Republic of Serbia
GOVERNMENT
OFFICE FOR COOPERATION
WITH CIVIL SOCIETY
ANNUAL WORK REPORT
January – December 2012
CONTENT
INTRODUCTION
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1. ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT
1.1.Initiatives for changing regulations relevant for activities
of associations and other CSOs
1.2.Participation of the Office in work groups for making legal acts
1.3.Annual Summary Report on budget expenditures provided
to the associations and other civil society organizations
1.4.Training of civil servants
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1.5.Conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings
(sector and inter-sector)
1.6.Cooperation with associations and other CSOs
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1.7.Survey of the state of affairs in the civil society sector
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2. EU INTEGRATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
2.1.“EU Support to the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society”
2.2.“National contact point for EU program “Europe for Citizens”
Programming of international development assistance
2.3.Co-financing projects of CSOs
2.4.Training for Sectorial Civil Society Organizations (SCSO)
2.5.Regional and international cooperation
2.5.1. Participation in regional projects
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3. MEDIA AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES
3.1.Internet presentation of the Office
3.2.The Office and social networks
3.3.Information of public significance
3.4.Internship Program
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INTRODUCTION
According to the Regulation about the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society
(“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 26/10) the Government of the Republic of
Serbia established the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society (hereinafter: the Office) on
21st January 2011. This Government’s decision represents the result of the long period of
efforts put in by the organisations of civil society with the aim of necessary improvement of
the institutional framework for supporting the development of the civil society in Serbia.
The Office was established with the aim of system inclusion of civil society
organisations into a permanent dialogue with government institutions, which should be based
on a transparent and structured communication and regular exchange of experiences,
information and opinions.
The Office performs expert activities for the Government’s requirements referring to
the care about the harmonized activities of the state authorities and encouragement of
cooperation between the state authorities with associations and other civil society
organisations, including: initiation of the dialogue with civil society about issues of common
interest; participation in preparing and monitoring the implementation of strategic documents
referring to creation of motivating environment for civil society development with the aim of
further development of cooperation in public, private and civil sector as well as cooperation
with autonomous province authorities and authorities of local self-government units;
initiation of making regulations and other general acts regulating the position of associations
and other civil society organisations as the basis for building a democratic, inclusive and
solidary society; participation in preparing collective reports for the Government about
expenditure of funds which were provided and paid to associations and other civil society
organisations from the budget of the Republic of Serbia as support to program activities;
organization of panels and conferences, publishing publications and undertaking other
measures and activities with the aim of increasing capacities and sustainability of work and
activities of associations and other civil society organisations; collecting and distributing
information relevant for the work of associations and other civil society organisations;
performing expert activities referring to cooperation and exchange of experiences with
similar government institutions in the region, the EU member-countries and the world;
cooperation with relevant authorities in performing activities referring to programming and
management of pre-accession and other EU funds for supporting civil society.
The Office prepares acts by which the Government supervises, directs and harmonizes
the activities of the Ministries and special organizations related to issues of civil society
development and the Government’s cooperation with civil society, as well as with methods in
which the public are notified about activities directed at civil society development and the
Government’s cooperation with civil society.
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The Office cooperates with state authorities, authorities of autonomous provinces,
towns and the City of Belgrade, as well as with associations and other civil society
organisations in making relevant documents and acts and it promotes activities related to
development and cooperation with civil society. The Office performs other activities in the
area of civil society development and co-operation with civil society entrusted by the
Government.
This Report refers to the period from January to December 2012 and represents the
overview of realization of chief activities within the scope of the work of the Office.
1. ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR CIVIL SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT
Improving the regulatory framework for civil society development represents part of
the overall improvement of the legal framework at the level of entire reform of the legislation
system. In that respect, the largest part of the Office’s activities is dedicated to proposals for
amendments and supplements of acts with the aim of creating motivating environment for
civil society development.
1.1. Initiatives for changing regulations relevant for activities of associations and other
civil society organisations
With the aim of encouraging greater participation of citizens in creation of policies
through public debates about acts, the Office has initiated changing of Article 41 of the
Government’s Rule Book1 regulating the issue of public debate in law drafting.
Amendments to Article 41 of the Government’s Rule Book refer to a more detailed
organisation of the public debate process – minimum content of the public debate, methods of
organising and guiding the public debate, precise criteria for mandatory organisation of the
public debate in drafting laws and other general acts as well as setting minimum length of the
public debate.
