Projects
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: November 2016
PROJECT DURATION: 8 months
DONOR: USAID BEP – Business Enabling Project
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Strengthening capacities of public enforcement officers enabled them to conduct the enforcement process more efficiently and to run their offices more successfully, which improved both their professional standards, as well as their way of work. In cooperation with the Chamber of Enforcement Officers and the Judicial Academy, trainings were organized for 250 public enforcement officers, covering the topics such as financial management and mediation. The trainings were organized in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Kragujevac. An advanced Train the Trainer program (ToT) was organized for the ten most successful participants, enabling them to transfer the acquired knowledge and skills to their colleagues.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: October 2016
PROJECT DURATION: 48 months
DONOR: Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
PARTNER: European Consulting Group (lead partner), International Blue Crescent Relief and Development, B&S Europe, Icon Institute
ABOUT THE PROJECT: The Office for the provision of legal aid to displaced person/persons claiming property rights in Kosovo and Metohija has been established, aiming to protect and improve the property rights of internally displaced persons, refugees and returnees, and based on the Readmission Agreement. These persons are in need of legal aid, given that they are unable to to afford legal representation, due to the poor financial situation, or due to the limited access to justice in Kosovo and Metohija, leaving them unable to exercise their rights. The legal aid provided by the Office Expert Team (senior legal advisors, junior legal advisors and trainees) consists of providing legal advice, representing clients before courts of origin, collecting documentation issued by state institutions in places of origin, as well as informing the affected and injured parties about their rights.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: August 2016.
PROJECT DURATION: 24 months
DONOR: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
PARTNER: European Centre for Dispute Resolution (lead partner), ADR Centre, ADR Group
ABOUT THE PROJECT: By improving capacities of mediation service providers, potential beneficiaries’ (enterprises and citizens) awareness was raised about the possibilities and advantages of mediation in resolving commercial disputes. The capacities of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia’s (CCIS) Centre for Services and Mediation were increased, future training experts in the field of mediation within the CCIS and the Judicial Academy completed a series of trainings, while over 60 judges and judicial assistants completed the Basic Training for Mediators. In addition, support was provided to faculties of law in Serbia to introduce mediation as a part of their regular curriculum, as well as to establish mediation legal clinics.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: July 2016
PROJECT DURATION: 7 months
DONOR: Embassy of the United States in Serbia
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Having successfully completed their training and mentorship program, 54 senior students from 6 law faculties in Serbia, acquired valuable skills and knowledge, that will be of great use in their future work. These young lawyers – future attorneys, judges, prosecutors, and human rights activists, will help contribute to the sustainable implementation of of criminal legislation and continuously support the regulatory reform in Serbia. Their work and preparation were carefully monitored by their mentors (criminal attorneys), who guided them and provided them with useful advice. Through this Project, the students underwent a two-month internship in law and prosecutor’s offices, as well as in courts.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: November 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 15 months
DONOR: MATRA Program of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Serbia
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: By establishing the Mediation Centre within the Bar Association of Cacak, as well as mediation info-services within the pilot courts (Higher Court in Cacak, Basic Court in Cacak, Second Basic Court in Belgrade and Commercial Court in Belgrade) citizens were provided with the opportunity to resolve their disputes in a cost and time effective manner. Coosing mediation as an out-of-court dispute resolution method, both before and after court proceedings have been initiated, contributes to increasing the efficiency of the judiciary, by resolving the existing cases and decreasing the influx of new cases. Through numerous trainings, judges were educated on how to select and refer cases to mediation, judicial assistants to recognize mediable cases, manage mediation cases and communicate with parties, attorneys to represent their clients in mediation, while a group of judges, judicial assistants, attorneys and representatives of the Judicial Academy have successfully completed the Basic Training for Mediators.
