For Civil Society Organisations Technical Assistace for C Technical

This project is funded by the European Union This project is funded by the European Union

Update of the Regional Needs Assessment and Recommendations Needs Assessment Road map for the development of TACSO’s Report TheExit IPA Strategy Region FormerBosniaSerbiaCroatiaMontenegroAlbaniaKosovoTurkeyCSO and Yugoslavunder HerzegovinaEnvironment UNSCR Republic 1244/99 of Macedonia and CapacitiesUpdated 2011

Report prepared by SandraJasenka Benčić Perović Zagreb,Sarajevo, October October 2011 2011 DRAFT

Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations www.tacso.org

SIPU International AB Sweden Civil Society Promotion Centre Bosnia and Herzegovina Human Resource Development Foundation Turkey Foundation in Support of Local Democracy Poland Partners Foundation for Local Development Romania Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations Technical Assistace for Civil Society Organisations Technical Assistace for Civil Society Organisations

Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations Croatia Office This project is funded by the European Union.

Technical Assistance for Civil Society Organisations in the IPA Countries TACSO

EuropeAid/127427/C/SER/Multi – additional services

CROATIA

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Zagreb October 2011

The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the EU.

Contents

INTRODUCTION ...... 4 1. THE CIVIL SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT ...... 5 1.1. Legal framework – an analysis of relevant law and financial regulations ...... 5 Associations ...... 5 Foundations and Funds ...... 5 Public Benefit status ...... 6 Economic activities ...... 6 Deductibility of Charitable Contributions ...... 7 Value Added Tax ...... 7 Voluntarism ...... 7 1.2. Donors and funding opportunities ...... 8 National Foundation for Civil Society Development ...... 10 Central government funding sources...... 8 Local government funding sources ...... 9 Corporate philanthropy ...... 11 EU pre-accession funds ...... 11 1.3 Government mechanisms for civil society – government co-operation and the policy framework determining government – civil society relations ...... 15 Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs (GOfCNGOs) ...... 15 Council for Civil Society Development ...... 15 National Foundation for Civil Society Development ...... 16 National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for CS Development ...... 16 Code of Good Practice and Standards for the Financing of Programmes of Civil Society Organisations out of State and Local Budgets ...... 17 1.4 Government (local and national) institutional capacities for engaging civil society...... 17 Central government ...... 18 Local government ...... 18 1.5 Public perceptions and support of civil society and its various segments...... 18 2. CSO ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITIES...... 20 2.1 Overview of the civil society community in Croatia ...... 20 Structure of civil society ...... 20 Field of operation / activities ...... 23 2.2 Human resources and technical skills ...... 24

2.3 Strategic strengths of CSOs in Croatia ...... 26 .2.4 Analytical capacities ...... 28 2.5 External relationships – networks and partnerships ...... 29 2.6 Material and financial stability and resilience ...... 30 3. CIVIL SOCIETY MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS, IMPACTS AND CHALLENGES ...... 31 3.1 Milestone achievements and impacts in the country ...... 31 Institutional framework for civil society...... 31 Influence on the social policy agenda ...... 32 3.2 Shortfalls in CSO performance ...... 34 Leadership of civil society ...... 34 Mobilising constituency support...... 34 4. CONCLUSIONS ...... 34 4.1 Summary of strategic issues of relevance to the project ...... 34 4.2 Needs assessment conclusions ...... 35 The civil society environment ...... 35 CSO organisational capacities ...... 35 4.3 Recommendations for the regional project work plan ...... 36 4.4 Recommendations for the country specific work plan ...... 36 Annexes

INTRODUCTION This study is one of eight country assessments of civil society capacities conducted as a preliminary activity within the EC-funded project, Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations (TACSO) in the IPA Countries (EuropeAid/127427/C/SER/Multi – additional services), implemented by SIPU International in two phases: August 2009-July 2011 and August 2011-July 2013. The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive assessment of civil society in Croatia and the environment that it works in, including its strengths and weaknesses, and its impacts to date and the challenges it faces to further its development. The study is based upon a combination of desk research embracing all relevant documentation, including: legal and financial legislation applicable to civil society; previous civil society mappings and evaluations; situation analyses; policy documents and country-specific academic literature; and a consultative stakeholder analysis carried out by means of focus groups, interviews and questionnaire surveys with civil society organisations (CSOs), government actors, donor organisations and other institutional players. The study is an integral part of the project’s inception and it provides the premise for the majority of other project activities by serving as the basis of the development of regional as well as national work plans to be implemented during the project’s duration. The very first version of the study was prepared in fall 2009. This version updates the data collected in the fall 2009 and summarises the most important changes during last two years. In line with the project’s Terms of Reference and SIPU’s technical proposal, the study understands civil society in the following two complementary ways: 1. All organisational structures whose members have objectives and responsibilities that are of general interest and who also act as mediators between the public authorities and citizens. This definition clearly emphasises the associational character of civil society, while also accentuating its representational role. Civil society would include a variety of organisational types including: NGOs, mass movements, co-operatives, professional associations, cultural and religious groups, trade unions and grassroots community groups (CBOs), etc. 2. A space for views, policies and actions supportive of alternatives to those promoted by government and the private sector. This definition places the emphasis on social inclusion, social and political pluralism and the rights of expression in developing a participatory democracy. The paper is composed of four sections: • Section One provides an analysis of the civil society environment including: legal framework governing CSOs and their work; current donor opportunities and other sources of civil society funding; government mechanisms for co-operation with and support of civil society; the policy framework determining government-civil society relations; and public perceptions and support for civil society and its activities. • Section Two gives an overview of the main features of civil society: the types of organisations represented and their key organisational characteristics; the types of activities they carry out and their main sectoral interests; their geographical distribution and way they are structured within the overall civil society architecture. CSOs are assessed according to their technical, organisational and institutional capacities, including human resources and technical skills, strategic strengths, analytical capabilities, external relations with other actors including other CSOs, government and the community, and material and financial stability and resilience. • Section Three summarises the main achievements of civil society to date, noting key milestone achievements and broader social impacts, and also identifies shortfalls in civil society performance, which are in need of strengthening and further development. • Section Four sums up the most important institutional and organisational capacity needs of civil society in the country and identifies key strategic issues for the implementation of the project.

By way of conclusion, recommendations are made for both the project’s regional work plan and country-specific work plan.

1. THE CIVIL SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT

1.1. Legal framework – an analysis of relevant law and financial regulations

In Croatia a wide range of not-for-profit, non-governmental associational forms are recognised and regulated by national law. These include associations, foundations, funds, political parties, national minority councils, trade unions, economic interest associations, institutions, and religious organisations.1 The most important organisational types for the formal gathering of citizens around shared interests and the promotion of not-for-profit activities, reflected in the sheer numbers of registrations, are those commonly conceived of as NGOs2 (non-governmental organisations) under the legal term associations of citizens. Overall, Croatia has developed a generally supportive legal and financial framework for governing the establishment and operations of NGOs, which complies with international standards and represents some of the best practices regionally. Certain tax benefits are available to enable NGOs to generate their own income, whether through economic activities or by accessing philanthropy and tax incentives, albeit limited in scope, are also provided for would-be supporters of civil society. Development of such a framework has been largely influenced by the accession process. It is expected that until Croatian becomes a member of the European Union, in July 2013, this framework will be further strengthened.

