2013: "Towards the EU membership negotiations – the role of the local communities" (2013)

During the course of 2013, the Centre for Democracy Foundation with the support of the Olof Palme International Centre implemented the project entitled "Towards the EU membership negotiations – the role of the local communities".

During the course of 2013, the Centre for Democracy Foundation with the support of the Olof Palme International Centre implemented the project entitled "Towards the EU membership negotiations – the role of the local communities".

The project included all local self-governments from the territory of Braničevo and Zaječar districts and other major local actors and was implemented in cooperation with the EU Integration Office of the Government of the Republic of Serbia , experienced scholars from the University of Belgrade and other renowned activists.

In previous years, similar projects were implemented in a somewhat different format, within the Zlatibor, Rasina, Niš, Pirot, Pomoravlje, Mačva and Kolubara districts.

As the opening of membership talks with the EU became a certainty in 2013, the role of local communities in the process of accession negotiations and its monitoring came to the focus of attention. We initiated the project with the aim of building local stakeholders’ capacities in order to enhance their participation in the process of negotiations. We achieved the desired goal by organizing trainings and workshops tailored for municipal administration and local council representatives and other major local stakeholders focusing on the process of EU integration, European standards, availability and application for the EU Pre-Accession Assistance funds, the role of local communities and participation of the public in local and regional policy making.

One of the principal reasons for the implementation of the project was the awareness of insufficient capacities of local authorities to understand the process of EU integration. Contribution to a more efficient implementation of democratic reforms in line with the concept of sustainable regional and local development and the process of Serbia's integration with the EU was the main project objective and it was achieved by organizing regional meetings.

This project paved the way for the next, entitled "Contribution of local self-governments to negotiations on the accession of Serbia to the EU" which the Centre for Democracy Foundation is implementing in 2014.