The Ministry of Finances and Economy has been submitted the initiative for
amendments to the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Law on financing
local self-government2 in relation to exempting the obligation of paying for the local
communal tax for advertisement panel in the business premises for citizen associations. The
initiative was accepted and in September 2012 the Law on Amendments and Supplements
to the Law on financing local self-government3 was adopted, according to which citizen
“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 61/2006 – edited text, 69/2008, 88/2009, 33/2010, 69/2010, 20/2011 and 37/2011
“Official Gazette” No. 93/2012
3 “Official Gazette“, No. 62/2006, 47/2011
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associations categorized as small legal entities are freed from the obligation of paying this
tax. The aim of the proposal was to free citizen associations as non-profit legal entities from
the financial burden threatening their sustainability.
The Office has submitted another proposal to the Ministry of Finances and Economy –
Proposal for amendment and supplement to the Rule Book about standard classification
framework and account plan for budget system4 concerning the diversification of budget
line 481. Recommended amendments would ensure a clear insight into approved
appropriations for associations, endowments and foundations and separate them from
allocations for those civil society organisations whose financing is regulated by special laws,
primarily political parties and religious communities. Harmonization of attitudes is underway.
The Office has submitted to the Ministry of Finances and Economy Proposal for
amendments to the Draft Law on Accounting and Auditing, recommending different
accounting rules for non-profit organisations as well as equal and not privileged legal regime
for churches and religious communities. The initiative by the Office was integrated into the
Draft Law whose adoption is expected during 2013.
The Committee for financing, Republic budget and control of expenditures of the
National Assembly has been sent the Proposal for amendments to the Draft Law about
Amendments and Supplements to the Corporate Profit Tax Law5. The Proposal
stipulates expanding the scope of activities of public interest recognized as expenditure of up
to 3,5% out of total income, as well as harmonization with the Law on Social Protection6
within the context of recognizing other social protection providers apart from the social
institutions. The proposal has not been adopted.
At the end of the year the Ministry of Regional Development and Local SelfGovernment was sent the Proposal for amendment to Article 68 of the Law on Local SelfGovernment7, referring to the national initiative about establishing the minimum percentage
of voters whose signatures are necessary for launching the national initiative.
In order to improve the framework for sustainable and transparent financing of civil
society organisations from the budget, the Office has taken active part in making the
Regulation about means for motivating programs or missing part of means for
financing programs of public interest realized by associations8. This Regulation defines in
detail criteria, conditions, range, method of allocation as well as methods and procedures of
repayment of means for motivating programs or missing part of means for financing
programs of public interest realized by associations.
“Official Gazette” No. 103/2011, 10/2012 18/2012, 95/2012 and 99/2012
“Official Gazette” No. 25/2001, 80/2002, 80/2002 – other law, 43/2003, 84/2004, 18/2010, 101/2011 and 119/2012
6 “Official Gazette” No. 24/2011
7 “Official Gazette” No. 129/2007
8 “Official Gazette” No. 08/2012
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1.2. Participation of the Office in work groups for making legal acts
In compliance with its scope of work, the Office has taken active part in numerous
Work groups for making acts, including the Work group for making the Draft Law on
Mediation, as well as amendments and supplements to the Law on Non-Contentious
Procedure9. The Work group for making the new law on mediation has prepared the Draft
Law which stipulates establishing a completely new and functional system of mediation with
the introduction of license for mediators, the establishment of the Chamber of Mediators and
standardization and accreditation of mediator training programs. The Work group for making
amendments and supplements to the Law on Non-Contentious Procedure had the task of
correcting certain inadequate legal solutions, to eliminate legal inconsistencies, to accelerate
the procedure and make certain principles operational. In cooperation with the Ministry of
Justice and Public Administration, the Office has also organized the participation of civil
society organisations in public debates related to making the above-mentioned laws.
The Office representatives participate actively in the work of the Technical Work
group for registration in birth registers, which is in charge of implementing the Agreement
on Understanding between the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, the
Ombudsman and the UN High Commissariat for Refugees about carrying out coordinated
activities directed at offering assistance to members of the Roma community who are not
registered in the birth certificate and have no personal documents.
Within GIZ project “Support to implementation of legal reforms in the Republic of
Serbia”, the Office participates in the work of the Work group “Improving the law-making
process in the Republic of Serbia”. The aim of the project is to improve the legal and
institutional framework for strengthening rule of law and economic development in order to
facilitate accession of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union.
The Office has its representatives in the National Volunteering Committee, a multisector body consisting of relevant Ministries, representatives of civil society and Union of
Employers. The aim of the National Committee is to promote values and activities related to
volunteering as well as organising a national campaign in order to promote culture of
volunteering in the Republic of Serbia.