PUBLICATION: Support to the Implementation of Mediation in Courts and Bar Associations in Serbia
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: July 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 15 months
DONOR: American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and Balkans Regional Rule of Law Network (BRRLN)
PARTNER: Bar Association Serbia (lead partner)
ABOUT THE PROJECT:In order to identify the most important problems common to the Western Balkans, especially keeping in mind the reforms of criminal procedure codes and focusing on the defendant’s rights and the position of defense in criminal proceedings, a comprehensive analysis of the level of independence and effectiveness of bar associations in the region was conducted, based on which concrete de jure and de facto amendments were developed and proposed. The level of active participation of attorneys and their respective bar associations in advocating for the reform of criminal legislation has increased in the region, while public campaigns helped raise citizens’ awareness about the defendant’s rights and the position of defence in criminal proceedings.
PUBLICATION: Criminal Law Reform – Assessment Report
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: July 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) and Balkans Regional Rule of Law Network (BRRLN)
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Establishing a regional, online training program for attorneys, their trainees and other legal legal experts from the BRRLN region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Macedonia and Serbia) has set up foundation for the continuous legal education of all lawyers. Expert trainers from each of the countries from the region recorded their lectures, which are available in all the region’s languages, while the administrative staff within the bar associations has been trained to administer the E-learning platform and provide assistance to the registered users.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: May 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 24 months
DONOR: USAID BEP – Business Enabling Project
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: In order to strengthen the capacity of inspectors for better and more efficient implementation of inspection oversight, as well as to familiarize them with the novelties introduced by the 2015 Law on Inspection Oversight, a series of projects were developed and implemented. Within these projects, 330 inspectors were trained on the most important novelties related to successful inspection oversight, 50 inspectors completed the Train the Trainer (ToT) program and obtained skills needed to transfer their knowledge to their colleagues, while over 200 inspectors completed trainings on mediation, communication and soft skills. The Root Cause Analysis of Compliance and Non-Compliance of Business Entities was developed and distributed, while a leading international expert in the field of compliance recorded a video lecture on compliance and non-compliance.
PUBLICATION: Root Cause Analysis of Compliance and Non-Compliance of Business Entities (in Serbian)
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: May 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 20 months
DONOR: Open Society Foundation, Serbia
PARTNER: Udruženje javnih tužilaca i zamenika javnih tužilaca Srbije i Medijski centar Filozofskog fakulteta Univerziteta u Novom Sadu
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Focusing on practice by the media and state institutions in cases when media reporting violates the rights to privacy and presumption of innocence, and aiming to ensure that these rights are being respected, a comprehensive monitoring of all print, electronic and online media has been conducted, and the work of the Ministry of Interior and public prosecutors has been analysed, in order to improve the level of protection of personal data within these institutions. A detailed report on the conditions in these fields was prepared, and an expert group was formed, consisting of public prosecutors and their deputies, in order to develop the plan for data protection in public prosecutors’ offices and improve communication between them and the general public.
PUBLICATION: Protection of Privacy and Presumption of Innocence in the Media
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: April 2015
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: USAID JRGA – Judicial Reform and Government Accountability Program
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to improve citizens’ access to court decisions in Serbia, a comprehensive analysis of Serbian courts’ rulebooks and internal acts was conducted, namely of those stipulations which regulate the anonymization of data in court decisions, along with the analysis of courts’ practice in in terms of making court decisions available to the public. With the help of an expert group (consisting of representatives of Association of Judges of Serbia, Association of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors, Bar Association of Serbia, Association of Judicial Associates Serbia, Independent Association of Serbian Journalists - NUNS, Belgrade Centre for Security Policy – BCBP, and one representative of the academia), and following 4 panel discussions, which were attended by the representatives of courts, public prosecutor’s offices, independent institutions, media, bar associations and associations of citizens, the Model Rule Book on Standards for Anonymization of Data in Court Decisions was developed, along with tips on how to successfully implement annonymization.
