Keywords: Serbian Agriculture; agricultural exports from Serbia;
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Judging by the Presidency slogan, which is Europe as a Task: Rethink, rebuild, repower, it can be anticipated that rethinking European geopolitical position, rebuilding Ukraine after the bloody war, and repowering the Euro-pean defence structures will be the focus of the Coun-cil’s work in the upcoming six months and longer. While some Council presidencies aim to finalise long-running legislative priorities, Prague largely sees its job over the next six months as a crisis responder. Czechia will have its hands full forging common positions on finan-cial and political support for Ukraine, and reducing the bloc’s continued reliance on Russian energy. Having in mind the presidency programme and volatile geopo-litical developments, this paper also aims to uncover whether the Council will have enough time and energy to dedicate to the enlargement policy and the Western Balkans region under the Czech baton.
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Keywords: environment in Western Balkans;
By signing the Sofia Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans in October 2020, leaders from the region recognised the importance of the European Green Deal (EGD), which is the EU's new growth strategy towards a modern, climate neutral, resource-efficient and competitive economy. In order for this acknowledgement to materialise in practice, the leaders of the Western Balkans (WB) also agreed to incorporate elements of the EGD into all interrelated sectors and policies, based on the European Commission's Guidelines, with the common goal of developing carbon-neutral and sustainable economies in the region. Given that it has been a year and a half since the Sofia Summit, it is warranted to break down the complex notion of the Green Agenda and analyse whether and to what extent it has the potential to truly induce changes in the Western Balkans. Therefore, the paper presents key issues identified in the five pillars of the Green Agenda, examines certain cross-cutting aspects of the green transition that could be essential for achieving a climate-neutral Western Balkans, and provides concrete measures and proposals for effective Green Agenda implementation.
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In January 2022, France – one of the founding member states of the EU – embarked on 6-months long journey for the second time since the Lisbon Treaty adoption, and the 13th time in total. French Presidency comes at a time of a power vacuum in the EU, particularly after the UK had left the EU and in the aftermath of the retirement of the long-serving German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Moreover, the Ukrainian-Russian border is facing increasing tensions, while the Conference on the Future of Europe (CotFoE) is expected to end with concrete results. As Europe is faced with times of change, expectations are high from France that it will take the lead and steer the Union in the right direction in the upcoming six months. Having in mind the Presidency slogan - Recovery (relance), Power (puissance), and Belonging (appartenance) – this Insight analyses how France will navigate Europe in this increasingly complex context.
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Keywords: CSDP-missions;
the aim of this INSIGHT-issue is to examine the prospects for closer cooperation between third countries and the EU when it comes to civilian CSDP missions, while shining a spotlight on the untapped potential within Serbia’s accession negotiations and Chapter 31. At the same time, this Insight provides a critical review of the existing legislative framework in Serbia and in this regard, analyses the latest initiative on drafting a law that should regulate the given topic in the future. Finally, this Insight lays out further recommendations for the improvement of the Draft Law on the participation of civilians in peacekeeping missions and argues Serbia finally needs to break the deadlock and take part in the EU civilian missions.
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Keywords: pandemic European Union;
After Portugal, the presidency of the Council of the EU moved from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkan Peninsula as Slovenia took it over on 1 July 2021. Its presiding over the Union will round off the work of its co-members of the Trio, Germany and Portugal, whose key task was to better facilitate efforts to fght the COVID-19 pandemic. As both Germany and Portugal have achieved positive results in putting Europe back on its feet, Slovenia’s presidency will concentrate on setting the ground for the development of a post-pandemic Europe. However, it does not mean that Slovenia will have an easy job; on the contrary, there are many pressing issues that the Council will need to deal with. This Insight aims to uncover what lies behind its motto “Together. Resilient. Europe”, while analysing how its presidency will shape the EU, as well as the enlargement policy, inthe second half of 2021.
