Are there opportunities for improved dialogue in Serbia?
Over the past several years, ECNL has been supporting Serbian partners focusing on creating the conditions to reinvigorate productive dialogue and engagement between the Government of Serbia and the civil society sector. We recognise that the relationship between the two has deteriorated following increased harassment and attacks on CSOs from both the legislature and the executive. However, there are still opportunities to gradually restart dialogue between government and civic actors, and ensure that civil society is included in decision-making processes. The Council for Cooperation and Civil Society Development (Council) is a key body to achieve this.
Setting up the Council: how ECNL supported the process
The attempt to establish a Council in Serbia started more than ten years ago. For many years the process was stalled due to the political context and differences in the positions of stakeholders regarding the structure and mandate of this body.
In 2022, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue (MHRSD) developed an Action Plan to implement the governmental Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development in Serbia. One of the measures in this Action Plan is improving the dialogue between the government and civil society, and increasing participation of civil society in the decision-making processes at all levels. Consequently, the government launched the consultation process to establish the Council.
In the past two years, to facilitate the entire consultation process, ECNL worked with civil society colleagues, partners and state institutions. We mediated discussions, proposed solutions for all open questions, and provided comparative overviews of similar bodies in the region. We drafted the proposal that integrated best practices adjusted to the Serbian context to ensure these are acceptable for both CSOs and state institutions.
Specifically, we drafted documents to the Ministry in preparation of the Rules of Procedures, and suggested the most suitable model for the Council in Serbia in terms of the (i) Mandate of the Council, (ii) Structure of the Council, (iii) Selection of CSO representatives. After extensive consultation with civil society, these were adopted by the Ministry.
The first meeting of the Council took place on December 5, 2023 in the Government of Serbia, when the Rules of Procedure was adopted, the president of the Council was elected, and the next steps of the work of the Council were agreed. This marked the beginning of the Council functioning as a relevant body within its mandate.
Next steps
ECNL supports the preparation of the new two-year (2024/2025) Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy, as well as helping the Ministry in the implementation of some of the measures envisaged in the Strategy. We are excited about the Council’s future work to genuinely support civil society development and dialogue with diverse sectors.
ECNL's work in Serbia is under the framework of the Civil Society Resilience Activity (CSRA), a five-year programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by PartnersGlobal and consortium partners including ECNL. The project seeks to help civil society respond to closing civic space challenges and improve the legal environment for civil society organisations (CSOs) in Serbia.