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Lessons Not Learned. Commentary on the EU's 17-points Plan and its Alternative

Author(s): Katarina Kosmina,Lana Radovanović / Language(s): English

As the massive refugee influx continues to grow, the European Union is attempting and failing to find effective solutions. The most recent such attempt was the meeting in Brussels at the end of October, which gathered leaders from Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. The result of this meeting was the 17-points plan of action (the Plan). This CEP Insight deconstructs the Plan and provides critique of its most controversial measures. Furthermore, the Temporary Protection Directive is presented, explained, and advocated for as an alternative solution to the current crisis. Finally, the article considers the repercussions of the Plan in the context of Serbia.

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Handling the Refugee Influx. Between the Lwas, Borders and Political Discourses

Author(s): Lana Radovanović,Katarina Kosmina / Language(s): English

When speaking about the refugees currently arriving in Europe, it is rather difficult to focus on one relevant dimension: the legal framework, border policy, and political discourse - all converge to affect both how we speak and act on the issues arising from the mass influx of refugees on the territory of the European Union. This article attempts to deconstruct the EU’s response to the current ‘crisis’ and outline its relevance for Serbia’s asylum strategy. The focus will be on relevant EU legislation, such as the Dublin III Regulation, and ensuing issues, as well as the response taken regarding border policies and political discourse.

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Better Regulation Package: Regulating More or Regulating Less?

Author(s): Amanda Orza,Milena Lazarević / Language(s): English

Better regulation is not a novelty, but a continuation of previous efforts through different means. This time around, there were great expectations from the package and its influence on policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. From the onset, Commission President Juncker showed unequivocal political support for the better regulation agenda. A clear indication was the fact that within the ‘two-tier’ College of Commissioners, the senior strand was to be led by Frans Timmermans, the First Vice-President responsible for inter alia the better regulation portfolio. Suchan action spurred a lot of hope of the magnitude of reforms aiming at the simplification and streamlining of superfluous EU legislation. According to Juncker’s mission letter to Timmermans, every new initiative will have to go through and receive the green light from the VP in order to assure the respect of subsidiarity and proportionality, and to reduce the activity of the Commission to merely those which genuinely represent added value if acting on the EU level.This article will go through the main changes that the packages bring to conclude on their feasibility in the near future, and relevance to Serbia.

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New media laws 2023: The new rules of the game

Author(s): Marko Todorović,Anesa Omeragić / Language(s): English

The 2023 European Commission Progress Report for Serbia has commended adopting new media laws. The reform of media laws is part of a broader alignment with the acquis under Chapter 10 – Information Society and Media. Improved media regulation catalyses advancements in freedom of expression, a key aspect of Chapter 23 – Judiciary and Fundamentals.

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Echoes of Moscow: Russian Telegram Network in Serbia

Author(s): Anna Khan / Language(s): English

With the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Russia has launched an extensive information warfare campaign, wielding the power of misinformation to sway global sentiment, fracture European unity, and rally support for its actions. As the European Union swiftly moved to ban Russian media broadcasts, the battleground shifted to social media platforms, with Telegram emerging as a centre stage for the dissemination of Kremlin propaganda on a global scale. In particular, European nations such as Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic, which are among the top supporters of Ukraine, have found themselves on the frontline of this information competition. Meanwhile, in the Western Balkans, which are far from the conflict zone but not immune to its reverberations, the influence of Russian media has only grown stronger.

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Uncharted Waters: The BRICS Expansion and Implications

Author(s): Ana-Maria Skaricic / Language(s): English

At the 15th BRICS summit in August 2023, the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) announced plans to expand their membership by inviting six nations to join as official members. This move means that when Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, join the bloc with full membership in January 2024, BRICS will represent about 46.5% of the global population and about a third of the global GDP. The expansion will likely aid BRICS’ legitimacy as a representative and inclusive institution. However, it also makes an organisation that has already been criticised for being a varied, miscellaneous collection of member-states, even more heterogeneous, adding new regional dynamics, political governance structures, development stages, and economic specialisations to the mix. The expansion thus has considerable implications for the governance, efficacy, and character of BRICS as an international institution.

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Circular Migration: Does Serbia Have a Solution?

Author(s): Ana Milinković / Language(s): English

Circular migration represents an innovative response to the challenges of demographic decline and population outflow in Serbia. This migration model allows the country to harness the benefits of migration, transfer knowledge and capital from abroad, thus contributing to its economic development. However, circular migrants face specific challenges due to frequent changes in their place of residence, requiring tailored services and support. Managing circular migration requires careful consideration to meet their needs and create favourable conditions for their return with new skills and experiences, thus strengthening Serbia’s competitive advantages in the global market. Based on these assumptions, this policy brief provides recommendations for enhancing support for circular migrants, thereby contributing to Serbia’s economic and social development. The brief analyses the significance and effectiveness of two key platforms – the eGovernment portal and the Returning Point – in supporting circular migrants and returnees to Serbia. Through a detailed qualitative and quantitative analysis, challenges and potential solutions related to the use of these portals are explored. Additionally, user satisfaction is considered, their specific needs are examined, and potential improvements are proposed.

