Center for Development of Non-Governmental Organizations (CRNVO) and the Balkan Civil Society Development Network are pleased to present the fifth edition of the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development (CSDev), covering developments in Montenegro in 2019.
The report is part of a series of country reports covering seven countries in the Western Balkans and Turkey: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
According to the findings for 2019, there are still many obstacles in the work of CSOs in Montenegro. There is no Register on CSOs that is being updated regularly and that comprises all the information about organizations. Current fiscal policies do not provide enough incentives neither for work of CSOs, nor for individuals and corporations to give donations. There are no diverse funds that are sufficient to fulfill the needs of CSOs to implement their projects. Current legislation on service provision of CSOs does not contain any closer information on this area, as there is no unified law. On the other hand, the Council for the Cooperation of CSOs and the Government is more proactive than it was the case with the previous one, which results in a better dialogue between the sectors.
Some of the recommendations, presented in the report are: The register on CSOs should be updated regularly; Tax incentives for donors should be introduced; Comprehensive law on CSOs providing services should be drafted and adopted; Register of organizations that provide services and whose programs are accredited should be created; State should introduce institutionalized grants in order to ensure sustainability and capacity strengthening of CSOs, etc.
The report is part of the activities of the Project “Protecting Civic Space – Regional Civil Society Development Hub”, financed by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and implemented by the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) in cooperation with its member organizations in the countries of the Western Balkans.
Read more and download the report here.