Associations of citizens The law defines an association as a voluntarily established legal entity consisting of a minimum of 3 people (or legal entities), operating on a not-for-profit basis with the intention of promoting specific social or culture purposes. These purposes may include the lawful advancement of “issues of public or mutual interest, environmental, economic, humanitarian, informative, cultural, ethnic and national, educational, social, professional, sports, technical, health care, scientific and other interests and goals.” An association may conduct income-generating activities so long as any profit gained is devoted exclusively to advancing the purposes set forth in the association’s charter. While an association is prohibited from direct participation in formal politics, that is, participating in political campaigning for public office, there are no restrictions on an association’s attempts to influence legislation and public policy or from engaging in the political process as an election monitor or watch-dog of the wider institutions of democracy. Foundations and Funds A foundation provides the legal framework for the management of property or financial capital permanently assigned to serve an unspecified set of social and cultural purposes, which are deemed "generally beneficial" or "charitable." A fund is a temporary foundation with a fixed lifespan no longer than five years.

1 A full list of relevant laws and financial regulations can be accessed from the “Documents” section of the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs’ Web site, www.uzuvrh.hr. 2 This is evident from the official English translation of the Croatian Office for Co-operation with NGOs, in which the term 'NGOs' is substituted for the Croatian word udruge or “associations”.

In most respects, regulations governing foundations and funds are similar to those applying to associations. However, the law accords the registration authority, the Ministry of Justice, undue discretionary control of registration and influence over the internal governance of foundations. In the last two years, there have been 27 new foundations registered in Croatia, bringing their total number to 172, a very low number when compared with over 40,000 registered associations.3 Public benefit status Areas of concern remain regarding the lack of clarity surrounding “public benefit” status and its restricted application, as well as the use of discretionary powers by the Tax Administration to apply financial regulations governing the economic activities of CSOs. Associations and foundations, which provide certain, free social services and charitable relief4 may be classified as “Humanitarian Organisations” by government bodies charged with social care.5 A broad subset of Humanitarian Organisations can then qualify for “public benefit” status, which entitles them to tax relief and exemption from paying customs duties. CSOs eligible to apply for public benefit status include those working in the areas of health promotion; the improvement of the quality of life (especially with regard to housing and nutritional standards); education; reconstruction and the renovation of private and public buildings; and work with children, youth and people with learning disabilities. Although the Law on Public Benefit Organisations should have been adopted in 2010, its drafting has been delayed until further notice due to numerous doubts concerning the wording of the draft itself and some issues that should be regulated by the Act.

Economic activities Associations and foundations may undertake economic activities and are exempt from tax on profit on the income generated by these activities on the proviso that the exemption does not give the organisations an “unjustified privileged position in the market.” As the law is unclear as to what constitutes “unjustified privilege,” the Tax Administration operates with discretion in this sphere, and therefore economic activity for NGOs always carries a degree of uncertainty and financial risk.

Over the past several years there has been growing interest for development of social economy, the area is still, however, largely unregulated. The most notable examples of social economy in Croatia can be found in the field of social services and the establishment of public benefit companies. Over the past several years, there have been some improvements particularly with regard to the availability of funding for social enterprise initiatives and projects, as well as concerning the awareness raising activities. Through the existing funding programmes of the National Foundation for Civil Society Development (NFCSD) and several line ministries (especially the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; the Ministry of Family, War Veterans and Intergenerational Solidarity; and the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship), there have been opportunities for associations, foundations, public benefit companies and co-operatives to develop innovative projects in the field of social service delivery, social employment and other related areas. (Faculty of Economics Rijeka, 2010).

The Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship initiated specific programmes for the support of social co-operative entrepreneurship, with particular focus on promoting employment of socially

3 See below: Section 2.1., table 1. CSOs registered with the Ministry of Public Administration. 4 Humanitarian assistance is defined as, the charitable giving of material goods and money, psycho-social assistance, services to the disadvantaged (identified elsewhere in government regulations), victims of natural disaster and catastrophes, and the poor (those with earning below the national poverty threshold). 5 These are: the Ministry of the Family, Veterans’ Affairs and Inter-generational Solidarity and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

marginalised and disadvantaged groups. According to the Operational Plan for Supporting Small and Medium Entrepreneurship in 2010, the Ministry invested 3.5 million HRK (approximately €470,000) for supporting social co-operative entrepreneurs in 2010 (Butkovid and Vidaček, 2010 according to the Faculty of Economics Rijeka, 2010).

Tax provisions Tax relief is an important and essential part of the financing system and operation of CSOs. In order to maximise their effect, it is necessary to encourage their application, particularly with regard to exemptions for donations made to CSOs. Basic tax laws in Croatia (Corporate Income Tax Act, Personal Income Tax Act, Value-added Tax Act, Personal Income Tax Act, regulations on inheritance and donations) stipulate that CSOs are entitled to numerous tax reliefs. These reliefs are mentioned in other acts as well (Customs Act, some tariff acts). Deductibility of Charitable Contributions Businesses and individuals may deduct donations to NGOs, which carry out cultural; scientific; educational; health; humanitarian; sporting; religious and other activities, up to a limit of 2 percent of income. However, this provision is not widely publicised and its use is at a low level. Value Added Tax Associations and foundations are, broadly speaking, subject to the same Value-added Tax (VAT) regulations as commercial enterprises. All organisations with an annual turnover in excess of 85,000 HRK (approximately €11,300) must register for VAT, currently payable at the rate of 23 percent.6 CSOs, and other legal entities implementing EU funded projects, can obtain VAT exemption based on the Framework Agreement between the European Commission and the Government of the Republic of Croatia.7 While at the moment this provision creates favourable conditions for recipients of EU funds, since it allows them to purchase goods and services at a lower price, in the long run it may prove detrimental for financial management and the overall performance of CSOs. As soon as Croatia becomes an EU member, no VAT exemption will be applicable and for some CSOs that will mean that their overall costs of operation will increase.

Voluntarism In May 2007, the Law on Volunteering was passed which seeks to regulate organised volunteering, to ensure the protection of the volunteer and enable mutually beneficial relations between the volunteer and the organiser of the volunteer activities. The law was developed as one of the measures envisaged by the National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development 2006-2011. During 2009 and 2010, the National Board for Volunteering Development and Croatian Volunteer Centres Network implemented numerous activities to promote volunteerism on the local, regional and national level; to increase the visibility of volunteer activities; and to develop volunteering infrastructure.8 Special emphasis is given to improving capacities for implementation of voluntary programmes in public institutions. Some additional mobilisation of resources was encouraged through activities because 2011 is the European Year of Volunteering.

6 Increased from 22 percent on 1 August 2009, as part of a package of tax changes designed to combat the current recession. 7 In 2011 TACSO (Regional Office Sarajevo) published, Guidelines on VAT Exemption Procedures for EU Funded Projects in the IPA Countries, intended to ease the process of VAT exemption for newly awarded EU projects. 8 SMART (s.a.) Volunteering infrastructure in Croatia.

1.2. Donors and funding opportunities

Significant funds available from state sources – both central and local – provide the major part of CSO financing in Croatia. Other domestic sources, including membership fees, corporate philanthropy and income from services, collectively provide the next largest share of CSO funds, although individually they remain relatively poorly developed. In recent times most foreign donors, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), have phased out their support to civil society. European Union funds, mainly in the form of pre-accession assistance, are now the only important foreign funding source in the country. However, these monies, supplemented by smaller, less predictable foreign support, usually sourced externally (often from private foundations in donor countries), continue to play a “stabilising role in ensuring that reform and advocacy-oriented, politically independent CSOs and initiatives survive” (Škrabalo 2008).9

Central government funding sources The Croatian government provides considerable CSO funding through various ministries and state offices. In the period from 1999 to 2009, more than €320 million have been awarded to 27,543 projects of citizens’ associations (Vidačak 2010). In 2008, overall central government funding, including grants awarded by the NFCSD, amounted to €86.7 million. This represented a 33 percent increase from 2007. In the last two years, however, the total amount awarded started to diminish. In 2009, the overall central government funding, including grants awarded by the NFCSD, amounted to 530 million HRK (approximately €71 million), while in 2010 it was 489 million HRK (approximately €65.2 million). This is a 25 percent decrease in comparison to 2008.