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Quantifying the Functioning of Democratic Institutions: Developing a Reliable Model for the Western Balkans

Author(s): Miloš Pavković / Language(s): English

Functioning of democratic institutions (FoDI) is an inseparable part of country reports produced by the European Commission (EC, Commission) each year. At the same time, this is the sole part of the report that does not have an assessment of the level of preparedness and progress. Since 33 negotiating chapters and two sub-areas within the Fundamentals cluster, namely Economic Criteria and the Public Administration Reform (PAR), are regularly assessed by the Commission for all (potential) candidate countries, FoDI deserved the same treatment. Moreover having in mind the revised enlargement methodology with enhanced focus on the Fundamentals, the necessity for providing a clear assessment of the state of play in this area appears as a logical step forward if the aim is to elevate the overall impact of the mentioned reports on the reform processes in the Western Balkan region. Hence, this paper offers thorough guidance for the EC to apply quantification to the FoDI area, using a reliable approach (referred to as ‘mixed approach’ throughout the paper).

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Deepening and Expanding the Scope of the Commission’s Reporting of Developments in the “Functioning of Democratic Institutions” in WB6

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Đorđe Dimitrov / Language(s): English

This paper is an integral component of a broader initiative aimed at enhancing the Commission’s assessments within the “Functioning of Democratic Institutions” (FoDI) subarea. It builds upon prior work identifying the inconsistencies present in the Commission’s reporting on the Western Balkans (WB6) while also proposing methods to quantify the findings by cross-analysing the most renowned international democracy indexes. This paper goes further, as its primary objective is to identify and advocate for the introduction and integration of additional essential policy elements into the Commission’s reporting within the FoDI domain. Doing so would result in the deepening and expansion of the Commission’s reporting and assessment scope, thus providing a platform for a more detailed, precise, and realistic evaluation of the state of affairs on the ground. Such a comprehensive and in-depth examination is essential for fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges, strengths, and dynamics of democratic institutions within the assessed region, but also as a contribution towards increasing the overall credibility of the Commission’s reports.

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Identifying Inconsistencies in the 2022 European Commission’s Country Reports for WB6

Author(s): Strahinja Subotić,Miloš Pavković / Language(s): English

The European Commission’s annual reports on the state of play of reforms within negotiating chapters, applicable to all (potential) candidates, play a pivotal role in evaluating their commitment to EU integration. Moreover, these reports serve as the basis for the EU Council’s decisions to open clusters or close chapters during the negotiation process. Yet, in practice, there is an increasingly evident rift between these two EU institutions. It has now become a customary practice for the Council to diverge from the Commission’s opinions in cases where it positively assesses a country’s progress in reforms and recommends advancing its accession process. Although, at times, the Council’s lack of affirmative decisions can be attributed to the unilateral misuse of the process by a single member state, member states continue to demonstrate a notable level of mistrust when it comes to the Commission’s approach to reform monitoring and assessment. This is compounded by the fear that the Commission’s reports tend to paint a brighter picture than what is observed through the individual and separate scoping missions of member states. Similarly, civil society organisations (CSOs) from the region have also actively and repeatedly called for the Commission’s findings to become consistent and evidence-based, in order to render the annual reports more objective, accurate, impartial, verifiable, and comparable. It is, therefore, crucial to improve the Commission’s approach to tracking reforms and ensure greater credibility of its reports.

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Unveiling Challenges in Serbian Public Procurement

Author(s): Ana Milinković,Andrija Mladenović / Language(s): English

Public procurement, as a process through which government agencies acquire goods and services from external sources, represents one of the essential areas in Serbia’s EU accession process, covered by Chapter 5. The importance of this chapter was heightened in 2020 with the introduction of the Revised Enlargement Methodology. The inclusion of public procurement as an integral component of the Fundamentals cluster was a pivotal development, aligning it with other indispensable domains such as the rule of law, democratic institutions, public administration reforms, economic criteria, and more. Upon entering the EU, Serbian companies will gain the valuable right to participate in every public procurement opportunity across the EU alongside businesses from member states. Therefore, Serbia’s entire public procurement system, post-accession, must be carefully designed as a level-playing field, ensuring equal opportunities for all potential bidders from across the EU. This proactive preparation will not only facilitate the EU accession process but also equip Serbian companies to access the significantly larger public procurement market within the EU. Additionally, public procurement holds a central position in managing EU Structural Funds because each country independently conducts procurements through these funds. This strategic approach plays a pivotal role in fostering economic growth and enhancing competitiveness during and after the accession process.

