The Law on Social Entrepreneurship was adopted at the beginning of 2022 after a decade of intensive work with decision makers. In this way, the social entrepreneurship sector has become part of the legal system in the Republic of Serbia. At the same time, its recognition among institutions was ensured and it became an area that should be taken into account when formulating, changing and adopting public policies important for its development. However, the existence of the law does not guarantee its implementation, e.g. the improvement of the environment for the operation of social enterprises and the improvement of the position of their users. The implementation of the law depends on political support, the operation of the Council for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship, and the Program for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship. This is the moment in which the Program is expected to be developed as a public policy document, the content of which will determine the specific mechanisms of law enforcement. Social entrepreneurship is a multi-sectoral topic that can ensure the long-term solution of several social problems. Therefore, in developing the Program, it is important to point out changes in other policies and laws that directly affect the development of social entrepreneurship, such as the improvement of policies and laws in social protection, taxation, youth, innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises, and others. In addition, it is important to involve citizens and consider the needs of local communities, which can be answered by the adequate application of legislation in this area.
The overall goal of the project is to contribute to the implementation of the Law on Social Entrepreneurship and the institutionalization of social entrepreneurship in the Republic of Serbia.
The specific goals are:
- integrating the needs of local communities into policies of importance for the development of social entrepreneurship;
- promotion of social entrepreneurship in local communities.
Expected results:
- by the middle of 2023, recommendations on the improvement of policies important for social entrepreneurship (social policy, public procurement, tax policies, social innovations) should be developed and adopted by proposing activities within the Social Entrepreneurship Development Program, provided for by the Law on Social Entrepreneurship;
- to map the needs of the local community that can be met through social entrepreneurship;
- to hold 3 local public consultations on the needs of the local community that can be met through measures in the field of social entrepreneurship;
- to hold a national consultative meeting where the recommendations from the local consultations will be presented;
- to increase the number of citizens familiar with social entrepreneurship by the middle of 2023.
Main activities:
- Organization of consultative meetings (3: Pancevo, Kruševac, Čačak) at the local level on the needs of the community in order to define policies that need to be improved in order to contribute to the development of social entrepreneurship;
- Development and implementation of an online tool for submitting comments for mapping the needs of the local community that can be met through social entrepreneurship;
- Defining recommendations for improving policies in the field of social entrepreneurship;
- Organization of a national consultative meeting in order to advocate for the integration of recommendations into the Social Entrepreneurship Development Program;
- Preparation a campaign to inform citizens about social entrepreneurship;
- Implementation of the information campaign.
Project duration: May 1 – April 30, 2022.
The European Movement in Serbia is a partner in the project led by the Coalition for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship (KoRSP). The project is implemented within the framework of the ACT project, which is implemented in partnership by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and Civic Initiatives, which is financed by the funds of the Swiss Government