Table 1. Trends in the allocation of funds - State Budget

Sources of Amount TREND Amount TREND Amount TREND funds granted in 2008/2007 granted in 2009/2008 granted in 2010/2009 2008/HRK % 2009/HRK % 2010/HRK % State Budget 368,848,061  45.1 282,382,122  23.4 238,793,416  15.4 Lottery Funds 252,563,351  17.5 244,492,433  3.2 248,177,695  1.5 Fund for 2,372,447  175.7 1,372,887  42.1 1,157715  15.7 Environmental Protection Non-financial 386,213 1,349,510  249.4 883,480  34.5 Support TOTAL 624,170,075  32.7 529,596,954  15.2 489,012,308  7.7 Source: Report on Financial Support Granted from the State Budget for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in 2010.

While this would have once included both direct budgetary transfers and ad-hoc funding of projects and service delivery, today it is required that all funds are allocated by means of public calls for proposals according to transparent and previously defined criteria. The grant-making process is

9 See Škrabalo 2008 for a comprehensive analysis of CSO funding in Croatia in the period of 2004-2007 with strategic recommendations to CSOs, donor agencies and other potential funders for the future. Information on donors and current funding opportunities is available in the Croatian language on Web sites of the Government’s Office for Co-operation with NGOs, National Foundation for Development of Civil Society, as well as on web portals of associations (e.g. www.smart.hr, www.donacije.info), and non-profit media (e.g. www.zamirzine.net, www.h-alter.org).

regulated by a “Code of Good Practice, Standards and Benchmarks for the Allocation of Grants for Programmes and NGO Projects,” adopted by the Croatian Parliament in February 2007 and co- ordinated by the Government’s Office for Co-operation with NGOs10.

Ministries providing grant assistance to CSOs include the following ministries: Ministry of Health and Social Welfare; Ministry of the Family; Veterans’ Affairs and Inter-generational Solidarity; Ministry of Culture; Ministry of Science, Education and Sport; Ministry of Tourism; Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural Development; Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship; and Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction. In the period 2008-2010, the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport provided the highest amount for the support of CSOs (Report on Disbursed Financial Support for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2009; Report on Financial Support Granted from the State Budget for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2010). Opportunities are available to CSOs to finance activities by competing for direct service contracts from both local and national governments. CSOs have been awarded many such contracts at both levels for services to the elderly, victims of domestic violence, People with Disabilities (PWDs), and the homeless. The contracting of social services, however, remains unregulated and in general the field remains undeveloped. Unlike 2008, in which the most frequent direct beneficiaries of government project funding were PWDs, in 2009 and 2010 those were children and youth, followed by CSOs and civic initiatives and PWDs. While in 2008 the most commonly funded projects were those focusing on informal educational activities and training (25 percent), in the last two years projects focusing on sports are the ones that are funded most frequently (26.6 percent in 2010 and 25.7 percent in 2009) (Report on Disbursed Financial Support for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2009; Report on Financial Support Granted from the State Budget for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2010). With the aim of contributing to the efficiency of financial support for CSOs, the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs continuously works on capacity building of the representatives of state administrations and public institutions in charge of CSO programmes and projects. The main focus of competency-building of public servants was to make the first phase of the grant-making process (selection of the best programmes and projects of CSOs) more objective, transparent and efficient. In the most recent years, more attention was given also to the monitoring of CSOs projects and programmes, since it has been noted that that there are considerable differences in the scope and quality of performed monitoring activities among different government bodies.11

Local government funding sources Non-central government support for CSOs is considerable; in 2007, €46 million was allocated by county administrations to CSOs, while municipalities contributed a total of €60 million. This support is critically important to maintaining a national architecture of viable CSOs.

10 In 2008 4.36 percent, in 2009 2.9 percent and in 2010 3.1 percent of government funding was allocated on the basis of a direct decision by the head of the supporting institution. In all other cases, awards are made on the recommendations of independent expert panels set up by the supporting institution charged with assessing proposals according to set objective criteria. 11 TACSO Croatia consultants’ report on the workshop, “Developing monitoring and evaluation plans for representatives of public administration bodies responsible for grant-making to CSOs”, March 2011.

There are still some imbalances, although fewer than in 200812, in the areas targeted by both central and local governments for CSO support. According to the area of financing, socially vulnerable groups and PWDs are still ranked third with an increase in the proportion of funding, while culture, heritage and sport are still in the lead, with almost three times a greater share of funding.

On the level of counties, 2009 saw a downward trend as compared to 2008 in terms of financial support for CSO programmes and projects, in 2009 there was a 9.9 percent decrease in the funds allocated (€48 million in 2009 compared to €53 million in 2008). The downward trend (22.2 percent) is present at the city level as well (€23 million in 2009 compared to €29 million in 2008). On the county level in 2009 and in 2008, the City of Zagreb allocated the most funds (€34 million), while in 2009 on the city level Rijeka allocated the most funds (€5 million).

The counties, as well as the cities, have allocated the most funds in the area of sports (almost 60 percent of the total amount) and in the area of the protection and promotion of culture, cultural and historical heritage and nature protection (12 percent of the total amount allocated by the counties; almost 10 percent allocated by the cities). In the area of support to persons with disabilities, persons with special needs and socially vulnerable groups the cities earmarked more funds in 2009 (5.3 percent of the total amount allocated by the cities compared to 3.6 percent of the total amount allocated by the counties) (Report on Disbursed Financial Support for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2009).

According to the Report on Financial Support Granted from the State Budget for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in 2010, over half of the projects and programmes (53.6 percent) are implemented throughout Croatia and financed with €38 million, accounting for 58.6 percent of the total amount of funding. According to the allocated amount, it is followed by the area comprised of several counties in the total amount of €6 million. In 2010 Zagreb allocated €5 million, accounting for 7.7 percent of the total allocated funds. The projects and programmes, which were implemented in other counties, account for less than 4 percent of the total allocated funds (Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, 2011).

National Foundation for Civil Society Development The NFCSD is a public foundation with a broad mandate to promote and develop civil society in the Republic of Croatia. In addition to providing a range of capacity-building assistance to CSOs and conducting research on civil society, the NFCSD has become a major grant-making facility. In 2009 and 2010, the main source of NFCSD’s funds was the state lottery, but it has also been supported from the state budget and a number of foreign donors, including: ALF (Anna Lindh Foundation), MSI (USAID) and the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb in 2010. Annual incomes, as a share of the lottery, in 2009 and 2010 are similar to those in 2008. In 2009 the annual income amounted to 43 million HRK (approximately €5.73 million), of which 39 million HRK was provided by the lottery, while in 2010 its annual income amounted to 42 million HRK (approximately €5.6 million), of which 40 million HRK was provided by the lottery. This was then reflected in the already mentioned decreased support of the NFCSD civil society13. Since its establishment in 2003, it has contributed significantly to an increase in CSO funding available from grant programmes. In grants issued by public calls for proposal, NFCSD disbursed 23 million HRK (approximately €3.06 million) in 2010; 26 million HRK (approximately €3 million) in 2009; and 22

12 Socially vulnerable and PWDs receiving 11.5 percent of the total funds versus 66 percent allocated to culture and heritage and sport (2008); 17.2 percent of socially vulnerable and PWDs versus 44.5 percent of culture and heritage and sport (2009); 17.9 percent of socially vulnerable and PWDs versus 48.1 percent of culture and heritage and sport (2010). 13 In 2008 NFCSD annual income amounted to 46 million HRK (approximately €6.3 million), of which 43 million HRK was provided by the lottery.

million HRK (approximately €3 million) in 2008. It is the largest donor oriented towards institutional support, enabling CSOs to concentrate on the development of longer-term programmes and the challenges of organisational strengthening.

