Improving Cooperation Between Public Institutions and Civil Society in the Western Balkans and Turkey

We are pleased to present the first regional report on the state of cooperation between civil society organisations (CSOs) and public institutions in the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.

TACSO developed the concept for this report in the spring of 2012 and the report was researched and written by the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ECNL) in the summer and autumn of 2012.

The report covers the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey and focuses on national policies as well as regional dimensions and mechanisms for cooperation between the two sectors.

TACSO’s initial intention was to prepare the report as a background material for our regional conference on cooperation between CSOs and public institutions, “Keeping up the Momentum: Improving Cooperation Between Public Institutions and Civil Society in the Western Balkans and Turkey” in Skopje, November 2012.

However, it has become apparent that the report fills a gap and provides a snapshot of the current state of cooperation between the two sectors in the region. During the regional conference in Skopje,the participants representing CSOs and governmental institutions had the opportunity to review and to discuss the draft of the report. National and regional commitments and action plans based on suggestions, comments and workshop results from the Skopje conference have been incorporated in this final report.

We hope that you will find it useful.