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Keywords: EU energy policy; EU migration policy; Brexit;
Starting from 1 January 2016, the Netherlands took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Luxembourg, which held it for the second half of 2015. Publications on the Presidency’s official website indicate that they plan to focus on the essentials, by which they mean innovation, growth, jobs, and stronger relationships with civil society organisations and EU citizens. The realisation of these topics, however, might be hampered by a set of issues which depend on external circumstances and which the EU needs to tackle together with the third-party actors, namely the refugee and migration influx, issues related to its common energy policy and the looming question of Brexit. While these questions also feature prominently in the Dutch “State of the European Union” report as priority areas, the Presidency cannot control and influence their development to the extent it can other defined priorities. Considering their level of complexity and urgency, the question remains of whether the proposed essentials can really be the Presidency’s primary focus. For that reason, this issue of INSIGHT provides analysis on the state of play in the issues of energy policy, refugee and migration influx and the British EU membership referendum and it looks at how the Dutch Presidency plans to manage these issues.
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Keywords: Policy making; Openness; Inclusiveness; Serbia; Ministries; Public participation; Transparency; Governance; Stakeholder engagement; Decision-making;
Management of the policy making system is one of the key reform areas within the public administration reform framework in Serbia, along with the public service delivery system. Public administration is today considered as a citizens’ service, with the aim of providing efficient services, while complying with the principle of equal accessibility to all the citizens. On the other hand, the participatory and evidence-based process of policy making not only enhances transparency and accountability of the process, but also positively influences policy outcomes, that is, improves the quality of public services.
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Keywords: Public Administration Reform; Serbia; 2021/2022; Governance; Policy implementation; Public sector efficiency; Administrative capacity; Monitoring; Accountability;
Public administration reform (PAR), as an integral part of the first cluster, is one of the fundamental conditions on the way to the EU membership. In the Western Balkans region, this reform has been assessed for years through the lenses of the SIGMA Principles of Public Administration, developed by OECD/SIGMA and endorsed by the EU. These Principles define what makes a well-functioning administration in terms of its ability to deliver transparent, efficient and effective services to citizens and to support socio-economic development. In the context of high external pressure for tangible developments in PAR, homegrown demand for better administration becomes even more important to keep pressuring the government to pursue reforms once the external conditionality dissipates as a result of a completed EU accession process. Civil society actors, with local knowledge of the administration’s functioning, can lead such domestic advocacy efforts aimed at better administration. Independent PAR monitoring and evidence-based dialogue with the government represent a good approach to achieving this goal.
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Keywords: Local government; Public Administration Reform (PAR); Monitoring; Accountability; Service delivery; Governance; Decentralization; Serbia; Local policies; Administrative efficiency;
Although the administration reform started almost 20 years ago, it is considered one of the basic reform processes in the country since 2014, both from the aspect of Serbia's accession to the EU, and from the aspect of the quality of life of citizens, the main focus is on state administration and central administration. The assessment of the public administration and the capacity of the administration, which is regularly carried out by SIGMA and which the European Commission uses in its assessments of Serbia's progress to EU, is limited to state administration. The methodology for monitoring public administration carried out by think tank organizations in the countries of the Western Balkans within the framework of WeBER projects also focuses on the work of central institutions. On the other hand, the fact that over 70% of EU legislation is implemented by local self-government units indicates the need to shift the focus, if not completely from the central to the local level, then at least extend it to improving the work and strengthening the capacity of local governments. Through the application of methodological tools, therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the capacity of local civil society organizations to deal with the monitoring of public administration reform at the local level, and to influence the improvement of local regulations, policies, procedures and services through cooperation with local authorities.
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Keywords: Citizens' engagement; Public administration; Campaigns; Civic participation; Governance reform; Advocacy; Accountability; Serbia; Citizen feedback; Public services improvement;
Within the framework of two projects dedicated to the public administration reforms (PAR) at the local and state level, European Policy Centre (CEP) initiated the campaigns through which the experiences of citizens and their impressions of functioning of public administration are collected. During 2021, as part of the project Public administration Monitoring for better local Governance – Pratim JA, a campaign carried out focused on issues of PAR at the local level. The campaign consisted of 85 street actions carried out in 17 cities and municipalities where citizens directly participated in a survey. Additionally, the campaign was carried out online, through t Pratim JA portal, so as to give the opportunity to all citizens in Serbia to share their experiences. Moreover, within in the frame of the project Western Balkan Civil Society Empowerment for a Reformed Public Administration, the WeBER 2.0, CEP has been collecting citizens' experiences since 2020 through an online platform, but also in direct communication with citizens in the field. While the Pratim JA project collected the experiences of citizens who were in contact with municipal / city administrations, WeBER 2.0 gave them the opportunity to share their experiences about different types of services provided to them by public authorities.
