Capacity building for Serbian municipalities

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2021

Switzerland is supporting the Serbian government’s public administration reform, which aims to make it more effective and accessible to both citizens and the private sector. SwissPRO project is being run in 99 municipalities (two-thirds of Serbia) to improve good governance, social inclusion and gender equality.

From Education to Employment (E2E)

01.04.2015 - 31.12.2019

Serbia, which is currently negotiating accession to the European Union (EU), must undergo reforms to meet the criteria that apply to EU member states. Unemployment among young people is currently 27,5% and is a major concern for the Serbian government. Serbia wants to base the reform of its vocational training system on the success factors of the Swiss system of dual education and training and has invited Switzerland to assist it in this crucially important reform process.

Policy advice for efficient VET reform in Serbia

01.01.2019 - 31.12.2021

Through this policy support to the Serbian Ministry of Education, governance mechanism of the new VET law will be put in place in a transparent and inclusive manner. State capacities will be able to evaluate the VET system. By increasing the outreach, the new system will be more need-based and available to all. All this will contribute to increased employment options for VET graduates. Partners are the Center for Education Policy (Serbian NGO) and the Swiss KOF.

Institutional Support to Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities

01.10.2018 - 30.09.2022

SDC is providing an institutional contribution to the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) to lead policy dialogue, advocacy and represent interests of local governments (LGs) before the central government in policy and law making. SCTM will promote decentralisation in Serbia together with the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self Government, and support its member LGs to implement adopted laws and pursue reforms, ultimately bringing benefits to all citizens, men and women, in all sectors governed by LG.

Private Sector Development in Southwest Serbia

01.08.2018 - 31.07.2022

The Project – a mandate to the Regional Development Agency Zlatibor – will contribute to increased income and employment opportunities of Southwest Serbia’s inhabitants, especially young people and women. This will be achieved by improving the performance (inclusive growth and access to relevant services) of the tourism and traditional products sectors. The project is an essential part of SDCs commitment towards supporting growth of income and employment through private sector development in Serbia.

Policy advice for efficient VET reform in Serbia

01.06.2018 - 31.12.2021

Through this policy support to the Serbian Ministry of Education, governance mechanism of the new VET law will be put in place in a transparent and inclusive manner. State capacities will be able to evaluate the VET system. By increasing the outreach, the new system will be more need-based and available to all. All this will contribute to increased employment options for VET graduates. Partners are the Center for Education Policy (Serbian NGO) and the Swiss KOF.

Support to strengthening Social Inclusion in Serbia

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2021

The programme is a contribution to improve the design, coordination and implementation of social inclusion policies of the Government of Serbia within the mandate of the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit (SIPRU), which is affiliated to the Prime Minister’s Office. The quality and the capacities for implementation of the required social reforms, in the Europan integration process, will be improved and state institutions at national and local level will be able to better respond to the needs of vulnerable citizens.

Private Sector Development in South-West Serbia

01.06.2017 - 31.05.2022

The Private Sector Development (PSD) South-West Serbia Programme supports the development of more inclusive, equitable and non-discriminatory market systems, through interventions in the sectors of traditional products (raspberry and honey) and tourism. This will provide rural population and specifically young people and women, access to employment and income opportunities, as well as improved access to finance, social benefits and know-how.

Municipal Economic Development in Eastern Serbia

01.05.2017 - 30.04.2021

The Project will scale up successful experience of property tax collection to 1/3 of Serbian municipalities. The municipalities will be able to increase own revenue and use it to fund services and communal intrastructures for citizens and businesses. lmproved taxation will also lead to a better interaction between citizens and local governments on investment priorities. Policy dialogue will work on simplifying local government tax laws and making them fairer and more transparent.

Strengthening Oversight Function and Transparency of the Parliament

01.11.2015 - 31.10.2019

To benefit Citizens whom they represent, parliamentarians have an important stake in law making including accurate consultation mechanisms. Equally important is their oversight function over the executive's expenditures. Also, the representation of Citizens as per their political power and regional affiliation reflects important features of an effective parliament. The intervention will address identified shortcomings both in the National Assembly as well as in local assemblies of Serbia, thus enhancing their democratic legitimation.

Resources for Local Democracy

01.09.2014 - 31.10.2019

At the request of the Serbian Government, SDC will support three reforms on Serbia’s path towards European integration: 1) the enforcement of a municipal finance law that awards good performance of local governments and ensures the necessary resources for democratic decisions; 2) the development of regional development policies for reducing regional disparities, including mechanisms for disaster risk prevention; and 3) high quality municipal audits aiming to achieve a rational use of public resources.

Justizsektorreform

15.11.2008 - 30.06.2019