SUPPORTING SERBIA’S REFORMS

JENS ENGELI, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EASTERN EUROPE, HELVETAS SWISS INTERCOOPERATION

Helvetas is an independent development organisation based in Switzerland and with over 100,000 active members in the country. It has a long history and track record in the Western Balkans dating back more than 20 years, and today Helvetas has offices in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina

Our goal is to assist Serbia in selected areas in which the administration in Serbia. The project “For an Active Civil Society country faces some challenges and sees some needs, Together – ACT” aims to contribute to an active civil society for as well as where Switzerland has some expertise and the benefit of all people and to increase citizens’ engagement relevant knowledge. We are working together with in decision-making. The ACT programme is implemented by the local partners to support reforms in Serbia on its path towards consortium of Helvetas and the NGO “Civic Initiatives” and will EU membership, says Helvetas’ Jens Engeli. support around 100 civil society organisations with different What was the main motive for your organisation to start activities in Serbia? How will the projects that you are implementing bring change - We worked in Serbia in the early years of the 2000s and came to some areas in Serbia? back in 2015. Our current support is focused on socio-economic - One example is the Property Tax Reform project, which development, as we believe these areas enabled the introduction of a national, are of high importance for both Serbia We aim to strengthen civil unified, digital tax system, based on and Switzerland. Our mission is to support poor and disadvantaged women, society for it to have a better ICT-supported technology. Thanks to this system, citizens and companies can now men and communities, in developing and say and involvement in pay property taxes online in one central transition countries, in their efforts to improve their living conditions. Together decision making and location. In our ACT project, we are currently selecting civil society organisations with our partners in Serbia - ranging from democratic processes that will receive institutional support as civil society organisations to the private well as some more project-based grants and public sectors - we implement well defined and targeted to CSOs throughout the whole of Serbia. With this Swiss supprojects of the Swiss Government. port we aim to strengthen civil society so that it can have a What projects is Helvetas currently implementing in Serbia? processes, mainly at the local level. - We are currently implementing two important projects of the grants that are combined with tailored capacity building. better say and involvement in decision making and democratic Swiss Government. The first is “Property Tax Reform” and the You came to live here a little less than a year ago. What did second is “For an Active Civil Society Together - ACT”. These you expect and what did you get? two projects have a combined financial value of over 10 million - The great hospitality, high living standards, cultural life and, euros. The Property Tax Reform project aims to improve trust very importantly for my wife and I, the beautiful nature, ensure between citizens and local governments. We believe that through our stay here is a really pleasure. We are both well-established transparent tax management, combined with the national here, enjoying our time both professionally as well as personally, digital tax system – which was set up thanks to this project and we hope to make our contribution and profit from our time – we are contributing to the further harmonisation of the tax here over the years to come.