Tim za socijalno uključivanje i smanjenje siromaštva

Only active citizens can launch their community for better, Biljana Dakić Đorđević from the Trag Foundation said at the opening of the final conference “Glasno i jasno o Evropskoj uniji” (Loud and clear about the EU).

“Direct positive impact on citizens’ lives is crucial for European integration. This requires the involvement of local authorities and civil society organizations, a clear, loud, constructive and constant dialogue in local communities,” said Ekmel Cizmecioglu of the Delegation of the European Union in Serbia.

Referring to the successes of his organization in dealing with local governments of some of the poorest municipalities, Nenad Stojanovic from Nis Proaktiva said that in the long run, the door was opened in five local communities.

“We hope that this door will remain open to us, and when we come up with new ideas, and without a folder written by the European Union,” Stojanovic said.

One of the conclusions of the conference is that citizens must be in the focus of all activities, such as civil society organizations, local self-governments and the media. Trusting citizens in organizations and institutions can be improved with transparency and accountability.

The conference also presented the most successful stories that emerged during the project’s activities. Through dialogue, the cooperation between the different decision makers in the process of European integration was considered, the improvement of the manner of adopting public policies at the local level and the importance of citizens’ participation in the process, as well as the well-being of European integration for the communities themselves.

Click here to view a video on the successes achieved during project implementation.

The project “The Voice of Communities on EU Integration: Encouraging the CSO Dialogue and Local Government on Public Policy” is being implemented by a consortium of civil society organizations led by Trag Foundation in cooperation with the National Coalition for Decentralization, Media and Reform Center Nis, Civil Action Forum FORCA, Eurocontact, development of civil society, Timocki Youth Center, Educational Center Krusevac and Proaktiv.

Source: europa.rs