Together with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, Ministry of
Interior Affairs and Ministry of Defence, the Office actively participates in monitoring the
implementation of the “National Action Plan for implementing Resolution 1325 of the UN
Security Council – Women, peace and security in the Republic of Serbia“, primarily through
realizing the cooperation with the Multi-sector coordination body and civil society
organisations in the area of security, defence and gender equality. This resolution refers to the
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“Official Gazette” No. 25/82 and 48/88, “Official Gazette” No. 46/95 – other law, 18/2005 – other law, and 85/2012
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participation of women decision-making and peace processes, specific rights, needs and
protection of women in the security sector.
Since the end of 2012 the Office representatives have been involved in the Work
group for making the Strategy of struggle against discrimination for the period from
2013 to 2018, led by the Office for Human and Minority Rights of the Government of the
Republic of Serbia.
In respect of its cooperation with the business sector, the Office is a member of the
Serbian Philanthropic Forum. The Forum has four Work groups whose members try to
provide many mechanisms for giving in Serbia, a better legislation framework for developing
philanthropy as an inseparable segment of our everyday life. Apart from the Office with
Cooperation with Civil Society, the Forum members are business companies and enterprises,
foundations and civil society organisations.
1.3. Annual summary report on budget expenditures provided to the associations and
other civil society organizations
In order to increase transparency of financing the work of associations and other civil
society organisations, the Office has prepared the first Annual Collective Report about
expenditure of funds provided and paid to associations and other civil society
organisations from the budget of the Republic of Serbia in 2011 as support to program
activities10. The questionnaire about expenditure of budget funds designated for associations
and other civil society organisations was created after consultations with the Ministry of
Finances in the first place and then with the representatives of line ministries and other
government institutions, as well as with civil society organisations.
This is the first Annual Collective Report of that kind made by collecting and
analyzing data on the basis of reports of line ministries and other Government institutions at
the Republic level which offered financial and non-financial budget support to associations
and other civil society organisations. The aim of this Report is to present the state, amount
and proportions or planned and allocated funds supporting civil society organisations, the
overview of allocation procedures, the overview of budget items through which the funds are
allocated for financing programs and projects of civil society organisations, amounts and
reasons of returning the approved funds to the budget, the overview of users of these funds
and the overview of civil society organisations whose programs and projects are supported, as
well as the insight into financed areas, supported activities, the overview of final users and
the insight into the territorial distribution of financed programs and projects. This form of
reporting should serve to improve the regular process of planning and allocation of funds, of
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http://civilnodrustvo.gov.rs/zbirni-izvestaj
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monitoring the realization of supported projects and programs and their effects with the aim
of more efficient and appropriate use of funds allocated for achieving the set goals.
With the aim of acquainting civil society organisations, public administration and
local self-government with the main conclusions and recommendations of this Report, a
number of promotional meetings has been organized in Serbia. The representatives of 60
towns and municipalities in Serbia were presented the Questionnaire about expenditure of
budget funds designated for associations and other civil society organisations, which will
serve for collecting data about funds allocated for financing projects and programs of
associations and other civil society organisations from the province budget and the budget of
local self-government units in 2012.
1.4. Training of civil servants
In cooperation with Department of Human Resources Management and within the
program of general expert training of civil servants, the Office has created and started
organizing one-day training with the aim of presenting mechanisms of participation of civil
society organisations in decision-making processes. During 2012 there were two trainings for
civil servants entitled “Cooperation of public administration and civil society in the process
of creation and application of public policies: legislative, institutional and financial
framework”. Apart from presenting the legal framework regulating the area of cooperation
between CSOs and public administration bodies, the training also involves presenting
mechanisms of their institutional cooperation, communication models, the role of civil
society in Euro-integrations, the legal framework regulating financing of CSOs as well as
good examples of financing practice and cooperation of public administration institutions and
CSOs.
The Regional School for Public Administration (ReSPA) with the seat in
Danilovgrad, Montenegro, has been recommended the module of training civil servants with
the topic of cooperation between public administration institutions and civil society
organisations in the process of creation and application of public policies. The training was
created at the initiative of the Office with the aim of increasing the capacity of public
administration institutions in the whole region of the West Balkans in the process of
establishing efficient communication and cooperation between public administration and
CSOs. The 2013 plan is to acquaint civil servants from the regional institutions with the role
and significance of civil sector in the process of creation and implementation of public
policies.
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1.5. Conferences, seminars, workshops and meetings (sector and inter-sector)
Organising panels and conferences with the aim of increasing capacities and
sustainability of civil society organisations, as well as cooperation and exchange of
experiences with similar government institutions in the region, EU member states and the
world represents an important segment of the Office’s mandate. During 2012 the Office
continued to organize, alone and in partnership with others, many national, regional and
European gatherings.