PUBLICATION: Transparency and Privacy in Court Decisions
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: August 2014
PROJECT DURATION: 13 months
DONOR: MATRA Program Ambasade Kraljevine Holandije u Srbiji
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT:In order to strengthen capacities of the institutions of local ombudsman, as well as to raize citizens’ awareness about the possibility of resolving disputes using a peaceful method (primarily mediation), the foundations have been laid which enable for a more efficient, more visible and more authoritative role of these institutions. Numerous promotional campaigns have been conducted in Subotica, Backa Topola and Pancevo, as well as in two Belgrade municipalities – Vracar and Vozdovac. Local ombudspersons and their staff have all successfully completed the Basic Training for Mediators, while a highly operational system for providing mediation services has been established within the offices, in order to enable smooth intake and mediation case-management, and set up an efficient monitoring system, which would help improve practice in this field. In cooperation with the Municipality of Vozdovac, a pilot Mediation Centre has been opened, the first of its kind in Serbia, where citizens can get free mediation services, provided by the mediators from this municipality.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: August 2013
PROJECT DURATION: 16 months
DONOR: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD
PARTNER: Andric Law Office, EMA Global, ADR Centar
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to support the implementation of consensual financial restructuring and enable for a broader use of this process by the banks and the business community, a comprehensive analysis of legal framework regulating this procedure was conducted, along with capacities of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia – CCIS (as the institutional mediator), and measures were undertaken to improve the institutional mediation through a series of training for mediators and CCIS staff. An IT system was established within the CCIS, aiming to improve daily case-management and monitoring of consensual financial restructuring cases, and a series of promotional activities helped raise awareness about the significance of this procedure with all potential beneficiaries (including banks, enterprises and their legal advisers). Recommendations were developed and delivered to the Government of the Republic of Serbia, which were all adopted, and the new Law on Consesnsual Financial Restructuring was adopted in 2015.
PUBLICATION: Guide to Consensual Financial Restructuring of Companies
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: July 2013.
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: Sigrid Rausing Trust
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Support was provided to the office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, by strengthening capacities of this institution and improving their internal procedures, as well as by delivering tailor-made specialized trainings on mediation in discrimination cases and by advocating for amendments to the existing legislature. The focus was placed on enabling alternative dispute resolution in discrimination cases to marginalized and vulnerable individuals and groups, by facilitating access to mediation services provided by the Commisioner’s office.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: December 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 8 months
DONOR: Government of the Republic of Serbia – Office for Cooperation with Civil Society
PARTNER: Law Scanner
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to improve the existing and implement innovative mechanisms for fighting corruption in the public sector in Serbia, a series of anti-corruptive interventions were conducted, to prevent and eliminate the risk of corruption, enable transparency and provide quality services to citizens. The analysis of court practice regarding the criminal acts of bribery (both giving and receiving) was conducted, intensive cooperation was developed with the City Municipality of Pantelej from Nis, the Municipality of Beocin and the General Hospitail “Djordje Joanovic” from Zrenjanin, as well as with the Anti-Corruption Agency and numerous associations of citizens. A total of six roundtables were held, where the representatives of the Agency and local associations of citizens presented their work in the field of anti-corruption, and an interactive online platform was set-up, where citizens could familiarize themselves about the existing anti-corruption mechanisms in the Republic of Serbia, learn about innovative corruption prevention programs being implemented in other countries, as well as see illustrated examples of corruption, both from the country and abroad.
PUBLICATION: Active Citizens Against Corruption: Best Practices to Cure and Prevent Corruption in Local Communities
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: November 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 18 months
DONOR: British Embassy Belgrade
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: The Free Legal Aid Office was set up in the Municipality of Bujanovac, aiming to facilitate and improve access to justice to the citizens of Bujanovac, Presevo and the surrounding area, as well as to build trust and support the integration of various ethnic groups into social life in the South of Serbia. The free legal aid services are provided by the attorneys from Bujanovac and Presevo, members of the Bar Association of Nis, who have successfully completed specialized trainings. The Project also helped develop the necessary forms and templates to facilitate the work of this Office, promotional material was designed and delivered, and cooperation was established between the Free Legal Aid Office and other relevant entities in the Municipality of Bujanovac.
PUBLICATION: Free Legal Aid in South Serbia
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: October 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 6 months
DONOR: USAID JRGA – Judicial Reform and Government Accountability Program
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: In order to enable preconditions for full and consistent implementation of the Law on Personal Data Protection within Serbian legal system and secure citizens’ privacy through an efficient implementation of provisions related to personal data protection, harmonized with the highest international standards, a six-month research on the implementation of this Law was conducted. The procedures and practices of over 50 personal data handlers were analysed, in cases when they are dealing with requests for exercising rights regarding the processing of personal data. Numerous public debates and street actions were organized, and informative promotional materials were designed and distributed.
