Campaigns

Choose a President - Choose Europe!, 2008

In accordance with its Mission, to support all processes which lead to the establishment of a modern and democratic Serbia as a full and equal member of the European Union, the European Movement in Serbia (EMinS) initiated a campaign entitled "Choose a President - Choose Europe", during the presidential elections in Serbia in January and February 2008.

The campaign was not aimed at lobbying for any candidate. The main campaign slogan was a message targeting a broad public, since at the time it was essential to choose a president who would continue with the reform process and integration into the European Union (EU), confirming that Serbia is part of Europe and that the process of moving towards Europe is irreversible.

Although the campaign "Choose a President - Choose Europe" was focused on the wider population in the Republic of Serbia, its main target included youth and women.

The EMinS, in cooperation with its local councils, the Women's Government and local NGOs throughout Serbia, organized the campaign in Belgrade, Novi Beograd, Cacak, Kikinda, Smederevo, Sombor, Odzaci, Dimitrovgrad, Pirot, Pozega, Krusevac, Majdanpek, Leskovac, Lazarevac, Zajecar, Knjazevac , Zrenjanin, Kragujevac, Valjevo, Nis, Novi Sad, Subotica, Novi Pazar and Sremska Mitrovica.

The main activities included: the media campaign (video clips that were broadcast on the television channel Pink and local television stations, radio jingles aired on local radio stations, and posters visible in city centers where the campaign took place), street actions (direct contact with citizens, distribution of the info material – within the campaign on January 18, 2008), public debates (held in five cities).

Project was supported by USAID through ISC and International Republican Institute.

I choose EUROPE – I see the FUTURE, 2008

On the occasion of the parliamentary, provincial and local elections held on May 11, 2008, the European Movement in Serbia launched a campaign to "Get out and vote: I choose EUROPE – I see the FUTURE” conceived to encourage citizens to participate in the elections.

In the period between the May 1 and 9, 2008, street events were organized in 20 cities in Serbia, where EminS’ activists distributed information leaflets with a simple and clear answer to the question "Why Europe?” A short, animated video was broadcast on national, regional and local TV stations. A variety of topics about the European Union were presented to citizens of Serbia on the website www.mojaevropa.rs. Two panel discussions were organized in Belgrade, where key speakers presented the latest results of a survey about citizens' attitudes towards the EU and the European integration process and offered a clear answer to the question "Why Serbia needs European standards?".

A Local European Charter was adopted - a document which defined ten key principles for effective, modern, European local government. EminS local councils offered this document to the holders of the electoral lists in their cities.

The partner organizations in this project were: Local Councils of the European Movement in Serbia in Zrenjanin, Cacak, Sombor, Pirot, Krusevac, Majdanpek, Leskovac, Lazarevac, Zajecar, Kragujevac, Valjevo, Nis, Cuprija, Novi Sad, Subotica, Novi Pazar and Sremska Mitrovica, and the Women's government.

Project was supported by USAID through ISC and International Republican Institute.

Civil Society Asks, 2008

In order to open a dialogue about the future of Serbia and sharpen the perception of political parties, the Civic Initiatives, the Federation of NGOs in Serbia and the European Movement in Serbia launched a series of shows called “Civil Society Asks”, broadcast on the television channel Pink every Saturday, up until the elections were held on May 11, 2008.

Representatives of civil society formulated relevant questions, vital for Serbian society, to the representatives of political parties who were standing local and parliamentary elections.

Serbia in the EU, What is In It for Me and What is In It for My City, 2008

The Project was initiated by a Coalition of NGOs from 44 towns in Serbia. The main objectives included: to keep the European integrations high on the social and political agenda in Serbia through the promotion of a rational approach to this topic; to strengthen the activism of the pro-European reform forces and their pressure on the political and intellectual elite to recognize and accept Serbia’s accession to the EU as the only developmental option. Around 300 public debates were organized in 50 towns in Serbia during a two month period. A wide range of topics were discussed to familiarize citizens with the concrete benefits of Serbia’s accession to the EU.

Project was initiated and supported by the Fund for an Open Society and USAID through ISC.

Let Women Decide!, 2007

Women Government and European Movement in Serbia (EMinS) in cooperation with the local councils' network of EMinS, are implementing a Get out to vote campaign "Let women decide" for the parliamentary elections in Serbia, January 21st, 2007.

The main aims of the "Let Women Decide" campaign were:

• Greater turnout of women voters at the parliamentary elections in Serbia on January 21, 2007,
• Entrance of greater number of women in the Serbian institutions after the elections - minimum 30%,
• Using the year 2007 - the year of equal opportunities - as the chance for women in Serbia to increase and better use their rights,
• Sending a message to the citizens and politicians of the EU member countries that there is an unexploited democratic potential (women in action) in Serbia and expectations that it will be supported in order to get the country sooner into the European structures.

The campaign is performed in Belgrade and 30 municipalities in Serbia where EMinS Local Councils operate: Nis, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar and Kragujevac, Zrenjanin, Kraljevo, Čačak, Vršac, Kikinda, Požarevac, Vrbas, Velika Plana, Pancevo, Pirot, Kruševac, Užice, Majdanpek, Leskovac, Lazarevac, Zaječar, Paraćin, Bor, Valjevo, Jagodina, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica, Požega, Sombor, Bajina Bašta.