During 2012 the Office representatives participated in as many as 32 different
gatherings (workshops, conferences, seminars, meetings) as initiators, organisers and partners
(for the sake of comparison, during 2011 there were only 12 gatherings of the kind).
Since the number of held gatherings is extremely large, here is the overview of the
most important ones.
On 18th January there was a gathering in the National Assembly entitled “Examples
of good international and European practice for sustainable civil society development“,
organised by the Office for cooperation with civil society of the Government of the Republic
of Serbia. The speech was delivered by Ms Lindsay Driscoll from Great Britain, a consultant
for laws on charity work and civil society and an international expert with a long experience
in working on the institutional framework for civil society development. She presented
current topic of interest for civil society development at the international, European and
British levels.
Ivana Ćirković, Director of the Office, and Bernard Brunet, a member of the cabinet
of Stefan Füle, the European Commissioner for Enlargement, attended the regular annual
meeting CONCORD (Confederation for Cooperation of Relief and Development NGOs),
the working group for issues of enlargement, accession and neighbourly relations, held
in Brussels on 19th and 20th March 2013. The main topic of the meeting was the strategy and
further steps in continuing the functioning of the Work group having in mind the fact that
TRIALOG had announced withdrawing from the Work group. All the participants stated that
they wanted the Work group to continue working in the same composition (3 sub-groups
from three geographical regions: east, south and IPA) and that they would count on the
assistance from CONCORD. The sub-group referring to issues about IPA instruments, where
the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) is a regular member, focused
mostly on the issue of IPA instruments future. The general text of the proposal of IPA
instruments was discussed. The sub-groups agreed that they would submit written objections
and suggestions concerning the document which should be discussed at the public debate in
the European Parliament on 11th April 2012.
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Ivana Ćirković, Director of the Office, participated as a speaker at the two-day
conference entitled “Partnership in providing social services”, held on 6th and 7th April
2012 in Tivat, Montenegro. The conference, which was organised by the Fund for Active
Citizens, gathered relevant social figures from Montenegro and the Republic of Serbia:
representatives of institutions at the national and local level, non-government organisations
active in providing social services and representatives of UNDP and UNICEF in Montenegro.
The main aim of the conference was exchange of experiences, knowledge and examples of
good practice in providing social protection services in Montenegro and the Republic of
Serbia with the emphasis on the services characterised by cooperation and partnership
between civil society organisations and relevant institutions of the social protection system.
At the conference concrete challenges were considered concerning provision of services as
well as the possibilities for improving trans-boundary cooperation in that field. The overall
event was realized within project “Partners in social transition” with the support of the
Balkan Trust for Democracy and in cooperation with the Balkan Community Initiative Fund
(BCIF).
The fair of civil society organisations with the motto “Self-initiative” was held in
Belgrade on 24–25th May 2012 in the organisation of the Agency for European integrations
and cooperation with associations of the City of Belgrade. This manifestation gathered over
70 civil society organisations which had the opportunity to present their projects and plans, to
exchange experiences and show results of their work in different social spheres. Director of
the Office Ivana Ćirković addressed the participants at the gala opening of the Fair and
emphasised the significant role of the civil sector in Serbia in spreading democracy, reforms
processes in the society and improvement of conditions of live for all citizens.
On 18th September 2012, in cooperation with the initiative of civil society organisations
“Law is ours”, the Office organised the Panel entitled “How to improve public debates in
the process of making acts”. The meeting was attended by more than a hundred participants
from state institutions, civil sector, donor community and media. On this occasion the
comparative legal “Analysis of public debates in the USA, Slovenia and Macedonia” was
presented, including “Recommendations for improving public debates in Serbia”.
Director of the Office Ivana Ćirković took part in the regional conference “For
Europe of Western Balkans and Turkey” held from 26th to 28th September in Zadar, the
Republic of Croatia. The conference was dedicated to development and future of civil society
in the region. Main topics of the conference were: creation of a motivating framework for the
sector development, its financial sustainability and recommendations for stronger connection
of the sector with citizens. The conference presented national reports about the state of affairs
in the sector, prepared by local non-government organisations and offering insight into the
current state of affairs, achievements and further steps in creating motivating environment.
The conference was attended by 150 representatives of civil society, governments and
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government institutions from all countries in the region together with the representatives of
the European Union.