PUBLICATION: Protection of Privacy in Serbia – Analysis of Implementation of the Personal Data Protection Law
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: June 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
PARTNER: The Network of the Committees for Human Rights in Serbia (CHRIS)
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to raise public awareness about the importance of the right to privacy, especially in the field of personal data protection, online platform on personal data protection was developed, which serve to inform personal data handlers about their legal obligations. The first International Data Protection Day (January 28) was marked and promotional video was designed, to further inform the public about the right to privacy.
PUBLICATION: Protection of Privacy in Serbia – Analysis of Implementation of the Personal Data Protection Law
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: May 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 7 months
DONOR: EU TACSO – Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organizations
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT:ADR Network, an informal group of organizations, was established with the goal to to contribute to the promotion of alternative dispute resolution methods, and above all mediation. All the organizations within this network are actively engaged in the field of alternative dispute resolution and continuously work on promoting ADR mechanisms as primary methods for resolving conflicts and disputes in Serbia.
PUBLICATION: Mediation in Serbia – Achievements and Challenges
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: May 2012
PROJECT DURATION: 55 months
DONOR: US Department of State/Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
PARTNER: Američko udruženje pravnika – Inicijativa za vladavinu prava (ABA ROLI)
ABOUT THE PROJECT:Aiming to provide better access to justice for citizens by strengthening capacities of defense attorneys to adequately represent their clients, the Project has, through active involvement of domestic and foreign experts, supported the training of attorneys to implement novelties in criminal proceedings. Special focus was placed on capacity building and improving plea bargaining skills, as well as to implement alternative measures to ensure the defendant’s presence and conduct unobstructed criminal proceedings. Over 4.200 attorneys, trainees, judges, prosecutors, representatives of the Ministry of Interior and students took part in 44 trainings, 9 mock trials, 4 conferences and 4 roundtables. 25 trainers were educated, and a unique E-learning platform was developed, which hosts over 1.300 registered users, with over 30 lessons and numerous additional materials. Manual for attorneys on trial advocacy was developed and distributed, assessment of detention procedure in Serbia was conducted, along with plea bargaining analysis, and an informative brochure on alternatives to detention. The Project helped establish the Lawyer’s Acdemy within the Bar Association of Serbia, where the first lecturers were the attorneys trained within this Project.
PUBLICATION: Trial Advocacy in Criminal Proceedings – Manual for Attorney
PUBLICATION: Detention Procedure Assessment for Serbia
PUBLICATION: Alternatives to Detention in the Serbian Legal System – Defendant’s Basic Rights
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: September 2011.
PROJECT DURATION: 7 months
DONOR: Balkan Trust for Democracy
PARTNER: Association of Public Prosecutors and Deputy Public Prosecutors
ABOUT THE PROJECT: In order to improve the efficiency of the criminal justice system through the implementation of the principle of opportunity in criminal prosecution in Serbia, a group of experts conducted a detailed analysis and assessment of the existing practice in this area and monitored the work of two public (pilot) prosecutor's offices, based on which they developed the report with recommendations for improving relevant regulations. The level of awareness was raised and the support of public prosecutors and other relevant actors was provided for more efficient implementation of the principle of opportunity in criminal prosecution, while the institute of restorative justice was brought closer to the general public.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: August 2011
PROJECT DURATION: 30 months
DONOR: Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
PARTNER: CARS – Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to improve the system of protection against discrimination in Serbia and build social cohesion, numerous activities have been organized, to raise citizens’ awareness about the problem of discrimination and existing protection mechanisms, as well as to build capacities of the civil sector, free legal aid providers and representatives of marginalized groups to adequately react in discrimination cases. Panel discussions and workshops have been organized, aiming to provide support to an open dialogue on discrimination in Serbia and improve cooperation on preventing discrimination, while numerous promotional activities were conducted – designing leaflets, posters, promotional video and movie, and the Practicum for Protection Against Discrimination was designed and distributed. Through a series of informative seminars, the public was informed about the possibilities and specifics of mediation in discrimination cases, and advanced mediation trainings and specialized trainings on mediation in discrimination cases were organized. The Model for Case-Management was tailor-made for the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, in accordance with the institution’s available resources and competencies.
