Governance and Transparency

ISC is engaged in the process of changing election legislation, to be brought in line with generally accepted democratic principles and international standards, whereby the problems in the electoral processes identified so far are expected to be overcome. The new solutions provide for a much higher degree of independence of the election authorities, accountability of elected officials, and empowerment of citizens in the election process. The proposed changes are tailored to overcome structural deficits in the Serbian political system and ensure its efficiency, democratic legitimacy, and long-term stability.

By improving the anti-corruption legislation and monitoring of the work of the National Assembly, ISC has made an impact in the fight against corruption in Serbia. The project has positively affected the anti-corruption legal framework especially in cases of the Public Procurement Act and the Law on Anti-corruption Agency. Another major success is related to parliamentary internal acts. On the basis of analyses and recommendations that were drafted, Serbian Parliament adopted changes to its Informative Directory and issued a special internal act regulating Free Access of Information requests within the Parliament. By doing this, Parliament fulfilled part of its duties within the scope of NACS and AP.

ISC also supports activities in the field of free access to public information, since the accessibility to government information, disclosure of personal information, and the way information is classified are still insufficiently regulated under Serbian law, which jeopardizes one of the most important democratic principles, “the right to know.” Improvement of this legislation promotes the further democratization of Serbia and empowers its citizens, vis-à-vis the authorities, as well as helping integration into the Euro-Atlantic security system and adoption of measures and standards that bring Serbia closer to the EU.

By supporting activities to increase the transparency of government spending under budget line 481, ISC is contributing towards government accountability by setting clear criteria and procedures for allocating state subsidies to non-governmental organizations. Apart from providing access to budget funds under equal conditions for civil society and establishing mechanisms for institutional development of the civil society sector in Serbia, the project addresses the fundamental right of taxpayers to know how their money is being spent.