On 7th and 8th November 2012 Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations
Serbia (TACSO) organised a regional conference which gathered more than 100
representatives of civil society, state institutions, media and donors from the region of the
West Balkans and Turkey. The conference held in Skoplje, Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, examined the current state of affairs and future obligations with the aim of
improving relations and establishing cooperation between the state and civil society. The
conference was held on the occasion of the report by the European Centre for Non-Profit Law
(ECNL) – “Keeping the momentum”. At the conference, the representatives of the Balkan
Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) introduced the Matrix for monitoring a
motivating environment for civil society development. The main part of the conference was
dedicated to developing concrete activities at the national level for each participating country,
which should be realized within the following year.
Apart from organising these gatherings, many meetings were held with the decisionmakers in state institutions with the aim of informing and cooperation of the Government
institutions with the Office and CSOs, as well as increasing the possibility of cooperation
between the Government and CSOs.
The Office has been recognised by relevant state bodies as a mediator in cooperation of
the public administration bodies with civil society, which resulted in better informing and
including a larger number of civil society organisations in the process of making acts and
laws, primarily through submitting commentaries on drafts/working versions of regulations,
participation in work groups and other forms of the participation processes.
The Office has given support to the Ministry of Education and Science in collecting
information by civil society organisations about the implementation of the UN Convention
and Recommendations about preventing discrimination in education for the period 2006–
2011.
Support was also given to the Ministry of Internal Affairs – the National coordinator in
the campaign against human trafficking – in defining the platform of future cooperation with
civil society organisations in the field of the campaign against human trafficking.
During 2012 the Office began the practice of regular sectorial meetings attended by the
decision-makers from the line ministries and the representatives of relevant civil society
organisations. Apart from their informative character, these meetings open the possibility of
civil society organisations influencing the process of decision-making as well as establishing
cooperation and networking both inside civil sector and between sectors. The cycle of regular
quarterly consultation meetings began by organising meetings of the Ministry of Labour,
Employment and Social Policy and civil society organisations gathered within the network
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Contact Organizations of Civil Society (KOCD). KOCD mechanism was created in 2007
with the aim or enabling civil society organisations and citizens to get involved in the process
of implementing the Strategy for reducing poverty. Each KOCD member deals with issues of
social inclusion and reduction of poverty of marginal citizen groups as defined by the
Government of the Republic of Serbia in its Poverty Reduction Strategy including: persons
with disabilities, children, young people, women, persons older than 65, members of the
Roma national minority, refugees and internally displaced persons. Apart from the leading
organisations, KOCD network also consists of cluster organisations from the entire territory
of the Republic of Serbia. KOCD network deals with participation in creating policies and
monitoring their application at the national and local level.
The aim of regular sectorial meetings is to enable civil society organisations with many
years of experience and expert knowledge in providing services of social protection to
exchange opinions, to get informed and to send suggestions to the competent state body about
improvement of the existing regulations in the area of social protection.
1.6. Cooperation with associations and other CSOs
Everyday activities of the Office involve regular communication and mediation in
communication between ministries and other public administration institutions and civil
society organisations.
In the course of 2012 the Office received 14 different requests by civil society
organisations (for the sake of comparison, only 3 requests were received in 2011), which
asked for support in financing projects, establishing cooperation with public administration
bodies, networking with other CSOs as well as many invitations to attend gatherings
organised by them. The representatives of the organisations address the Office by
notifications, electronic mail, telephone calls and in person on the occasion of organising
gatherings or meetings.
By establishing regular communication with civil society organisations, the Office
gained insight into the main problems of the sector in the Republic of Serbia. Those that
stand out are: lack of financial funds and organisational capacities for writing projects, not
knowing donors, lack of capacities in certain organisations for applying for EU funds, lack of
working space, not knowing mechanisms of participation in creating public policies as well
as poor networking and cooperation inside the civil sector.
Through its regular activities and within existing capacities, the Office has given its
contribution to resolving problems observed in the civil society sector. The organisations
which addressed the Office received advice about financing projects. Depending on the field
of their activity they were connected with appropriate donors, both international and EU, and
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with relevant ministries, and directed to the appropriate advertisements. The representatives
of organisations were sent to relevant training, particularly in the area of writing projects.
They were asked to pay attention to Guides for financing CSOs and other important
publications, and they were also directed to other organisations with already built capacities
with the aim of networking and exchanging experiences.
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Number of received requests from associations and other civil society organisations in 2012
1.7. Survey of the state of affairs in the civil society sector
In order to gain insight into the current state of affairs in the civil sector, the Office
together with the association Citizen Initiative has participated in conducting the survey about
“State in the civil society sector in Serbia in 2011”, with support by USAID/ISC, OSCE
(Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and Strategic marketing. The results
of the survey serve as the basis for defining the activities of the Office, defining the strategic
framework for civil society development in Serbia and for future conduct of regular surveys.
The report was promoted during 2012.
