Civil Society and Government: Participatory Policy Formulation in Serbia
Up to this point, the issue of a systemic approach to civil society participation in the process of policy making in Serbia has not been resolved. In its last Progress Report, the European Commission notes that "civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system and should be recognized and treated as such by the state institutions". Notably, the EU has leverage to emphasize civil society participation mainly in relation to the accession process. Beyond this sphere, the resources and expertise of the civil society should be recognized and taken advantage of by the government and other public institutions. This is supported by the increasing complexity of the course of reforms, the challenge of legislative harmonization, and the lack of human capacity in the public administration as part of the EU integration process. In this regard, substantial effort needs to be invested to assure an evidence basis from the beginning of the planning of a policy, which is the basis of a sound and comprehensive reform. Thus, it is necessary to raise awareness of the potential mutual benefits of establishing closer and continuous cooperative mechanisms of the governmental and civil sector throughout policy making. On the one side, these promise to result in a more transparent, responsive, and inclusive public administration, which would in return also be more ready to fulfill its obligations and responsibilities towards the EU and its citizens. Moreover, the current constellation is conducive to these types of reforms especially upon the constitution of an ambitious Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Secretariat for Public Policies.
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