The draft law on associations, which will create the overall legal framework for the operation of associations in Serbia, was met with approval by all relevant state institutions, as discussed at a roundtable on July 27. Through the USAID-funded Civil Society Advocacy Initiative program, the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) has supported its implementing partner organizations - ECNL and Civic Initiatives - in participating in a working group with the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government to produce a draft Law on Associations, which considers the specific needs and current issues faced by the civil sector as well as relevant practices and experiences from other countries in the region.
We are pleased that the draft law was met with approval by all relevant state institutions, as discussed at the roundtable, attended by President Boris Tadic, Parliament Speaker Oliver Dulic and the Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic. In his address at the roundtable, President Tadic noted that
"By producing this draft law, the State demonstrated its awareness of the importance of civil society. Our regard for civil society stretches beyond human rights non-governmental organizations, and includes those who work on social care issues as well as on promotion of civil society itself. All this will bring Serbia closer to the European Union."