Civil Society Overview

Civil Society Overview

 20182019
Number of registered
organizations (per type)
(+ how many have
registered in 2019)
31.894 citizens’ associations
839 endowments and foundations
(2254 associations, 1 endowment
and 52 foundations newly registered
in 2018)
33.463 citizens’ associations
911 endowments and foundations
(2090 associations, 4 endowments
and 70 foundations newly
registered in 2019)
Main civil society laws Law on Associations; Law on
Endowments and Foundations;
Public Assembly Act; Law on central
Record of the Beneficial Owners;
Government Regulation (by-law) on
financing programs of public
interest (Regulation); Law on
Volunteering; Adult Education Law;
Law on Youth;
Government Regulation on
establishing the Office for
Cooperation with Civil Society; Law
on Local Self Government;
Law on the Planning System; Law on
Free Access to Information of Public
Importance; Law on social
Protection; Law on Consumer
Protection; Law on Public
procurement		Law on Associations; Law on
Endowments and Foundations;
Public Assembly Act; Law on central
Record of the Beneficial Owners;
Government Regulation (by-law) on
financing programs of public
interest (Regulation); Law on
Volunteering; Adult Education Law;
Law on Youth; Government
Regulation on establishing the
Office for Cooperation with Civil
Society; Law on Local Self
Government;
Law on the Planning System; Law
on Free Access to Information of
Public Importance; Law on social
Protection; Law on the Consumer
Protection; Law
Relevant changes in legal
framework		Adoption of the Law on central
Record of the Beneficial Owners
which prescribes the obligation of
the registration of the beneficial
owners in the register of the
Business Registers Agency. This
obligation is a consequence of the
FATF recommendations. According
to MONEYVAL report on Serbia
states, FATF Recommendation No. 8
is only partially fulfilled and
highlights the weaknesses in NGO
monitoring, including the absence
of a separate state monitoring body		The Law on Free Legal aid - With its
adoption, certain CSOs that have
performed these activities for years
are now prevented from doing it.
The adopted solutions virtually
prevent CSOs from continuing to
provide free legal aid, except in
cases from Article 9 of the Law
which prescribes that CSOs may
provide free legal aid only to the
basic law governing asylum law,
domestic violence and nondiscrimination.
It also provides that
certain CSOs, within the objectives
for which they were established,
may provide general legal
information and complete legal
forms.
State funding
(key bodies and
amounts)		According to the Budget law for
2018, total amount of funds
planned for CSOs support was
61.444.201 EUR. Key bodies for
funds’ distribution were Ministry of
Youth and Sport – 17,6 million of
EUR, Ministry of Labor, Employment,
Veterans’ and Social Policy – more
than 9 million of EUR and Ministry
of Finance – 8,7 million of EUR
According to the Budget Law of RS
for 2019, total amount of funds
planned for CSOs support was
66.982.856 EUR. Key bodies for
funds’ distribution were Ministry of
Youth and Sport – more than 19,5
million of EUR, Ministry of Labor,
Employment, Veterans’ and Social
Policy -
10,7 million of EUR and Ministry of
Finance – almost 9,5 million of EUR
Human resources (employees and
volunteers)
According to SBRA and OCCS data,
by the end of 2018, CSOs employed
a total of 7945 people (Associations
of citizens employed 7071 people
and domestic endowments and
foundations 874. There is no
systematic, comprehensive data on
number of volunteers. Some data is
being collected by the Ministry of
Labor, Employment, Veterans' and
Social Affairs, in accordance with
the Law on volunteering, which
registers only organizers of
volunteering, but number of
volunteers wasn’t evidenced		No available data.
CSO-Government
Cooperation (relevant and
new body: consultation
mechanism)
Government Office for Cooperation
with Civil Society;
Contact points for cooperation with
civil society in certain ministries and
LSGs; NCEU; SEKO
Government Office for Cooperation
with Civil Society
Contact points for cooperation with
civil society in certain ministries and
LSGs; NCEU; SEKO
Other key challenges Lack of records was observed when
it comes to the implementation of
tax incentives, statistics in the area
of distribution of state funds,
volunteering, the number of
employees and contracted persons,
regulations adopted at all
governance levels including the
involvement of CSOs in these
processes, as well as the provision of
services in all relevant areas. 		Lack of records was observed when
it comes to the implementation of
tax incentives, statistics in the area
of distribution of state funds,
volunteering, the number of
employees and contracted persons,
regulations adopted at all
governance levels including the
involvement of CSOs in these
processes, as well as the provision of
services in all relevant areas.