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InstitutionalInstitutional framework for framework for supportingsupporting
civil society development in Croatiacivil society development in Croatia
A PLAN C FOR EUROPE: CITIZENSHIP,
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, CIVIL DIALOGUE
17 September 2010
Igor Vidačak
Government of the Republic of Croatia
Office for Cooperation with NGOs
Towards a more enabling environment for civil society development
• Strategy and policy documents
• Structures for supporting civil dialogue
• Standards of consultation in policy making
• Sustainable funding of CSO programmes
National Strategy as common platform
• National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development and Operational Plan for Strategy Implementation
• Broad consensus among civil society and government representatives about the strategic priorities in the period 2007-11
• More than 30 institutions involved in the implementation of measures
• Annual reports on the Strategy implementation adopted by the Government
National Strategy - content
• Citizen’s participation in the creation of public policy
• Education for democratic citizenship and human rights
• Legal, institutional and financial framework for the activities and development of CSOs
• Regional development
• Development of volunteerism, philantropy and foundations
• International context (EU accession, regional cooperation, development aid, social diplomacy)
Structures for supporting civil dialogue
• Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs - 1998
• Council for Civil Society Development – 2002
• National Foundation for Civil Society Development – 2003
Government Office for Cooperation with NGOs
• Coordinating the work of public administration bodies on developing cooperation with NGOs
• Improving standards of consultation with NGOs in public policy making processes
• Monitoring the compliance with standards for the financing of NGOs from the state budget
• EU project implementation unit – pre-accession funds to civil society
• Contact Point for Europe for Citizens Community Programme in Croatia
Council for Civil Society Development
• Consultative body of Croatian Government
• Composition – 27 members12 representatives of NGOs12 representatives of State institutions1 representative of trade unions1 representative of employers association1 representative of foundations
Council for Civil Society Development
Council members – procedure of selection of NGO representatives
12 areas of activities:
1. Protection and promotion of human rights
2. Health protection and improvement of quality of life
3. Disabled persons care
4. Child care
5. Environmental protection and sustainable development
6. Social welfare
7. Youth
8. Democratization and social development
9. Culture
10. Homeland war-veterans care
11. Sports
12. Technical culture
Council members – procedure of selection of NGO representatives
Two stage procedure
- public call for nominations of candidates for members of the Council
- public call for voting for eligible candidates
Council members – procedure of selection of NGO representatives
public call for nominations
- each NGO nominating only one candidate (for its particular sub-sector/ area of activity)
- nominations sent by post using a standard nomination form with a set of required supporting documents
- independent Commission checks the eligibility of candidates
- list of candidates with valid nominations published on the Internet
Council members – procedure of selection of NGO representatives
public call for voting
- NGOs voting for eligible candidates – submitting a standard voting form available on the Internet (1 organisation - 1 vote) by regular post
- Independent commission counting votes
- Candidates with the biggest number of votes proposed to be appointed members of the Council
- Detailed information on all valid and not valid votes by candidates available on the Internet
How the Council works?
• Monthly meetings
• Own initiative opinions and statements on draft laws, national programmes and plans regarding civil society development in the widest sense
• President elected from among Council members (from NGO representatives)
• Three Standing Working groups
• Administrative and expert support provided by the Office for cooperation with NGOs
Increasing number of structures for civil dialogue
• more than 100 Government advisory bodies involving around 800 representatives of CSOs
• 25 Parliament working committees involving more than 100 representatives of CSOs
• Increasing number of local charters of cooperation between CSOs and local governments
The National Foundation for Civil Society Development
• Public foundation established by the Parliament
• Operational grants, CSO capacity building, training, research, awareness-raising
• Regional foundations – local community building
• Regional CSO support networks
Institutional framework supporting civil society development in Croatia
National programmes
and strategies
Citizens participation
Support &
education
Standards of Consultation in Policy Making
- Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts
- adopted by the Government on 21 November 2009
- Guidelines for the implementation of the Code developed
Putting the consultation standards into practice
- to ensure the harmonized application of the Code, consultation coordinators appointed in central state administration bodies and in the Government offices
- first training session for nominated coordinators on the implementation of the Code held in July 2010 in the Civil Service Training Centre
Sustainable funding of CSOs programmes and projects
• Decentralised system of public funding - 20 public bodies providing funding for CSOs
• Law on games of chance (2002) – 50% revenues from lottery for CSOs
• Code of Good Practice, Standards and Benchmarks for the Allocation of Funding to Programs and Projects of CSOs – 2007
• Transparency of funding – all data on grants awarded accessible through internet
EU support to civil dialogue
• IPA 2008 Developing Capacities of CSOs for Systematic Monitoring and Advocacy of Sustainable Development Policies and Integrated Approaches to Waste and Water Management, Transport, Energy Efficiency, Regional Development, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources (<1 MEUR)
• IPA 2008 Enhancing the Participation of the CSOs in Monitoring of the Implementation of the EU Acquis in the Field of Fight Against Corruption and the Overall Transparency, Openness and Accountability of Public Administration Bodies (<1 MEUR)
• IPA 2008 Enhancing the Capacities/Roles of the CSOs in Monitoring of the Implementation of the EU Acquis in Field of the Comprehensive Anti-discrimination Strategy (<1 MEUR)
• PHARE 2006 Enabling the Civil Society Sector for Active Contribution in the Pre-accession Process - Grant Scheme in the area of: Democratization and Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Sustainable development, Youth Participation: overall 36 Actions in the sub-sectors of democratisation and human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development, and youth participation contracted (<3 MEUR)
• CARDS 2003/2004 Good Governance and Rule of Law grant scheme (1,2 MEUR);
• several projects under CARDS 2004 Grants to Civil Society Organizations Active in Environment and Sustainable Development and Social Services Delivery (2,7 MEUR)
EU support to civil dialogue
Key challenges
• Strategy - need for a strong policy coordination
• Structures - Institionalisation of civil dialogue - an incentive and not an obstacle for genuine, spontaneous civic engagement (structures are not substitute for real dialogue)
• Standards – need for systematic capacity building of civil servants and promoting good practice examples
• Sustainable funding: strict criteria for EU and national public funding of CSOs –danger of shifting focus from people/beneficiaries to papers)