The main activities during the campaign were:

• Media campaign consisting of TV spot and radio jingle stimulating women to vote and to vote for pro-European women candidates, was emitted at the RTS, TV 5 and TV Panonija, as well as on local televisions. Members of the Women's Government also participated as guests at the local TVs in 5 towns.
• Public debates were organized in 5 towns where members of the Women Government and EMinS will be guest speakers together with women politicians which are on the parties/coalitions lists. The main topic will be women's participation in the politics and invitation to the women's constituency to use their right to vote. EMinS local councils will organize the event and invite civil society representatives, media, and especially young women from the parties' youth.
• Street actions will be organized in 30 towns of Serbia. Young activists will disseminate informative material (informative brochure about the importance of women participation in democratic and decision making process, pens, balloons, flags, and especially apples from the baskets) to the women. Street action will take place at the most frequent town spots: supermarkets, shops, perfumeries, green markets etc.
• Women Convention

The final activity in the GOTV campaign "LET WOMEN DECIDE!" will be organization of the Pre-electoral Women Convention, gathering all women from the lists of the pro-democratic, pro-European political parties. The Convention will be held on January 13, at 5 minutes to 12 a.m. In addition to the women who are politically active, other prominent individuals will be invited: 161 women candidates (experts and professionals) from the Women's Government contest, 100 respectable women, women ambassadors and other women diplomats, representatives of media, civil society, business etc.

The Convention is aimed to promote women's determination in supporting the pro-European political and social option for Serbia

Pro-electoral Campaign, Local Elections 2004

Information - media - GOTV

The number of electoral abstinents in Serbia is constantly increasing. Main reasons for political passiveness are lack of trust in politicians, disappointment with so far achieved results of democratic governments; orientation to economic issues solely, difficult consequences of political and economic transition in Serbia .

Local elections became the crucial issue in the political life of Serbia, with a potential to further strengthen or maybe slightly annulate results of the presidential elections, depending on the winner.

Mobilization of civil society around local elections could help considerably to its consolidation and visibility. According to the study of the Center for Political Alternatives "Aspirations of the Citizens of Serbia and Montenegro, 2004", publicly promoted on May 26, and supported by UNDP and Friedrich Ebert Foundation, NGOs have higher rating than political parties in the public perception.

EMinS GOTV campaign for local elections goals could be summarized as follows:

• To involve as many citizens possible in the political process, to raise level of citizens' participation and give them the opportunity to acquaint with candidates and political parties programmes which will influence their future;
• To promote the principle of subsidiarity, democratic values and European standards in the electoral process;
• To evaluate new Law on local self-government and promote its eventual advantages, real impact of new Law on interdependence of different political subjects;

The campaign of EMinS is performed in the following 30 municipalities where our Local Councils operate: Čukarica, Čačak, Pančevo, Vršac, Kikinda, Požarevac, Paraćin, Vrbas, Velika Plana, Kruševac, Užice, Majdanpek, Lazarevac, Zaječar, Zrenjnanin, Ivanjica, Kragujevac, Kovin, Bor, Valjevo, Jagodina, Niš, Novi Sad , Novi Pazar, Požega, Sremska Mitrovica, Sombor, Subotica , Smederevo and Bajina Bašta .

Activities performed during project implementation were:

• Media- Informative campaign
• Consultative meetings
• Meeting with political parties' representatives
• Meeting with the candidates for mayors
• GOTV campaign

GOTV Campaign of European Movement in Serbia due to Presidential Elections, December 28, 2003

European Movement in Serbia (EMinS) is an independent and voluntary social organization of citizens of Serbia . Our basic mission is to influence public in Serbia to engage in generating of democratic, multi-party society, in achieving equality among people and their communities, in promoting European values and inheritances. European Movement in Serbia tends all together to support the processes and phenomena leading to the final goal.

According to this, our organization is striving for democratic and free elections in Serbia . We regard that it is our duty to affect publics in Serbia in a way to recognize high importance of existing and functioning of democratic institutions in Serbia . Considering the fact that EMinS in its work pays special attention to the young, our target group in this campaign is youth of age from 18 to 29 being statistically the greatest group abstaining from parliamentary elections.

The campaign is realized at three levels. The first level is media campaign- TV clip lasting 45 seconds with a slogan "MY VOTE IS NOT DISPENSABLE" and being broadcasted in the same time at 2 national televisions- B92 and BK TELEKOM and 10 local televisions in all parts of Serbia. The second level of the campaign is reflected in posters putting up "I do not want to watch the same movie again" and five different stickers with intriguing and provocative messages dedicated to the young. The third level of the campaign assumes petition signing: "A MESSAGE OF THE YOUNG TO FUTURE LEADERSHIP". This level took place at all colleges of the Belgrade University and in 31 municipalities of Serbia where European Movement has its Local Councils. Petition signers will be given material-balloons, brochures, stickers, bullets.

All these activities are to be managed from 15 th to 25 th December, 2003 when GSM and e-mail campaign begins. Petition signers who gave their personal data will get GSM messages reminding them of the elections date.

The purpose of the campaign was to include as much young people in electing process as possible, introduce basic democratic postulates to the young, and increase the level of consciousness of the significance of stable institutions for successful process of integration of Serbia in the European structures.

European Movement in Serbia together with seven other non-governmental organizations (BOM, CeSID, Exit, Forca, Index, Mediumgroup, SMART) has launched an internet site http://www.glasajpametno.org/ which will provide an opportunity for voters to be accustomed with lists of political parties and coalitions participating in the following parliamentary elections in Serbia. The purpose of the site is to present, at one place, lists of candidates, programs, and activities of all organizations participating at the following elections in Serbia . The site contains news and photos, the latest public opinion polls, media monitoring, election lists, documents, and the laws regarding the elections.