The Center for Regionalism
The Center for Regionalism

Author(s): Aleksandar Popov
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Civil Society, International relations/trade, Geopolitics
Published by: Centar za regionalizam
Keywords: regionalism; regional cooperation; Center for Regionalism; decentralization; Serbia
Summary/Abstract: With the aim to promote and spread the idea of regionalism in accordance with modern European trends and experiences, the Center for Regionalism was established by a group of intellectuals from Novi Sad in the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, in October 1998. The circumstances under which the Center for Regionalism was established at the end of the 1990s determined the basic scope of its activities. Despite the strict centralization and undemocratic nature of Slobodan Milošević’s regime, there existed a need to create new perspectives for decentralization and democratization in Serbia. As it later turned out, this task was not for the short term. Almost ten years after its first project and its hard-fought efforts for constitutional reform, the Center began to promote decentralization in Serbia more actively and publicly than ever before by 2008, initiating public debates and offering concrete expert recommendations. The Center also initiated a nearly impossible mission to reestablish understanding and trust in the region. Though the scars of war were still tangible, the Center played a lead role in a strong movement of nongovernmental organizations and other actors, including the Igman Initiative, Philia, Civic Vojvodina, and Civil Dialogue (between NGOs in Serbia proper and in Kosovo). These initiatives helped to rebuild relations that had been severed during the wars of the 1990s and to overcome psychological and other barriers.

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