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2. EU INTEGRATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Efforts and achievements of the Office in 2012 were recognised in the Progress
Report of the European Commission for Serbia in 201211, which states that “the Office for
cooperation with civil society was very active in raising awareness among public and state
institutions about the importance of including civil society and citizens in the decisionmaking process. The Office also established cooperation with other countries in the region“.
During 2012 the Office took part in the work of the Expert group of the
Coordination body for EU accession process, which had the task of considering all issues
and to coordinate the work of public administration bodies related to accession of the
Republic of Serbia to the European Union. Members of the Expert group were: director of the
Office for European Integrations, presidents of negotiating groups, state secretaries from the
ministries which are not in charge of the Expert group’s subgroups, deputy minister for the
European Union in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, deputy director and coordinator for
European Union funds in the Office for European Integrations and the representative of the
Republic Secretariat for Legislation. Other bodies and organisations can participate in the
work of the Expert group at the chairperson’s invitation.
2.1. “ EU Support to the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society”
Since November 2012 the Office has been the user of technical assistance within IPA
Program of support to civil society 2011–2013 and within the three-year project “Support to
the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society” in the total amount of 1.200.000 EUR. The
funds for institutional support to the Office were programmed within the multi-user IPA
2011–2013 with the aim of creating a motivating regulatory environment for civil society
development, increasing the capacities of the Office employees for performing activities
within their competence, managing grants designated for civil society organisations,
monitoring approved grants etc.
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Progress Report of the European Commission for 2012, European Commission, 2012
http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2012/package/sr_rapport_2012_en.pdf
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2.2. National contact point for EU program “Europe for male and female citizens”
In order to open new possibilities of financing associations and other civil society
organisations and local self-government in Serbia, as well as of enabling the participation in
EU programs, the Office has become the national contact point in EU program “Europe for
male and female citizens” by signing the Memorandum about agreement between the
Government of the Republic of Serbia and the European Commission in Brussels on 9th
November 2012. This program is aimed at bringing Europe closer to citizens and ensures
their active participation in building and realizing the European idea. Through this program
citizens have the opportunity to participate in trans-national exchanges, projects and
cooperation and thus contribute to developing the feeling of belonging to European values
and strengthening European integrations.
The Office has the role of the national contact body for providing information and
training to potential users of the program through the budget contribution which amounts to
55.000 ЕUR annually. Program “Europe for male and female citizens” has the aim of
conducting activities in various areas, such as issues of employment, social cohesion,
promotion of participation and democracy at the EU level, sustainable development,
strengthening the European identity of male and female citizens, cooperation and the like.
The following have the right to participate in this program: associations, foundations,
funds, networks of associations, education and research institutions, units of local and
regional self-government, European networks and roof organisations, organisations dealing
with researching European public policies (think tank), unions and associations of employers.
This program encourages connection and cooperation of citizens, civil society organisations
and local communities from the member-countries of the Program, while it enables national
civil society organisations, social partners, local self-governments and citizens to participate
equally with other EU partners.
With the aim of getting better acquainted with future users of the Program, even before
the official signing of the Cooperation Memorandum in cooperation with the Office for
Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Office had
organised three information days in Novi Sad, Nis and Belgrade where it presented its longstanding experience and lessons learnt in using this Program. A series of program
presentations were held throughout the Republic of Serbia.
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2.3. Programming international development assistance
The Office participated in the revision of the plan document “Requirements of the
Republic of Serbia for international development assistance in period 2011–2013”, as
well as in the preparation of indicators for the segment referring to civil society during 2012.
The Office representatives are members of the Sectorial work group for civil
society, media and culture, which participates in planning and programming international
development assistance and monitoring project realization.
The first report about monitoring implementation of programs realized within the
Program of support to civil society – 2010 EU IPA Civil Society Facility.
2.4. Co-financing projects of CSOs
According to the Regulation about funds for motivating the program or the missing
part of funds for financing programs of public interest realized by associations and on the
basis of the public advertisement results in December, the Office co-financed 12 out of 17
projects of civil society organisations which were approved and supported within the
Program “Support to civil society 2011” in the total amount of 5,5 million dinars.
2.5. Training for the Sectorial Civic Society Organizations (SCSO)
In March 2011 the Office for European integrations established the mechanism of
Sectorial civil society organisations (SCSO) which enables inclusion of civil society
organisations in planning, programming and monitoring implementation of international
assistance. SCSO involves the partnership of maximum three civil society organisations, one
of which is the leader, and which are in charge of establishing the network of organisations in
the sector. SCSO networks participate in the work of sectorial work groups where they
consider draft proposals of projects and submit comments about draft proposals of projects.