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Keywords: French engagement; Western Balkans; Strategic cooperation; Political partnership; Economic collaboration; Societal cooperation; EU integration; Regional stability;
After years of lower interest, France has signaled its ambition to re-engage in the Western Balkans. It is not starting from scratch. Historical affinities with the countries of the region abound, in culture, sciences, politics and economy. But shifting priorities in the past decades have eroded French presence in the region. To regain a foothold in this important part of Europe, France has taken a series of initiatives aimed at boosting its engagement. In 2016, it hosted the Berlin Process summit; in 2017, it launched with Germany an initiative to coordinate the drive against firearms trafficking in the Western Balkans; in 2018, it expanded the intervention mandate of the French Development Agency (AFD) to all Western Balkans countries and adopted a national Strategy for the Western Balkans; in 2020, after a twoyear stalemate, it withdrew its reservations against the opening of accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, while drawing the contours of the revised enlargement methodology. Drawing from a series of consultations in the region and structured cooperation with partner think-tanks, this policy paper is conceived as an independent, expert contribution to French efforts at re-engaging with the Western Balkans. It explores perceptions of French re-engagement in the region and reflects the potential of the 2019 Strategy for the Western Balkans in light of the forthcoming French Presidency of the European Council and in the context of the grands débats on the future of Europe.
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Keywords: Public Administration Reform; Serbia; 2019/2020; Governance; Policy implementation; Public sector efficiency; Administrative capacity; Monitoring; Accountability;
Public administration reform (PAR) remains a key requirement for the EU aspirants on their accession path, and according to the revised enlargement methodology it is now part of the cluster on fundamentals (together with, for instance, rule of law, and economic criteria). As a complex and all-encompassing reform, PAR in the Western Balkan region has for years been thoroughly assessed through the lenses of the SIGMA Principles of Public Administration, developed by the OECD/SIGMA and endorsed by the EU. These Principles define what makes a well-functioning administration in terms of its ability to deliver transparent, efficient and effective services to citizens and to support socio-economic development.
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Keywords: Public Administration Reform (PAR); Western Balkans; Governance; Accountability; Transparency; Service delivery; Regional analysis; Administrative efficiency;
The PAR Monitor 2019/2020 is the result of monitoring work performed in 2020 by the members of the Think for Europe Network, and it represents a compilation report of key findings from across the Western Balkans in the six areas of PAR defined by the Principles of Public Administration (SIGMA principles). As the second systematic PAR monitoring done in the region by civil society, this report offers not only comparisons between Western Balkan (WB) administrations, but also comparison with the baseline PAR Monitor findings of the 2017/2018 monitoring cycle.
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Keywords: Western Balkans; Public Administration Reform (PAR); Monitoring; Regional governance; Accountability; Transparency; Public services; EU integration;
The PAR Monitor is the result of research undertaken over the past year by the Think for Europe Network, with the goal of providing a systematic civil society monitoring of public administration reforms (PAR) in the Western Balkans. This exercise was motivated by the need to strengthen domestic, bottom-up pressure from the civil society sector in the long run, in order to ensure that post-EU accession, when the leverage of the EU’s conditionality in the governance area weakens, the reform drive endures. Based on a robust methodological approach, combining quantitative and qualitative techniques, and building on the EU’s Principles of public administration, the PAR Monitor measures the countries’ state of play in PAR, benchmarks them against each other, and provides recommendations for improvement. The PAR Monitor also ensures complementarity with the monitoring carried out by SIGMA/OECD and the European Commission. It therefore provides a citizen and civil society focused perspective on the EU-SIGMA principles. The PAR Monitor comprises an overall comparative regional report and six country reports, each including findings on the 23 compound indicators designed by the WeBER project team to monitor a selection of 21 EU-SIGMA principles. All findings can be accessed via the Regional PAR Scoreboard at www.par-monitor.org. This document provides a summary of the key regional findings in the six areas of PAR.