In 2010, NFCSD initiated two specialised programmes to support CSOs in the time of the recession and crisis: the programme, Za Dobro.BIT!/For the Bene.FIT!, which aimed at financing the development of philanthropy; and the programme, Europa plus/Europe Plus, for co-financing, pre- financing and interim financing of CSO projects contracted within the scope of European Union Programmes. It is also an important patron of the development NGOs working in areas such as, human rights; the development of democratic institutions; sustainable development; and the rule of law, which are otherwise often overlooked by government and private donors in Croatia.

Regional Foundations In 2007, the NFCSD decentralised its grant-making function by delegating responsibilities to four regional foundations established by local resource NGOs in order to respond better to CSO needs at the local level. The regional foundations established in Zagreb (Regional Foundation for Legal Development Zamah), Split (Kajo Dadid Foundation), Pula (Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development of Istria County), and Osijek (Slagalica Foundation). Through grants awarded based on public calls for proposal for four regional foundations 1.8 million HRK (approximately €240,000) in 2010 and 1.7 million HRK (approximately €230,000) in 2009 was disbursed. The Foundation Zamah from Zagreb accounted for the greatest share (31.6 percent in 2010 and 32 percent in 2009); followed by the regional foundations from Osijek, Pula and Split in 2010; and Pula, Split and Osijek in 2009 (National Foundation for Civil Society Development, Annual Report in the year 2010).

Corporate philanthropy Corporate donations are growing in importance as a source of civil society funding. In 2005, when the last comprehensive research on civil society in Croatia was carried out (Bežovan et al. 2005), 33.8 percent of CSOs surveyed reported receiving funds from the business sector, but this support did not exceed 18.2 percent of the average of their annual budgets. The report also calculated that corporate finance represented only 6.5 percent of the total amount of civil society funding available in Croatia.

An analysis of corporate philanthropy practices conducted by the association, Donacije.info14, found that Croatian companies usually make financial and in-kind donations. An important part of corporate donations is the inclusion of employees in the further development of the programme of corporate volunteering. The majority of companies, which participated in the study, donated in order to help children, improve health, support community development and environmental protection, and in areas related to sports, youth, education and culture (Načinovid, 2010).

According to research conducted within the project, Promotion of CSR and Formation of CSR Network in Croatia in 201015, companies usually make donations in the field of environmental protection (over 60 percent) followed by education and science, sports and medicine, and health (about 30 percent for each area). The companies in the study indicate that responsibility to the community to ensure sustainable operation and provision of assistance is the main goal of donating. At the same time, philanthropy practices create a positive impact for attracting, retaining and developing employees

14 Donacije.info, the central web point for philanthropy in Croatia, launched in September 2009 a project analysis aimed at showing existing practices and procedures in corporate philanthropy. The study was conducted during November and December 2009, through structure interviews with companies (N=21). 15 The study included large and medium-sized companies (N=65), for more information please see www.dop.hr

and represent positive public promotion. Companies that have developed a structured system of donations, mostly through public calls, are primarily oriented to CSOs and to legal persons. Companies offering ad-hoc assistance to the community make donations both to CSOs and individuals. Some companies, in the course of developing the practice of donating, decided to establish corporate foundations16 or associations, which has proven to be an effective investment in sustainability. It is estimated that Croatian companies donate approximately 0.6 percent of their annual income (Koštro and Škrabalo, 2011).

In Croatia, the organisation, Donacije.info, awarded the Corporate Philanthropy Award to the companies whose donation projects were deemed to be the best from the previous year in two categories: best individual corporate donation and best corporate donation programme. The Corporate Philanthropy Award was awarded from 2007 (for the best donors in 2006) to 201017. In 2011 Donacije.info discontinued its activities due to sustainability issues. It was established in 2006 by one of the leading business web portals, in co-operation and with support of USAID and AED, but it did not succeed in securing long-term support by corporations, as had been hoped at the inception.

Overview of Croatian Companies Public Calls for Financial Support18 In the last 5 years in Croatia, there were at least 27 companies that awarded grants for civil society organisations and/or individuals through public calls for proposals. Among them, there are 6 publicly owned companies: HP (Croatian Postal Service), HEP (part of HEP Group, producing electrical energy), HRT (Croatian Radiotelevision), Hrvatske vode (Croatian Waters), Hrvatska Lutrija (Croatian Lottery) and Zagrebački holding (Zagreb Holding).

A larger number of corporations named their fields of supported activities as culture, education, children and youth initiatives or general humanitarian agencies. Other fields of interest included science and technology, health and environmental protection, society development in general, the fight against corruption, sports, art, creative solutions, etc. Only two companies (Holcim in 2011 and COMBIS d.o.o. in 2009) stated that they primarily supported human rights projects. The majority of human rights orientated projects were focused on children and youth, especially those with special needs.

Some companies limit their donations to the local communities in which they are located (e.g. Karlovačka pivovara, i.e. the Brewery of Karlovac city, in 2010), while others consider only humanitarian projects eligible and don't cover operating costs like salaries and office rent (e.g. RTL in 2009 and 2010). There are also companies that award grants to projects only dealing with their field of interest (e.g. Hrvatske vode – Croatian Waters awards grants exclusively to organisations that deal with water management).

Out of 27 companies issuing public calls for proposals, 2 have regular annual calls (Holcim Ltd. - one of the world's leading suppliers of cement and ZABA – a member of the UniCredit Italiano Group, Bank of Zagreb, which has issued calls for funding since 1999.19

16 Adris Grupa/Adris Group was among the first groups to establish a corporate foundation (Zaklada Adris/The Adris Foundation), which has its own sustainable funding and in 2008 received the Award for the Best Corporate Donation Programme in Croatia. 17 For more information about the winners see Annex XY1 18 According to information on the Web site of the Government’s Office for Co-operation with NGOs (http://www.uzuvrh.hr/natjecajiEN.aspx?pageID=19), accessed on 11 October 2011. 19http://www.zaba.hr/home/wps/wcm/connect/zaba_hr/zabapublic/press/objave/aktualno/cf6c728042f49e18abb5bb55c 8cc6cc3, accessed on 10 October 2011.

Grants awarded range on average from 70,000 HRK (approximately €9,350) to 1,000,000 HRK (approximately €133,000) per single project. The smallest amount awarded by the 27 companies was 50,000 HRK (approximately €6,600) awarded by ACT PRINTLAB d.o.o., a small social enterprise, in 2010 and the highest was 2,000,000 HRK (approximately €267,000) awarded by the Croatian Lottery in 2009.

