, 160 CSOs, successfully organized consultation process related to IPA programming , with inputs from wider community. Inputs were collected in relation to Civil Society Project Fiche and most of the CSO comments were incorporated in the final version, adopted by DG Enlargement) Competitiveness (SMEs, R&D, ICT, tourism, business infrastructure, industry and trade) Human resources development (employment, education, social inclusion and health, including youth) Agriculture and rural development Transport Environment and energy (including waste, waste water, water supplies, mining etc.).

9 SECO main goals Development of communication mechanism with SEIO, in the aim of CSOs participation in the process of programming of international assistance and harmonising priorities with the ones defined by the state. Development and use of different communication mechanisms (to gather interested CSOs in order for them to engage jointly in issues related to development assistance planning. in particular IPA programming and monitoring in a specific sector). Development of National Strategy on CSO development (issues of importance for activities and sustainability of civil society, as well as obligations of different social actors in that context

10 Other existing platforms/networks Public consultations related to the new Law on Social Protection (adopted March 2011) (A coalition of CSOs together with the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Social Inclusion Poverty Unit (SIPRU) within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European Integrations) - Consultation process within their clusters (distribution of materials, numerous local events, collected comments and proposals in relation to the draft Law) KOCD (Contact Civil Society Organisations) program Monitoring of Law on Social Protection (7 identified vulnerable groups: children, youth, women, Roma, IDPs and refugees, the elderly, persons with disabilities)

11 The Federation of NGOs (FENS) The first formal network of Serbian NGOs FENS was founded in 2003 (550 members) FENS main achievements through advocacy efforts: - the new Law on Associations in the Formation of a Government Office for Cooperation with Civil Society in introducing the Code of Ethics for Serbian CSOs in 2011 Insufficiently active in last years but FENS became reactivated in 2011/2012 (The Council of the Federation of NGOs in Serbia (FENS) met on April 12, 2012 and began the consultative process of restructuring FENS to meet the new European standards.) The process will be directed towards registering FENS as an independent legal entity. An alliance of different platforms dealing with issues linked with chapters of the negotiation process with EU

12 FENS main strategic priorities Consultative process of restructuring FENS Registering FENS as an independent legal entity Participationg in the development of the National Strategy for CSOs together with the Office for Cooperation with CSOs (the document will mainstream the process of registration and and formal acknowledgement of CSOs) The following activities are planned: Organization of the Working group for FENS restructuring Regular meetings of working group to discuss: - Types and number of platforms - Criteria for membership in platforms - Objectives of future platforms - Working methods/models of future platforms - Activities of future platforms - Establishment of platforms bodies - Conclusions of public discussions

13 Challenges ahead There is no public policy on development cooperation; space for CSO engagement and the basis for a national platform General public awareness about development cooperation extremely low Necessity for strengthening capacities of CSOs regarding awareness raising

14 Thank you for your attention! Marija DImitrijevic Miskovic Civic Initiatives Belgrade, Serbia