PUBLICATION: Practicum for Protection Against Discrimination
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: March 2011
PROJECT DURATION: 14 months
DONOR: USAID IREX – International Research & Exchange Board
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to fully incorporate the Law on Personal Data Protection into the Serbian legal system and ensure the privacy of citizens through efficient implementation of personal data protection, harmonized with the highest international standards, a series of trainings and seminars were organized for media representatives and journalists' associations. During the Project implementation period, Partners Serbia cooperated with the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, whose representatives participated in the seminars.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: February 2011
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: Embassy of Switzerland in Serbia and International Finance Corporation (IFC)
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to increase the competitiveness and efficiency of the private sector by using mediation, several workshops, seminars, trainings and conferences were organized where the representatives of business sector (directors, HR managers, lawyers, as well as attoreys representing them in disputes) were informed about the new regulations and trained to act effectively and represent in mediation procedures. Several employees from the economic entities successfully completed the Basic Training for Mediators, and were trained to be in-house mediators, and acquired the knowledge and skills necessary for resolving internal disputes.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: December 2010
PROJECT DURATION: 12 months
DONOR: Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
PARTNER: Committee for Human Rights Nis
ABOUT THE PROJECT: E-learning School of Democracy and Human Rights was developed as a tool to complete the knowledge of senior students in the field of human rights and democracy and enable them to apply the acquired knowledge through their engagement in the development of civil society in Serbia and recognize the benefits of distance learning. Within this online program, eminent local experts in relevant fields recorded 10 lectures, and provided accompanying materials – examples, exercises and tests, and all students who successfully completed the entire program were awarded certificates. Students also had the opportunity to apply for grants for mini projects in the field of democracy and human rights. In the end, the most successful 4 projects were awarded and implemented - "Tolerance as a Prevention of Peer Violence", "Letter to the Woman", "Same (in the) World" and "Personal Data Protection".
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: November 2010.
PROJECT DURATION: 20 months
DONOR: Open Society Foundation, Serbia
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to fully and better implement the Law on Personal Data Protection in the legal system of Serbia and ensure the privacy of citizens through the effective implementation of personal data protection, harmonized with the highest international standards, seminars were organized for representatives of state bodies, institutions with public authorizations, local self-government units, centers for social work, in connection with the collection and processing of personal data in accordance with the Law on Personal Data Protection. Specialized trainings in the field of personal data protection were also organized for representatives of citizens' associations, which represent the interests of consumers, patients, marginalized groups, victims of violence, etc. and who are trained to monitor the implementation of the Law on Personal Data Protection and to provide legal assistance in this area.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: October 2009
PROJECT DURATION: 36 months
DONOR: Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (GMFA)
PARTNER: CSSP – Berlin Center for Integrative Mediation
ABOUT THE PROJECT: The Project brought together local leaders from four multiethnic municipalities in Serbia, Kosovo* and Macedonia, and aimed to, through integrative mediation processes, contribute to the stabilization of relations between communities at the local level and support decentralization processes. The goal was to overcome problems in local communities by acquiring skills needed to to resolve conflicts, to raise awareness about the needs of vulnerable groups, build trust between communities, as well as build strategies for institutionalized cooperation between communities.
PUBLICATION: N/A
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION DATE: May 2009
PROJECT DURATION: 5 months
DONOR: PCanada-Serbia Judicial Reform Project (CS-JRP) and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
PARTNER: N/A
ABOUT THE PROJECT: Aiming to support a pilot mediation program in the court in Kraljevo and achieve concrete and measurable results that can serve as a model for future mediation programs in courts throughout Serbia, a survey was conducted and a report was prepared with guidelines for strategy development, directed towards overcoming certain obstacles and creating a high-quality and efficient mediation program. Trainings for administrative staff and mediators were conducted, as well as a public campaign on the benefits of mediation, aimed at members of the legal profession and all potential beneficiaries.
PUBLICATION: N/A