EU pre-accession funds

Since 2004, EU pre-accession funds to Croatia have been provided through the Decentralised Management System (DIS), which disburses funds to national government institutions. CSO funding is managed by the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs (GOfCNGOs) as a Project Implementation Unit (PIU).20 Currently, EU funding to Croatia is mainly provided by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) (see Table XY and Annex XXXX: Overview of EU funding available to CSOs in Croatia). Under IPA, CSOs are mostly covered by IPA component 1, Institution Building, through the recently established Civil Society Facility offering support in capacity-building, exchange of knowledge and experience with EU institutions, and partnership actions between CSOs in beneficiary countries and the EU. There are also considerable grant allocations available under IPA 2, Cross-Border Co-operation. As a candidate country, Croatia is also eligible for additional EU support under IPA components 3, 4 and 5 for Regional Development, Human Resources and Rural Development respectively. CSOs can potentially gain support from these components through their inclusion in broader projects and social partnerships.

Table XY. IPA 2007-2011 (Funds for Croatia) Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Funds/ million EUR 141.2 146.0 151.2 154.2 157.2 Source: MELE Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship, 2011

One of the most frequent obstacles in applying for EU funded projects, as well as during implementation, is the obligatory financial contribution from the implementing organisation. There are very few organisations that can rely on their own funds, mostly they try to find another donor to co-finance the project and this often happens only after formal approval of the project or after the implementation has started. Therefore, it was important that the NFCSD and the GOfCNGOs, responding to the need articulated by CSOs, developed co-financing mechanisms facilitating the implementation of EU funded projects. The NFCSD initiated the Programme of Co-financing Projects under Europe for Citizens and Co- operation in the Euro-Mediterranean. In 2010 NFCSD co-funded 6 projects within Europe for Citizens and 1 project with the Co-operation in the Euro Mediterranean which amounted to 290,000 HRK (approximately €39,000). In March 2011, the GOfCNGOs took over co-financing of civil society organisations’ projects contracted with the European Union Programmes21. GOfCNGOs announced a public call for proposals for co-financing, and by the end of July 2011, co-funded 59 projects in the amount of approximately €605,000.22

20 Details on the Decentralised Management System structure: http://www.uzuvrh.hr/page.aspx?pageID=82 21 Based on the Article 3, Point 8 of the Act Defining the Criteria Determining the Beneficiaries and Award Mechanisms from the Lottery Income in 2011 (Official Gazette, No. 29/2011), and in line with the Code of Good Practice for Consultations with the Interested Public on the Making of Public Policy (Official Gazette, No.16/2007) as well as the Regulations for the Co-financing of Civil Society Organisation’s Projects Contracted within the Scope of European Union Programmes for 2011,18 April 2011. 22 http://www.uzuvrh.hr/vijest.aspx?pageID=1&newsID=1382 (June, 2011); http://www.uzuvrh.hr/vijest.aspx?pageID=1&newsID=1427 (July, 2011)

Examples of Successful Projects – Funded by European Union

To support the Stabilisation and Association Process (SAP) the EU makes available a considerable amount of project-based funding. EU support to civil dialogue is reflected in the IPA 2008 (three grant schemes), PHARE 2006 Enabling the Civil Society Sector for Active Contribution in the Pre- accession Process, CARDS 2003/2004 Good Governance and Rule of Law and several projects under CARDS 2004 Grants to Civil Society Organisations Active in Environment and Sustainable Development and Social Services Delivery (Vidačak, 2010). The EU financial support for Croatia resulting from these tenders amounted to approximately €8 million. Sixteen projects totalling €3 million were financed through IPA; 36 projects totalling approximately €3 million were financed through PHARE 2006; 6 projects totalling €1.2 million were financed through CARDS 2003/2004. Seventeen projects totalling approximately €2.7 million were financed through CARDS 2004. Under IPA 2008, Developing Capacities of CSOs for Systematic Monitoring and Advocacy of Sustainable Development Policies and Integrated Approaches to Waste and Water Management, Transport, Regional Development, Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and Environmental Safety, the CSO projects fostered structured dialogue and formalised consultations between CSOs and the state administration and increased the effectiveness of CSOs in systematic monitoring and advocacy in the field of sustainable community development, sustainable use of natural resources, environmental safety and energy policies. Projects under IPA 2008, Enhancing the Participation of CSOs in Monitoring of the Implementation of the EU Acquis, in the Field of Fight Against Corruption and the Overall Transparency, Openness and Accountability of Public Administration Bodies, increased the effectiveness of CSOs in undertaking independent monitoring and advocacy initiatives focused on the fight against corruption, greater transparency of public institutions and the development of the active role of civil society. Projects under IPA 2008, Enhancing the Capacities/Roles of CSOs in Monitoring of the Implementation of the EU Acquis in Field of the Comprehensive Anti-discrimination Strategy Focused on Comprehensive Anti-discrimination Policies and the Promotion of Equality as a Basic Principal of Social Justice. Under PHARE 2006 the Democratisation and Human Rights sub-sector projects have contributed to the implementation of equality policies and anti-discrimination regulations at the local and national level, strengthening democratic communication and volunteers’ services, and the development of support for the educational inclusion of children with difficulties. The Youth sub-sector projects have contributed to the development of community volunteers’ centres involving youth in Youth Decision- Making Policy, prevention of unwanted behaviour, employment, empowerment for independent living and the development of many youth services. The Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development sub-sector and CARDS 2004 projects contributed to the protection of nature, environmental protection, waste management, energy policy and sustainable development of the regions through participatory processes.23

Foreign donors

Other foreign donors, active in supporting Croatian CSOs from the 1990s until 200724, gradually withdrew from Croatia. In 2009 and 2010 there were few funds available from international organisations (World Bank, UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, UNDEF), bilateral donors (SIDA) and embassies (Dutch Embassy - Matra/KAP Programme, U.S. Embassy - The Civil Society Small Grants Programme, civil society support by the French

23 www.uzuvrh.hr/userfiles/file/Zbornik_EU percent20projekata_2010_final.pdf 24 For example, in 2007, USAID completed a capacity building programme implemented by Academy for Educational Development, which was funded by CRONGO for 6 years.

Embassy), private and public foundations (National Endowment for Democracy, Global Fund for Women, Open Society Foundations - iDEMO Institute for Democracy, European Youth Foundations). For the most part, support is directed towards the development of civil society and democratic values, international co-operation (e.g. European Youth Foundation) and vulnerable social groups (e.g. Matra/KAP Programme).

1.3 Government mechanisms for civil society – government co-operation and the policy framework determining government – civil society relations

Croatia has established an innovative and comprehensive set of institutions for mediating relations between the government and civil society and supporting civil society development. The system, which now rests upon three pillars - the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, the Council for Civil Society Development and the National Foundation for Civil Society Development – and the combination of centralised policy-making with decentralised support to civil society, was dubbed The new Model of the Organisational Structure for Civil Society Development in Croatia. It was initiated in 1998 at time when relations between government and civil society had been predominantly antagonistic for some considerable time. Consensual development of the system since that time by state actors in co-operation with civil society partners has resulted in a jointly- owned institutional apparatus which guarantees substantive participation of civil society, particularly in the field of policy making, and a clear set of agreed policy instruments defining civil society’s role in Croatia’s development as well as the government’s responsibilities towards civil society.

Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs (GOfCNGOs)25 The institutionalisation of civil society-Government co-operation in Croatia began with the establishment of the GOfCNGOs in 1998. The Office’s primary task was to build confidence and develop co-operation through financing, consulting, educating and information sharing. It also established working groups on various legislative initiatives affecting NGOs. Of particular importance was the office’s success in drafting, with civil society, the “Programme of Co-operation between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Non-government, Non-for-Profit Sector in the Republic of Croatia,” which was signed in 2001. Not only did the Programme establish a transparent national instrument for the state financing of CSOs, it also provided a base for all subsequent strategic policy documents regulating relationships between government and civil society. In the programme’s introduction, the government recognised the vital role civil society has in promoting both socio-economic development and participatory, plural democracy. It set out a list of principles according to which government should act in its relations with civil society, including: partnership, transparency, liability for the utilisation of public resources, the promotion of equal opportunities for all, subsidiary (as the foundation of partnership), promotion of non-violence, the acceptance of diversity and advancing social capital. Council for Civil Society Development Government-civil society co-operation was further advanced with the establishment of the Council for Civil Society Development (CCSD) as a governmental advisory body in 2002. The Council is primarily responsible for the development and implementation of the government strategy in support of civil society acting as an expertise advisor to the government. It also has a key role in monitoring the monetary support provided by the state for financing NGO activities. The CCSD is the most important institutional mechanism for government-civil society co-operation at as it provides a

25 This and the following sub-sections on the Croatian institutional framework refer to Gerasimova 2005 and Hadzi-Miceva 2008.

forum for a direct and formalised dialogue between citizens’ associations’ representatives and public administration on issues directly related to civil society development. Under a revised mandate, the Government of the Republic of Croatia passed a new Decision on the Establishment of the Council for Civil Society, (Official gazette 140/2009) which extends the field of operation of the Council to include sports, technical culture, trade unions, funds and foundations, employers and educational activities - in the area of civil society and the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship and the Office for Co-operation with NGOs – for the state administration bodies and the Government Office, which resulted in the increase in the number of the Council members from 23 to 27. The Council is composed of 12 representatives of government bodies (line ministries and state offices), 12 representatives of citizens’ associations and 3 representatives of other CSOs (foundations, employers’ associations and trade unions). While government representatives are appointed by the competent ministries, the CSO representatives are elected by the CSOs themselves through open and transparent procedure. The procedure consists of two phases: firstly, a public call for nominations of candidates for members of the council and secondly, a public call for voting for eligible candidates. Specific fields represented on the Council include: Democratisation, Rule of Law and Educational Development, Youth Activity, Work of Associations Related to the Homeland War, Culture, Childcare, Care for People with Disabilities, Social Affairs, Sports, Technical Culture, Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, and Health Care and Quality of Life Promotion. Engagement on the council is voluntary. The members do not receive compensation, and the GOfCNGOs provide expert service for the work of the Council (preparing working materials, taking minutes etc.)

In the course of 2010 three working groups were established - the groups for the support of the participation of civil society in the public policy shaping process, the groups for monitoring financing policies of civil societies and the groups for support for the creation of an incentive environment for public advocacy initiatives and sub-sector co-operation.

National Foundation for Civil Society Development The National Foundation, already mentioned, is the third pillar of the Croatian civil society support framework. With its establishment in 2003, the New Model was effectively initiated. As a public funding entity it is unique in the region in its ability to act independent of state government, because of the inclusion of a majority of civil society representatives on its governing body. The NFCSD’s governing board is composed of nine members appointed by the government: five members are civil society representatives, three are from state ministries, and one is from local/regional government.

National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for CS Development Currently, government support to CSOs and policy concerning civil society is outlined in The National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development 2006-2011 and detailed in its yearly action plans. The strategy, if fully implemented, would significantly strengthen civil society’s capacity to act as an agent of social change. In particular it would secure its role as a meaningful promoter of participatory democracy and human rights and as a competent monitor of civic liberties public policies in the context of Croatia’s final phase of accession to the EU and beyond (EC 2008). The Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs is currently conducting consultations that will produce draft of the new National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for the Development of Civil Society for the period of 2012-2016. The making of the new strategy started during the NGO days in Pula in late May 2011, held under the title “Civil Society in Croatia 2016 -

Vision, Strategy and Action".26 The Final draft of the National Strategy and the Action Plan is expected to be put up for adoption in the beginning of 2012.

Code of Good Practice and Standards for the Financing of Programmes of Civil Society Organisations out of State and Local Budgets Developed by the GOfCNGOs and adopted in 2007, this code regulates the basic standards and principles of practice of state administrative bodies in the procedure of awarding grants to CSOs. It is an important tool for the monitoring of government performance in this area ensuring efficient resource use, transparency and due process. In 2009, the NFCD and the GOfCNGOs published a Manual for the implementation of the Code of Positive Practice, Standards and Criteria for Financial Support to the Programmes and Projects of Associations. The development of the manual is an important measure of the Operative Implementation Plan of the National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society and the Anti-Corruption Strategy Action Plan. It is one of the key elements in educating grant- makers for CSOs. The manual is intended primarily for state administrative bodies and units of local and regional self-government and is the first document published in Croatian which consolidates all answers related to the issues of how to have a quality implementation and monitoring of the system of grant allocation to CSOs.

Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts Developed by the GOfCNGOs and adopted in 2007, this code regulates the basic standards and principles of practice of state administrative bodies in the procedure of awarding of grants to CSOs. It is an important tool for the monitoring of government performance in this area, ensuring efficient resource use, transparency and due process. In early 2010 the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs developed a draft of the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts and Web site: www.uzuvrh.hr organised consultations in four major Croatian cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, and Split).27

1.4 Government (local and national) institutional capacities for engaging civil society

In the last decade the government has opened up co-operation, as stated in the programme of co- operation, released in 2001. That programme emerged from an intense interaction between the civil society actors (primarily individual activists, some of them with organisational affiliations and others acting independently) and the government that started increasingly to recognise the potential of engaging in dialogue with organised citizens. The government’s institutional capacities for engaging CSOs are often not matched with the comparable capacities of the CSOs to engage with government. That is, CSOs often are not able to respond to invitations to participate in the consultative processes initiated by government. Again, civil society representatives claim that the openness for co-operation is primarily on the government’s own terms. That is, if there is a will on the side of the public sector, the civil actors are able to provide services and even improve the performance of the public actors (in welfare, health,

26 As TACSO Croatia was one of the partners organising the NGO Days. A more detailed report on the process and the relevant topics can be found on the TACSO Web site, www.tacso.org. 27 Presentations of the Guidelines were supported by the TACSO Croatia office.

prisons, and a variety of other fields). However, very seldom are they able to exercise a considerable impact on the public agenda. Central government CSOs have participated directly in the development of national strategic documents on a regular basis. Civil society has played a significant role in a variety of strategic processes. Here are some examples: • The National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development; The National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for the Development of Civil Society for the period 2012-2016, which is under the competence of the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2012 (Strategy is currently in the process of drafting and the general deadline for the first draft and the start of public consultation is October 1st, 2011). • The National Programme of Action for Youth; The National Programme for Youth Activities, which is under the competence of the Ministry of the Family, Veterans' Affairs and Inter-generational Solidarity is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. Several youth organisations were involved in its development. • The establishment of the current institutional framework for the advancement of gender equality. Civil society representatives are included as experts and advisors in various consultative bodies, on the level of central government, government offices, agencies and ministries, and also on the level of parliamentary committees.28 The level of their influence varies considerably from one body to another depending, to a large extent, on the overall resources available for their specific functions. The interested public was involved in drafting the Law on Public Benefit Organisations through online consultation, public debates and regional consultations. The final version of the Draft Act was submitted for opinion to all state administrative bodies and the Council for Civil Society Development. All the remarks and suggestions regarding the Draft Act were published on the website of the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs. In addition to that, four regional consultations were organised (Rijeka, Zagreb, Osijek and Split) along with online consultation while the Guidelines for the Implementation of the Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts were being passed.

Local government On the local level the institutional mechanisms for engaging civil society need further improvement. While almost half (39.5 percent) of the local government units (towns and municipalities) have some kind of advisory boards including civil society representatives, there are very few with formalised agreements on co-operation between local government and civil society organisations (18.1 percent) (GONG 2009).

