From December 2022 until August 2023, European Policy Centre (CEP – Belgrade) implemented a project called “Supporting the EU integration process of Western Balkan countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of functioning of democratic institutions”.

The European Commission’s (EC) annual reports on the state of play of reforms in negotiating chapters for all candidates and potential candidates are one of the main sources for evaluating these countries’ commitment to the EU integration process. As such, these reports are the basis for the Council’s decision to open clusters or close chapters. Yet, in practice, there is an increasingly evident rift between these two EU institutions. In fact, the acquired feedback from member states clearly showcases a notable level of mistrust when it comes to EC’s approach to monitoring and assessment. Similarly, CSOs from the region have also actively called for the EC’s findings to become more precise and to the point, that is, to become objective, accurate, impartial, and comparable.

The project aimed to support the EU integration process of the Western Balkan (WB) countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of the functioning of democratic institutions. A team of researchers will map and analyse key elements of the European Commission’s (EC) reports on six Western Balkan countries in the sub-area of the functioning of democratic institutions. CEP’s innovative approach entailed: 1. development of a comparative policy product on improving the consistency of the EC’s assessments in the area of functioning of democratic institutions, 2. creation of methodology for quantified assessment of the existing level of preparedness in the aforementioned area; 3. Implementation of the methodology which will result in clear assessments for the countries in question. Additionally, this project ensured regional ownership over the new approach through cooperation and involvement of regional experts and their significant contribution. The project activities focused on advocacy and dissemination of key findings, messages and recommendations provided in the aforementioned policy products.

Contact person: Branko Birač, Project Manager (branko.birac@cep.org.rs)

Products published within the project:

Functioning of democratic institutions: Identifying Inconsistencies in the 2022 European Commission’s Annual Reports for WB6

Using Third-Party Indicators for Quantifying the Functioning of Democratic Institutions in the WB

The Commission’s Assessment of the Functioning of Democratic Institutions: Adding the Missing Puzzle Pieces

Quantifying the Functioning of Democratic Institutions: Developing a Reliable Model for the Western Balkans

Deepening and Expanding the Scope of the Commission’s Reporting of Developments in the “Functioning of Democratic Institutions” in WB6

Identifying Inconsistencies in the 2022 European Commission’s Annual Reports for WB6

Events held within the project:

Webinar: Discussing the 2023 Enlargement Package and the Functioning of Democratic Institutions in the Western Balkans

Video podcast episode recorded within the project please find here.

Članak <strong>Supporting the EU integration process of Western Balkan countries by enabling better tracking of reforms in the area of functioning of democratic institutions</strong> se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

The working groups whose work is coordinated by CEP are:

• Working group for Negotiation Chapter 1 (Free movement of goods)
• Working group for Negotiation Chapter 3 (Right of establishment and freedom to provide services)
• Working group for Negotiation chapters 4 and 9 (Free Movement of Capital and Financial services)
• Working group for Negotiating Chapter 8 (Competition)
• Working group for Negotiation Chapter 28 (Consumer protection and health protection)

Članak Coordination of Working groups within the National Convention se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Članak Quality Infrastructure, Competitiveness Development Factors – Preparatory Activities for Improving the Strategic and Legislative Framework se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

New SMEE Strategy 2023 – 2027, will be based on the results of the previous policy (SMEE Strategy 2015 – 2020). It will take into account EU SME Strategy for sustainable growth and digitalization, and also the Serbian Industrial Policy Strategy (adopted in early 2020) and Smart Specialisation Strategy (also adopted in 2020).

The following activities are delivered under the project:

• Ex post-analysis of the SMEE Strategy 2015 – 2020;
• Problem analysis and description of current situation in sector; SWOT analysis;
• Harmonisation with national legislation and other national level policies;
• Analysis of comparative international practice;
• Organisation and delivery of 11 public-private dialogues with SMEEs;
• Drafting the elements of the new Strategy:
  • Vision and desired change that the Strategy should achieve through its overall and specific objectives
  • Strategy’s objectives (overall and specific);
  • Analysis of the options for achieving of these objectives;
  • Measure under each specific objective;
  • Mechanism for implementation of the Strategy and the system for reporting on the results of implementation;
• Organisation of consultations with the interested parties;
• Assessment of financial resources required for the implementation of the Strategy and analysis of financial effects;
• Risk Analysis;
• Development of draft action plan;

The donors of the project are the German-Serbian Initiative for Sustainable Growth and Employment and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ). The project will last until December 2022.

Članak Development of Draft Small and Medium Enterprises Strategy se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

CEP was recognised by a prominent independent research institute in the field of water management from the Netherlands, Deltares, in partnership with the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of the Netherlands Municipalities, VNG International, and the “Jaroslav Cerni” Water Institute, as an important policy-relevant partner to complete the assignment Local DRR plans and local protection and rescue plans for local self-government
units in Serbia realised with financial support from the EU in the framework of the EU-WB/GFDRR Western Balkans Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Program and managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. The assignment took place from October 2021 until May 2022. The objectives of the assignment were to assess the current Disaster Risk Assessment, Local Disaster Risk Management Plans and Local Protection and Rescue Plans of the LSGs, with a focus on floods and flood vulnerabilities of LSGs in order to prioritize capacity-building actions in those self-governments, and to prepare recommendations on improving these local plans.

