On the 10th of April, 2013 BCSDN and Civic Initiatives held the kick-off event for the Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development in Belgrade, Serbia. The Matrix forms part of the BCSDN led project: “Balkan Civil Society Acquis: Strengthening the potential and capacity of civil society organizations for advocacy and lobbying”. At the event the Matrix was presented and discussed by Dubravka Velat, Executive Director, and Marija Dimitrijevic Miskovic, Project Coordinator for Serbia, from Civic Initiatives. It also hosted Tanja Hafner Ademi, Executive Director of BCSDN, and Ivana Cirkovic, Director of the Office for Cooperation with civil society, from the Government of the Republic of Serbia. In Serbia specifically, the Matrix will be able to contribute to solving problems such as corruption, unemployment and poverty by guiding the development of a positive environment for a strong civil society. The Matrix is however, also applicable to other countries in the Western Balkan region and may be adapted in the future for other countries or regions in the world. The event was attended by representatives from academia, government, and the media.Specific examples were given of the work which have already been done in Serbia and the gaps that need to be improved, i.e. tax regime etc. Participants also expressed their will to contribute to the methodology and the work which will be done in 2013.