By essential inclusion of CSOs in planning and programming of international assistance, a
long-term partnership is created with civil society organisations, thus promoting a
constructive dialogue between public administration bodies and civil society. In 2012
member organisations of SCSO mechanism participated in the process of programming the
Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) for 2013.
During 2012 the Office prepared the training program for organisations with the aim
of improving their capacities in the contest of EU accession process and the area of planning
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development assistance, particularly in programming and monitoring the application of the
Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA), as well as monitoring the EU accession
process. Furthermore, the Office organized trainings focussing on procedures and
mechanisms of advocacy at the European and national levels in the candidate countries for
EU membership, which were held by the representatives of the Balkan Civil Society
Development Network (BCSDN). This Network has worked for many years on strengthening
civil society organisations in the Balkans through exchange and development of local
practices, different concepts and increasing capacities of participants in the sector.
2.7. Regional and international cooperation
With the aim of ensuring promotion and participation of civil society organisations in
the European integration processes and in the cooperation initiatives in the region of the West
Balkans, regular communication has been established with the decision-makers in the
European Commission, the Directorate for Enlargement and the European Economic and
Social Committee (ЕESC).
The Office is a member of the Local Advisory Group (LAG) of the EU regional
project of Technical assistance for civil society organisations (ТАCSО), which consists of the
representatives of civil society organisations, Government institutions, representatives of the
EU Delegation, media associations, donors and private sector. LAG mandate is to connect all
the participants relevant for civil society and to offer advice to the project team about the
needs for raising and improving the capacities of CSOs in Serbia as well as about improving
the environment in which these organisations operate.
Regular communication and cooperation have also been established with the relevant
institutions in the region with the aim of exchanging experiences and promoting examples
of good practice in cooperation mechanisms with government institutions dealing with
improving the institutional framework for civil society development in the region of the West
Balkans: the Office for cooperation with non-government organisations of the Government of
Montenegro, the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of
Croatia, the Office for cooperation with non-government organisations within the General
Secretariat of the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Civil Society Sector
within the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In March 2012 the Office organised Regional conference “Partnership for change:
civil society and Government institutions of the West Balkans and Turkey” in
cooperation with the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), the Office for
Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and EU Technical
assistance for civil society organisations (TACSO). This regional meeting which gathered
more than 150 civil society organisations was an extremely important event for the
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representatives of the government institutions and civil society organisations from the entire
region of the West Balkans and Turkey in the light of further progress in development and
functioning of institutional mechanisms of mutual cooperation.
Profound regional and international cooperation was maintained with similar
institutions dealing with cooperation with civil society in the West Balkans countries and
Turkey. At the meeting held in Zadar on 26th September 2012, representatives of the
institutions agreed about further steps in establishing long-term cooperation, including
regular communication by electronic mail, semi-annual meetings and establishing the future
Internet platform (Gov2Gov platform) for exchange of opinions, achievements, ideas and
experiences. The Office has assumed the responsibility of administrating the Internet
platform from the moment of its establishment.
2.7.1. Participation in regional projects
In cooperation with the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the
Republic of Croatia and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN), the
Office participated in creating and implementing the project “Regional partnership for
creating legal environment for civil society development” supported by the European
Centre for Non-Profit Law (ECNL) within the , Legal Innovation Fund ICNL (LIF ICNL).
This project was aimed at establishing the platform between public administration and civil
society which would serve for monitoring the legal environment for civil society
development in the countries of the West Balkans and Turkey.
In order to continue mutual work, the Office also cooperates on the project “Balkan
Civil Society Aquis – Strengthening the Advocacy and Monitoring Potential and
Capacities of Civil Society Organisations” led by the Balkan Civil Society Development
Network and approved within the MB IPA Partnership Programmes for Civil Society
Organisations.
Within these two projects the Matrix for monitoring motivating environment for
civil society development was created and developed as the first document of the kind
defining the areas of civil society development and standards of monitoring civil society
development in the West Balkans countries and Turkey. The standards are defined in seven
areas, taking into consideration existing international and regional legal standards and
practice, but certain standards were defined for the first time; basic and fiscal laws, the state
policy and institutional framework, participation of organisations in the decision-making
process, financing, participation of organisations in providing public services, human
resources and building trust. The Matrix establishes optimum and not minimum standards
with the aim of defining key topics for civil society development. The aim is to enable the
Matrix to become an efficient mechanism of monitoring and advocacy, of establishing the
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legal framework and application of legislation referring to motivating environment for the
operation of the efficient and developed civil society, as well as for institutions dealing with
issues important for civil society and for organisations themselves.
