Participation of Civil Society Organisations in the Process of Adopting Regulations and Public Policy Documents

The Participation of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the Process of Adopting Regulations and Public Policy Documents is a short-term project aimed at strengthening the capacities of CSOs in Serbia to engage actively and effectively in the drafting, consultation, and monitoring of the implementation of public policies and regulations. The project is implemented by European Policy Centre (CEP) in the period December 2025 – March 2026 and is funded by the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue of the Republic of Serbia.

Building on the priorities of public administration reform (PAR), which the European Commission has identified as a key condition for progress in the EU accession process, the project addresses persistent weaknesses in the areas of transparency and public participation in policymaking and regulatory processes. Particular emphasis is placed on early stages of drafting policy documents, public consultations, and monitoring of their implementation.

The overall objective of the project is to contribute to strengthening the capacities of CSOs through the development of practical knowledge and skills required for meaningful and evidence-based participation in public policymaking. The specific objective is to identify concrete CSO needs and enhance their competencies for engaging in the preparation of policy documents, public consultations, and monitoring of policy and regulatory implementation, accompanied by recommendations for further strengthening their role and capacities.

Planned activities include: conducting a needs assessment and defining the focus of the training programme; developing training curricula and supporting materials; delivering one two-day interactive training for up to 20 CSO representatives; and preparing a final report with recommendations for further capacity development of CSOs in this field.

The project builds on the experiences and results of the WeBER Plus initiative (2023–2024), which focused on strengthening CSO capacities in PAR area, as well as on the findings of SIGMA/OECD, which point to the need for further improvement of the public consultation system in Serbia. Although standards are formally in place, practice indicates limited coverage and quality of consultation processes, as well as insufficient capacity of CSOs to use these mechanisms effectively.

Duration: December 2025 – March 2026

Contact: Jovana Knezevic Jovanovic, Senior Project Manager, jovana.knezevic@cep.org.rs