Guidelines for participation of CSOs in legislative process that have been presented in Belgrade are another step towards Serbia’s EU accession, said Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport.
Guidelines represent one of the essential means for acquiring a systemic cooperation between the State and civil society, Davenport said, adding that Guidelines introduce a new practice into the work of public administration, along the lines of EU and Council of Europe.
Head of the negotiating team for EU accession talks Tanja Miscevic said the Guidelines reflected the ongoing situation in the process of EU accession.
“They are the support element of the negotiation process and its a great force. Negotiation process is not a process of one government alone and if the government in question is being liable, this process involves society as a whole,” Miscevic said.
According to Head of the Serbian Government’s Office for cooperation with civil society Ivana Cirkovic, Guidelines were a starting point for further promotion of cooperation between the State and civil society, as well as an active participation of CSOs in each and every part of the negotiating process.
Serbian Government adopted the Guidelines for participation of SCOs in legislative process on 26 August 2014.
This is the first document of its kind, defining principles, standards and participation levels of civil society during preparing, adopting and monitoring the implementation of regulations. Among other things, Guidelines envision informing civil society in a timely manner on matters such as planned activities, principles and cooperation levels, including partnerships, being the highest level of cooperation.