1.5 Public perceptions and support of civil society and its various segments

The public image of civil society in Croatia is generally favourable, although public knowledge and understanding of the sector is at best partial. The public familiar with the activities carried out by CSOs, but don’t have a deeper understanding of civil society and its role in society. Active support of CSOs by citizens, including voluntary participation in activities, remains at a low level, and the

28 http://www.uzuvrh.hr/drzavnatijela-savjeti-clanovi.aspx, 30.09.2009

involvement of the majority of those who come into direct contact with a CSO is limited to receiving advice or gaining easier access to essential information. By making increasing efforts to be consistent and visible, CSOs have gradually improved public awareness of civil society in Croatia. Not-for-profit media29 have created opportunities for better civil society–media working relationships, promoting not only the visibility of everyday activities but also the vision and mission of CSOs. In 2007 and 2008 alone, NFCSD supported 20 projects focused on the not-for-profit media, disseminating information about NGO activities to the audience. In 2009 and 2010 only half of these projects (9 in 2010 and 12 in 2009) were supported. (National Foundation for Civil Society Development Annual Reports 2010, 2009).

Media coverage of CSO activities is mostly positive but there is a lack of presenting their values and mission in the media. NGO leaders are recognised by the media as experts in specific areas, such as election monitoring, environmental protection or combating violence against women/human rights.

The only comprehensive data available on public perceptions in Croatia of civil society date back to a nationwide public opinion survey conducted in 2005 (Franc, R., Šakid, V. et al. 2006). The surveys main conclusions and findings are that: • While the majority of Croatian citizens recognise the term “association/NGO” (88.3 percent), only a minority (43.3 percent) understood its meaning. • Citizens generally had little knowledge of particular CSOs working in specific fields. CSOs gaining the most public recognition were Associations of the Homeland War30 (39.2 percent), followed by those involved in environmental protection (36.2 percent) and election monitoring or political campaigning. CSOs with the lowest public profile included those representing national minorities, civil society development organisations and educational associations. • A majority of citizens expressed satisfaction with the contribution of CSOs in raising awareness of human rights and the development of civil society. They were less positive concerning civil society’s contribution to solving their individual socio-economic problems and in improving the quality of life. • Citizens are most likely to contact a CSO in regard to issues of environmental protection, sexual orientation and gender inequality. A majority of the public, however, thinks that CSOs can achieve most in the areas of service provision and humanitarian aid, followed by the environment, health, legal affairs and politics. In 2009 Target (for NFCSD) conducted a survey31 on the status of CSOs in Croatia and part of that research focused on the public perception of civil society. According to the Target study, a majority of the respondents recognised the term “association/CSO” (87.3 percent), but a smaller number (63.9 percent) understood the deeper meaning (similar data as in the research from 2007).

The Target study also focused on the media representatives’ perception of civil society in Croatia and found that both the recognition (100 percent) and understanding (87.7 percent) by the media representatives was higher. Citizens and the media representatives equally assess the impact of CSOs in society and the greatest impact is seen in public policies and the lowest in the business sector. Regarding the awareness of citizens and the media representatives about the activities of the CSOs,

29 See Annex 3 for a list of the main not-for-profit and civil society media web resources in Croatia. 30 This is a category in the current Registry of the Associations. It includes 1991-1997 war in Croatian veterans, war victims associations, associations of families of missing persons, etc. 31 Within the project, Assessment of Civil Society Organisation Development in Croatia in 2009, Target for the National Foundation for Civil Society Development conducted a quantitative survey of associations (N=1344) in the period between November 2009 and January 2010. More recent data will be available in spring 2012 since the NFCSD is currently conducting the assessment for 2011.

the media representatives are mostly neutral - neither informed nor uninformed (42.5 percent) or informed (40.6 percent), while about half of the citizens expressed that they were uninformed (48.4 percent). Media representatives also expressed a greater degree of confidence (34.9 percent) in the work of CSOs than citizens (26.5 percent), although both usually have a neutral attitude in relation to confidence in the work of CSOs (Target, 2010).

The CSI Civil Society Index Study32 also focused on public perception. Their results show that the impact that civil society achieves is still questionable and the achievements of CSOs are rarely visible (rare corruption scandals often receive more media coverage). Although corruption examples in civil society were seen as rare, external perception, that from outside the civil society sector, is that they are more frequent. The study also found that that the media were presenting CSO-related issues rather superficially; that journalists and editors gave low priority to and were poorly informed about the role of civil society in modern societies. Civil society is not easily visible to the public, while there are a few CSOs and individuals that are always present in the public eye (Bežovan & Matančevid, 2011).

2. CSO ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITIES 2.1 Overview of the civil society community in Croatia

Structure of civil society Official figures for CSO registrations show that civil society is overwhelmingly composed of citizens’ associations. Currently there are over 44,000 registered associations in Croatia (10.28 percent per 1000 inhabitants) comprising 94 percent of the total of all kinds of registered organisations recognised in Croatia as belonging to civil society, including, funds and foundations, national minority councils, faith-based organisations and political parties. In addition to the organisations listed in the official register (see below Table 1), there are a variety of other CSO forms, such as trades unions, employers’ associations, public benefit non-profit companies and informal, non-registered citizens initiatives.

Table 1. CSOs registered with the Ministry of Public Administration Registered organisations Registered organisations CSO category 2009 2011 Citizens’ associations 38,822 44,065 Catholic Church legal persons 1,972 2,011 Religious communities 50 51 National minorities councils 308 308 Foundations 145 172 Foreign associations 129 130 Funds 11 12 TOTAL 41,731 46,749 Source. Min. of Public Administration: http://www.uprava.hr/Registar*/

32 The Civil Society Index (CSI) is a participatory action-research project assessing the state of civil society in countries around the world. Research activity included a postal survey of the organisations (210) and external stakeholders (consisted of 629 adult citizens and 106 media representatives) from autumn 2009 to spring 2010.

CSOs continue to be active in all parts of the country, but there is a clear concentration of activity in the capital city, Zagreb, and the surrounding central region, where almost 58 percent of all associations are located. CSO representation across the country’s other two regions – Slavonia in the north-east and Dalmatia and Istria, which comprises the littoral or coastal region – is relatively even geographically, with the exception of higher than average numbers of CSOs in the two regions’ main urban centres and seats of administration, Osijek and Split, respectively. Annex 5 - Geographic distribution of associations in Croatia