3. MEDIA AND PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES
On 9th April 2012 the Office called the Public invitation for making the logotype of
the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society of the Government of the Republic of Serbia,
which was designated for students of basic and graduate academic studies. The deadline for
sending logotype proposals was 30th April 2012. The aim of the public competition was to
make the Office logotype which would stand out by its originality and become the protection
sign of the Office. The right to participate was given to all male and female students of basic
and graduate academic studies younger than 28, with the residence in the territory of the
Republic of Serbia.
After the deadline for submitting logotype
proposals, the Office had as many as 67 proposals.
On the basis of received proposals, the Office chose
the winning design and handed in the award. The
vote was organised on the official Facebook page of
the Office and in that way the best proposal was
chosen for the logotype of the Office for
Cooperation with Civil Society.
3.1. Internet presentation of the Office
In order to realize its scope of work to the greatest extent, the Office uses its official
Internet presentation at www.civilnodrustvo.gov.rs with the aim of achieving the pro-active
communication with all the interested parties. In the middle of 2012, after almost total
completion of human resources in the Office, this communication was intensified, which
resulted in the change of the visual appearance and change in the structure of the Internet
presentation with a more attractive design and better organisation. The statistics of visits to
the Office’s Internet page has been monitored from the first day of placing the new and
redesigned presentation. The Internet page is written in both Latin alphabet and Cyrillic and it
also has the English version.
The principles observed by the Office in its work are transparency, availability,
openness for cooperation with all sectors (private, public and civil ones), continued studying
and development of capacities, promptness of answers to received questions, with a clear
awareness about the main priority in communication with interested parties: accuracy of
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placed information. These principles are also applied on the Internet page, where visitors can
send letters and register for the mailing list of the Office.
The number of visits to the Internet page of the Office in the period between 1 st
September 2012 and 31st December 2012 was 8.323 individual visitors, 14.946 visits and
55.981 page views.
3.2. The Office and social networks
The decision about making the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society active on the
social networks as well originated from the specific nature and broad range of its mandate
demanding constant communication with associations of citizens and other civil society
organisations. Having in mind the fact that civil society adapts much more rapidly than
institutions to technological innovations and uses them for the purpose of communication,
raising the visibility as well as increasing its own capacities on the whole, it seemed perfectly
logical for the Office to enter that form of communication too.
At the beginning of October 2012 the Office employees had two-day training for
using social networks Facebook and Twitter organised by civil society organisation
“Dokukino”. The lecturers were representatives of this organisation as well as members of
the Press Service of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Immediately after the
training the Office opened its Twitter profile @vladaOCDrs at a special twееt-up event in
Belgrade’s “Moscow” Hotel, which had its media coverage.
On that occasion the Office created hashtag #OCDrs with the idea to gather civil
society organisations in Serbia and enable them to exchange their experiences. In this way,
the effort was made to give online support to the term “civil society organisations” which
came into use by establishing the Office as well as to give it a linguistic and meaning
recognition. The number of followers on this network is increasing progressively (one and a
half announcements on Twitter brings one “follower” on average), which justifies the
engagement on the everyday distribution of information through it.
The profile on Facebook social network (http://www.facebook.com/vladaOCDrs) was
opened on 1st December 2011 and since then the number of visitors has increased constantly.
Having in mind the fact that this social network is used most in the territory of the Republic
of Serbia and the presence of public administration bodies on it is still an exception ad not a
rule, the experience of the Office is more than positive. Information from the profile is
distributed, followed and read on a daily basis; mostly positive comments are sent together
with questions and requests for advice referring to the work of civil society organisations.
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3.3. Information of public significance
During 2012 the Office received one (1) request for information of public importance.
This request was received through electronic mail and referred to the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
When was the Office established/ when did it begin working?
What are the income categories from which the Office is financed?
What are expenditure categories of the Office?
What is the number of employees/engaged persons in the Office by the Labour Law
(e.g. on the basis of agreements about temporary and part-time jobs)?
5. What is the number of employees/engaged persons in the Office by the Law on Civil
Servants?
The Office answered all these questions duly and in compliance with the law.
3.4. Internship program
In 2012 the Office for cooperation with civil society took part in project “Internship
Program for young people and members of minorities in state institutions in Serbia”
conducted by the Office for human and minority rights of the Government of the Republic of
Serbia with support of the Embassy of Great Britain and Embassy of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands. The aim of the program is increasing the participation of national minorities in
the public life of the Republic of Serbia. The program lasted six months (1st November 2012
– 1st May 2013) and was organised in five state institutions. Nerma Bajramovic, a philologist,
BA, from Novi Pazar, did her internship in the Office.
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