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Keywords: Gray Book; Public services; Access to services; Public administration reform; Citizen satisfaction; Service quality; Accountability;
This is the Grey Book of Public Services in Serbia, product of the two-year project “Partnership for Public Administration Reform and Public Services in Serbia – PARtnerships“, implemented by the European Movement in Serbia and European Policy Centre from May 2016 till May 2018, on the territory of Serbia, in cooperation with twelve local partners and supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal of the project is to contribute to citizen-oriented public administration reform through (1) broader participation of civil society organisations in monitoring the progress of public administration reform, as well as in developing quality proposals for improving evidence-based policies; (2) establishment of two-way communication between citizens and relevant authorities; (3) ensuring reliable information on citizens’ satisfaction with most frequently used and most widespread services from three different areas, as well as on the quality of policy making; (4) providing recommendations for improvement of public services and public administration system. The goal of the Grey Book is to present the most important results of conducted research and to offer a specific set of recommendations for improvement of public service delivery.
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Keywords: Staff retention; Public administration; EU integration; Serbia; Human resources; Sustainable development; Capacity building; Administrative reform; Workforce management; EU accession;
The past few years have witnessed a significant outflow of top-quality civil servants responsible for EU integration-related work, including the management of EU and other development funds (EU/ IPA-related jobs/work). Although the turnover exceeds 30% in some units and departments, there are currently no official measures or a policy to retain civil servants who are essential for the sustainability and success of Serbia’s EU integration process. In the Serbian public administration they are the main source of knowledge of EU policies, its law and funds and are therefore the ones who enable the creation, coordination and implementation of policies consistent with those of the EU.
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Keywords: Open data; Serbia; Think tanks; Civil society organizations; Data transparency; Public policy; Research-based advocacy; Data-driven governance; Accountability; Policy reform;
Open Data progress in Serbia is currently limited both in terms of datasets and the number of government institutions which release their data. Moreover, while there have been research projects which explored the ‘supply side’ of open data in Serbia, the demand for open data has not been assessed in a comprehensive manner. Taking into account this lack of focus on demand for open data, this discussion paper is based on an exploratory research project investigating to what extent think tanks and research-based CSOs in Serbia are involved in demanding open data, and whether they are able to see the value of open data, as well as adequately utilize open datasets. This group of CSOs was chosen as the main research subject given the benefits these research focused CSOs could receive from an enriched data environment in the country. In terms of methodology, being exploratory in nature, this research accordingly relies mostly on qualitative methods, namely desk research, interviews, and stakeholder mapping. However, whenever it was possible, this research includes quantitative analysis of: existing open datasets in Serbia, attendance rates at open data events which are intended to indicate open data demand, as well as methodological trends among CSOs conducting research in Serbia.
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Keywords: Competition policy; Serbia; Competition protection; Legal framework; Implementation challenges; State aid control; EU standards; Policy recommendations; Decision makers; Legislative reform;
The aim of the study is to explore the current state of competition policy in Serbia, identify and consider the key obstacles and shortcomings that hinder the full and adequate implementation of the rules of competition protection, and to make recommendations for improvement of competition policy. The recommendations are primarily intended for decision makers in competition policy and legislation, as well as for those who are responsible for the proper implementation of the legal framework. The study is focused on the rules of the competition and their application, while the state aid control section is included to the extent necessary for the understanding of its importance in the context of a functioning system in line with EU standards.
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Keywords: Performance audit; Policy evaluation; Western Balkans; Public sector accountability; Governance; Audit practices; Policy effectiveness; Evaluation frameworks; Public administration reform;
From a conceptual perspective, performance audit and policy evaluation are very close fields, with highly converging goals, methods and tools. At the same time, in the Western Balkans these two fields have been evolving without connection and reference to each other. How can the two processes be brought closer together in the three studied WB countries – Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – with a view to ensure efficiencies and synergic development of these rather novel performance management instruments?
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