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Russian Migration Surge in Serbia

Author(s): Anna Khan / Language(s): English

The 2022 Russian aggression against Ukraine has triggered the most substantial migration surge across Europe since World War II. Amid the millions of Ukrainians seeking refuge within the European Union’s borders from the war, Serbia, as an EU candidate country, is grappling with a significant influx of Russian expatriates, who are escaping political oppression and the looming spectre of conscription in their homeland. Remarkably, as Turkey increasingly began to reject Russian residence permit applications, Serbia rose to prominence among the top three preferences for Russian migrants. Inspired by strong historical ties and memories of a past wave of White emigres seeking refuge after the Russian Empire’s downfall, Serbia has warmly embraced its new Russian emigrants, viewing this influx as an opportunity for a youthful, skilled workforce that can boost the economy and bridge demographic gaps. Yet, beneath the surface of this generous front lies a compelling question: What rewards will Serbia reap in exchange for its hospitality beyond the prospect of escalated rent prices? In this analysis, the focus shifts to delving into the intricacies of Serbia’s recent arrival of Russian emigrants, scrutinising the potential challenges this dynamic presents for the nation’s future.

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State administration in Serbia: A thorny road to equal opportunities and access for all

Author(s): Milica Škorić,Miloš Đinđić / Language(s): English

The state administration has been reforming for almost two decades, since 2004. With the adoption of the new strategic framework in 2021, it seems that the reform has gained a new momentum, with a greater orientation towards citizens and the economy. Not stopping at such a generally defined goal, the Public Administration Reform (PAR) Strategy offers an even more specific commitment towards the administration as a customer centre, that provides user-oriented services that are reasonably priced, while taking care of minority and vulnerable groups.

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Accessibility and Equal Opportunities in State Administrations in the Western Balkans: What Civil Servants and Civil Society Actors Have to Say?

Author(s): Miloš Đinđić,Milena Mihajlović / Language(s): English

Accessibility is considered a priority in a modern-day state administration. As an important precondition for achieving broader societal goals of social inclusion and welfare, accessibility has also become a clear-cut administration issue. Rising demands for accessible administrations - services, building, workplaces – but also for more equitable opportunities for getting jobs, including civil service employment, result from the fast-paced socio-economic and technological changes, which in turn require to accommodate as many needs of the population as possible. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is only one, but largely important example of how suddenly such needs for fast adaptations occur. On their EU accession path, the countries in the Western Balkan region must demonstrate that basic accessibility principles are sufficiently secured, as part of a broader, but fundamental public administration reform. According to international assessments that measure the compliance with such principles, the work is far from done – the legislative and policy frameworks are in place, the digital services accelerated, but mechanisms for improving the accessibility of services are weak across the region. The results of the surveys of civil servants and civil society organisations (CSO) implemented by the WeBER initiative, analysed in this brief, tell a similar story of weak guarantees for accessibility of state administrations. Specifically, their reflections on the opportunities for accessing civil service jobs, workplaces, facilities, and services, indicate that those most vulnerable have fewer chances and struggle the most.

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The Neverending story of senior civil service depoliticisation in Serbia

Author(s): Miloš Đinđić,Milena Lazarević / Language(s): English

Political influence on public administration is as old as administration itself. Given that civil servants are the ones who implement government policies, having control over them means controlling the institutions that execute political power and implement policies. This control also opens opportunities for rewarding loyalists and achieving political interests. When reduced to a minimum, such political manoeuvre is less likely to have a lasting impact on an administration’s functioning, but when it becomes overwhelming, a state apparatus can be completely captured by transient political actors, in the service of interests other than public.

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Transparency of public administration reform in the Western Balkans: Numerous shortcomings and limited examples of good practice in the region

Author(s): Sava Mitrović / Language(s): English

At the centre of the monitoring of public administration reform (PAR), there are topics that are of primary interest to citizens and civil society. One of them, which pervades practically all areas of PAR and on which the quality of implemented reforms can depend to a significant extent, is certainly transparency. Transparency implies that the goals of public policies, their legal, institutional and economic framework, as well as political decisions and all related data and information are delivered to the public in an understandable, accessible and timely manner. Relying on this understanding of transparency and the OECD/SIGMA Principles of Public Administration, the WeBER PAR Monitor methodology for monitoring PAR in the Western Balkans largely integrates the principle of transparency as one of the central components of good governance.

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Citizens still steadily in favour of government service provision practices: Third public perception survey in the Western Balkans

Author(s): Ana Milinković,Miloš Đinđić / Language(s): English

In the latest public perception survey from 2022, citizens believe that there were more governments’ efforts to simplify administrative procedures than in the survey from 2020. Namely, 53% of citizens across the Western Balkans think that the government made efforts or took initiatives to improve administrative procedures, which is five percentage points less compared to the previous survey implementation period. However, differences between the administrations are significant.

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