2012: "We decide together" (2012)

For many years the Foundation has been working with local communities, and in continuation of that tradition, in 2012, it implemented the "We decide together" project, supported by the Olof Palme International Centre...

For many years the Foundation has been working with local communities, and in continuation of that tradition, in 2012, it implemented the "We decide together" project, supported by the Olof Palme International Centre.

The project included all local self-governments from the territory of Mačva and Kolubara districts, and was implemented in cooperation with the European Integration Office of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, experienced lecturers and scholars from the University of Belgrade and other renowned activists.

The goal of the project was to increase competence and build capacities of municipal administration representatives and councillors and other key local community actors aimed at better understanding and effective implementation of EU values and standards leading to the improvement of quality of the process of Serbia's EU integration. Other aims included a more active involvement of citizens in the process of local policy making and empowerment of local stakeholders to apply for EU pre-accession assistance programmes available to Serbia.

We have achieved the desired goals by organising educational training workshops which gathered all those important within the said local communities. Participants in training workshops cooperated with expert trainers employed with the EU Integration Office. During the trainings, the participants prepared project proposals relating to their respective local community concerns which could be used to apply for the EU pre-accession assistance funds. Local media representatives regularly reported on the implementation of the project, and the final project proposals were presented to the public at a closing press conference.

In 2013, the Centre for Democracy Foundation implemented a project entitled "Towards the EU membership negotiations – the role of the local communities" which was developed as a continuation of this one.

In previous years, similar projects were implemented in Zlatibor, Rasina, Niš, Pirot and Pomoravlje districts.