CSP>Commentary and Analyses

The national Ministry of Finance and Treasury, in cooperation with the B&H Directorate of European Integrations (DEI), organized a meeting in Sarajevo, on May 15, 2008, with the representatives of the civil society organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. OWPSEE`s Sanjin Buzo comments on the proceedings at the meeting and the ignorant approach to civil society adopted by BiH Institutions and EC Delegation.

On this day, Saturday, February 16, Sarajevo is going to protest and demonstrate for its right to be a city of citizens and not of privileged politicians. (Forumaši: Pokažimo sutra da nismo rulja, and Forum: SUBOTA, 16.02.2008., 13.00h).

Six years after the democratic changes, the non-profit sector in Serbia still waits for legislation that would regulate its work and its relations with the state. Although both Governments that ruled after 2000 announced a new law on citizens’ associations, and in spite of the fact that, by virtue of its acceptance for Council of Europe membership in April 2003 it accepted the obligation to adopt such a law within a year, the legal status of NGOs is still regulated by the old Yugoslav Law on Association of Citizens, Social and Political Organizations and the 1982 Serbian Law on Social Organizations and Citizens’ Associations.

The citizens, through their activities, contribute to the more comprehensive social development and improved quality and standards of living. The development of the civil sector is of utmost importance for the fundamental, democratic and pluralistic values of a country, as well as to promote the civil awareness for a wider social engagement.

Kosovo’s civil society was fairly well developed during the 1990s, as society struggled to resist against a decade of severe repression. The post-conflict period had brought about a different kind of struggle for civil society: wrestling to find its place in a newly created reality.

In the 1990s, the official policies towards non-governmental organizations were marked with suspicion and mistrust. NGOs, especially the ones dealing with troublesome social and political issues and played the role of “watchdog” were considered agents of foreign political interests and, quite often, enemies of the state. One result of such a view was the very unfavourable institutional and legal environment for development of nongovernmental, non-profit sector.

The history of the emergence and development of the so-called “third sector”, i.e. the mass appearance of non-governmental organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as promoters and carries of civil society values, makes for a rather short story. Before the 1992-1995 war, there were the social organizations that acted under the auspices of the state, primarily in the areas of sports and culture, while NGOs as we know them today developed in the second half of the 1990s.

Over the past 15 years, the civil society in Albania has developed to levels that few people could expect, both in urban and rural areas of the country. With the passing of the law that granted the right to association in 1990, the first NGO was created. Since then, the Albanian civil society has made important strides ahead.

The EDEN Center, is one of the most active non-governmental organizations in Albania working on issues of environment. To get a deeper insight environment issue in the country, we talked to Merita Mansaku, Executive Directress of EDEN Center.

The National Foundation for Development of Civil Society, GONG, USAID, European Centre for Nonprofit Law and AED, in cooperation with the Central State Administrative Bureau, organized a gathering last Monday, May 8, to discuss the topic "Croatian Foundation Legal System: Do we need new Law on Foundations?" If the gathering was to answer that question, the answer would, undoubtedly, be yes.

To get more first-hand information about the development of Kosovo’s civil society organizations, Syri i Vizionit in particular, OneWorld SEE has interviewed Veton Mujaj, Executive Director, who says that “Action in civil society sector was both a need and a perspective".