After successful contribution to the assignment above, Deltares engaged the “Jaroslav Cerni” Water Institute and CEP in another assignment within the framework of the EU-WB/GFDRR Western Balkans Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Program, Capacity building to improve the identification, prioritization, and preparation of new flood risk reduction investments in Serbia. The assignment took place from December 2021 until May 2022. The objectives of the assignment were to produce recommendations for identifying priority investments resulting in the draft methodology for prioritising risk reduction measures, develop a catalogue of structural and non-structural interventions, and enhance the capacities of the Republic Water Directorate and Public Water Management Companies to apply the methodology and the catalogue.

Članak Environment Protection: Improving the Disaster Risk Reduction Management with focus on Floods Management se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Serbia faces a serious emigration problem and needs to address it strategically. Global Competitiveness Index in 2018–19 ranked Serbia at 134th place out of the 137 countries included in the assessment in terms of its ability to retain its talent or prevent ‘brain drain’. Many sectors in Serbia are affected by the increased emigration trend of qualified workers such as nurses, doctors, drivers etc. Better working conditions and perspectives for career development offered in the developed countries, especially the EU, are the most common pull factors. According to a report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)8, about 60% of the roughly 415,000 Serbian citizens who left between 2007 and 2016 went to Germany. Challenges of regional development have become rather severe due to uneven population decline in different regions. Depopulated regions are usually at the same time low-income rural or post-industrial areas. Such structural reasons in combination with inert local self-governments and disempowered CSOs are all preventive factors against circular migration.

In different fields, CSOs in Serbia face multiple challenges in an attempt to monitor and participate in the ongoing reform and EU integration processes. These challenges are pervasive and stretch in time beyond microhistory related to the current political preconditions. However, the deterioration in the past decade remains a worrisome problem. Through the transformation of the local/regional CSOs into Regional Centres of Excellence for Circular migration (ReCeEx), this project enabled CSOs participation in a constructive policy reform dialogue and development of evidence-based policy options and recommendations on circular migration through which it directly assisted the government in fulfilling the related policy goals and objectives. It was done so through an extensive process of building capacities of CSOs to understand the policy environment and advocate for improvements of the circular migration policy. It will also raise awareness of government stakeholders on different decision-making levels and the general public on the importance of the inclusive evidence-based policy dialogue and CSO involvement in this field.

Products published within the project:

Migratory flows: The State’s Response (SRB)

Mythbusters

Circular and return migrations: experiences of Estonia, Bulgaria and Ireland

Circular and return migration: What can Serbia learn from EU countries’ experiences?

Circular Migration: Does Serbia Have a Solution?

What do Circular and Return Migrants advise? (SRB)

Recommendations for improving the circular migration management process

Circular migration: Concept and Example of Serbia, Manual for Circular Migration (SRB)

Assessment of the quality of support for circular migrants in Serbia (SRB)

Events held within the project:

Citizen consultation training for Regional Centres of Excellence – ReCeEx

Who’s leaving Serbia and who is coming back: breakfast with journalists

Citizen consultations were held in Kraljevo, Niš and Sombor

In pursuit of youth and talent: Circular migration in Serbia

Strengthening Advocacy capacities of the Regional Centers of Excellence (SRB)

Podcast episodes recorded within the project, you can listen here.

Članak Circular Migration before Depopulation! se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

Through its enlargement policies, the EU tries to foster democratisation in the Western Balkan region. Now that further reforms in a number of countries only progress slowly or seem even deadlocked, more and more attention is being paid to the negative side-effects of EU policies. The literature on EU enlargement notes that, in spite of their democratic objectives, EU strategies and policies unintentionally contribute to the formation of so-called stabilitocracies in the region: countries with obvious democratic shortcomings that at the same time claim to provide pro-EU stability.

The research project focuseed on the six countries of the Western Balkans. For each country, it assessed how flaws in the EU’s enlargement policies as identified in the literature play out in practice by offering a reflection on the applicability of the theoretical framework for the specific country, underpinned by an assessment of a number of case studies.

The project will be carried out throughout 2021 and will culminate in a report in English with six contributions from TEN partners, one for each country of the Western Balkan Six.

This project is financed by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence.

Project Coordinator: European Policy Centre – CEP, Belgrade
Contact person: Strahinja Subotić, Programme Manager and Senior Researcher, strahinja.subotic@cep.org.rs

Članak The EU as a promoter of democracy or ‘stabilitocracy’ in the Western Balkans? se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.

It will support further development of the CEFTA areas, by providing policy advice, enhancing civil society interaction, and raising awareness of CEFTA. Hereby, CEP is tasked to organise a competition of policy papers on a number of topics relevant for the CEFTA, intending to encourage production of the policy research/policy analysis including opinions and recommendations for improving policies in CEFTA. With the aim to advance the discussion by engaging the researchers on CEFTA related topics, CEP will organise online thematic panel discussions on the topics that CEFTA promotes and a workshop to promote the policy papers produced under this contract.

Članak Cooperation with Civil Society – competition for innovative policy research proposals se pojavljuje prvo na European Policy Centre.