Number of

Number Number Number of associations REGION/COUNTY percent 2009 2011 inhabitants percent per 1000 percent inhabitants Central Croatia City of Zagreb 8,580 22.07 10,039 22.76 792,875 18.48 12.66 Primorje-Gorski 3,112 8 3,467 7.86 296,123 6.90 11.71 Kotar Zagreb County 2,247 5.78 2,573 5.83 317,642 7.40 8.10 Sisak-Moslavina 1,526 3.92 1,660 3.76 172,977 4.03 9.60 Varaždin 1,440 3.70 1,587 3.60 176,046 4.10 9.01 Karlovac 1,145 2.94 1,256 2.85 128,749 3.00 9.76 Bjelovar-Bilogora 1,111 2.85 1,264 2.87 119,743 2.79 10.56 Koprivnica-Križevci 1,059 2.72 1,106 2.51 115,582 2.69 9.57 Krapina-Zagorje 1,020 2.62 1,109 2.51 133,064 3.10 8.33 Međimurje 967 2.48 1,075 2.44 114,414 2.67 9.40 Lika-Senj 467 1.20 529 1.20 51,022 1.19 10.37 Littoral (Dalmatia and Istria) Split-Dalmatia 3,492 8.98 3,987 9.04 455,242 10.61 8.76 Istria 2,061 5.30 2,409 5.46 208,440 4.86 11.56 Dubrovnik-Neretva 1,478 3.80 1,669 3.78 122,783 2.86 13.59 Zadar 1,166 3 1,337 3.03 170,398 3.97 7.85 Šibenik-Knin 985 2.53 1,122 2.54 109,320 2.55 10.26 Slavonia Osijek-Baranja 2,903 7.47 3,321 7.53 304,899 7.11 10.89 Vukovar-Syrmia 1,488 3.82 1,656 3.75 180,117 4.20 9.19 Brod-Posavina 1,178 3.03 1,345 3.05 158,559 3.70 8.48 Virovitica- 759 1.95 850 1.93 84,586 1.97 10.05 Podravina Požega-Slavonia 675 1.73 752 1.70 78,031 1.82 9.64 TOTAL 38,859 100 44,113 100 4,290,612 100 10.28 Calculated by TACSO according to data available at the Register of Ministry of Public Administration: www.uprava.hr

It is not surprising then that the structure of CSOs has remained quite similar. The Croatian CSO is a small, more-or-less voluntary outfit, lacking professional infrastructure, with limited access to financial resources, working at the grassroots level. The Target study suggests that the most common target groups, i.e. service users in a broad sense, are all citizens, children and young people and persons with disabilities. However, project activities of the associations are, for the most part, aimed at a small number of target groups such as youth and children, women and people with disability.

Well developed, highly visible and fully professional NGOs are concentrated in Zagreb and usually carry out advocacy and capacity building activities on a range of rights-based issues. In particular, Croatia is well furnished with NGO champions of human rights and, by extension, organisations monitoring governance and the democratic process, as well as those holding the government accountable.33

The CSI study suggests that the social impact of organisations is significantly greater than the policy impact, particularly in the area of marginalised groups and people with disabilities, but that it could be greater still through increased partnership between the state and civil society (Bežovan and Matančevid, 2011). The status of the associations of persons with disabilities, as well as the status of a vast majority of service-oriented CSOs working in the community, has still not been fully regulated, which puts them in an inferior position in comparison to other (public and private) social service providers. However, they have managed to retain their belief in the role of the state as “protector” and “benevolent provider” of basic needs rather than the guarantor of human rights and equitable access to resources, so the majority of their activities is still focused on ensuring funds (and this often does not mean ensuring service quality) for the existing services they provide to their users. Fewer are focused on the promotion of “second generation” rights to tackle issues of social exclusion, injustice, inequality and equal opportunities.

The impact of civil society on influencing policies is still a relatively new area of development in Croatia. It is obvious that external stakeholders and the public in general do not recognise or have a lower evaluation of the potential contribution of CSOs in policy-making. CSOs are often consulted on important issues but their role in most cases remains consultative and dependent on individual sensitivity, knowledge and the capacities of politicians and civil servants to co-operate with CSOs.

While mapping civil society, Bežovan and Matančevid found certain ‘women’s’ organisations, organisations for human rights and the biggest association of Disabled Homeland War Veterans to have the greatest influence/power within civil society. The first two are also positioned quite close to each other, and are found to co-operate well. They are also perceived as the most present and most well-known to the public. War veterans’ associations are still quite influential.

Throughout the country there are still a great number of NGO support organisations and CSOs working in other areas, which dedicate resources and skills to providing CSO capacity building. These organisations benefit from substantial funding for activities from the National Foundation for Civil Society Development (NFCSD), which is currently implementing a Programme for Regional Development and Strengthening of CSOs with the aim of strengthening organisational capacities

33 It should be pointed out that there are also important professional NGOs in the other main urban centres, including: The Centre for Peace and Human Rights in Osijek, Mi in Split, and SMART in Rijeka. In part the presence and strength of CSOs depends on the past deployment in the 1990s of international NGOs. In Eastern Slavonia, including the towns of Vukovar and Osijek, there was a particularly large presence of international NGOs. Consequently, many local CSOs emerged and a number have become viable, professional associations since the exit of the foreigners.

(including those of informal groups) at the local and regional levels. This programme is implemented by five regional networks of capacity-building CSOs, which cover the whole territory of Croatia.34 The poor integration of the civil society sector in Croatia was already highlighted in the previous Needs Assessment Report (TACSO, 2010) and it still remains an area of concern. This report period still hasn’t seen the development of a CSO body or network which can co-ordinate the diversity of civic voices and interests in order to represent civil society in public and on the political stage. Whatever networks exist35 tend not to be used as a basis to establish a collective strategy, and the legitimacy of high-profile professional NGOs which might aspire to fulfil a leadership role within their field of expertise is not accepted in wider CSO circles. However, compared to the previous research on CSO development (in 2007; which was also conducted by Target for NFCSD and Hromatko interpreted the results) a significant networking trend can be recorded. Associations that report they do not belong to a network of associations have decreased significantly (29.4 percent compared to 36 percent in the previous research period). The most commonly reported reasons for networking were joint interests and programmes, information and knowledge sharing, co-operation, facilitation of rights and programme implementation and enhancement of reputation. Networks and coalitions, which were created in August 2009, cover the activities of persons with disabilities (Koalicija za pravo na život u zajednici: Platforma 19/Coalition on the Right to Community Living: Platform 19) and education (Plenum filozofskog fakulteta/The Plenum of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Akademska solidarnost/Academic Solidarity). The networking and capacity building of CSOs is essential for Croatia’s accession to the European Union. Croatia’s accession process opens the possibilities for stronger connections and greater participation of Croatian civil society organisations in European civil society. To what extent the Croatian CSOs will be able or know how to use this will depend on the success of capacity building. However, foreign donors, most notably the EU pre-accession funds and EU programmes of civil society, support “windows of opportunity” for Croatian civil society in the near future.

Field of operation / activities The classification of CSOs by area of work in the Registry of Associations reveals that half (49.45 percent) of all registered organisations carry out either sporting or cultural36 activities. A further 17.43 percent of CSOs are occupied in “economic” (9.58 percent) and “technical” (7.85 percent) fields, the exact meaning in both cases are difficult to define. The register also shows the diversity of other activities undertaken by CSOs and the relative equal representation given by civil society in Croatia to the range of social and cultural needs and interests.

Table 2. CSOs and their primary field of work as recorded in the CSO Registry 2009 and 2011 Number Number Area of work percent 2009 2011 percent Sports 13,620 35.32 15,306 34.74 Culture 5,503 14.27 6,481 14.71 Economic 3,835 9.95 4,219 9.58 Technical 3,276 8.50 3,457 7.85 Other associations 2,630 6.82 3,676 8.34

34 See Annex 6 for details of the Programme’s networks. 35 See below section 2.5 36 The term “cultural activities” tends to denote traditional or “folk” culture.

Social associations 1,395 3.62 1,588 3.60 Health associations 1,099 2.85 1,295 2.94 Protection of children & youth; family associations 998 2.59 1,146 2.60 Associations of Homeland War 965 2.50 1,077 2.44 Humanitarian 885 2.30 953 2.16 Hobby 657 1.70 735 1.67 Environmental protection 631 1.64 740 1.68 Education 537 1.39 618 1.40 National minorities 504 1.31 558 1.27 Protection and gathering of woman 431 1.12 461 1.05 Science 417 1.08 442 1,00 Rights protection 411 1.07 455 1.03 Ethnic 345 0.89 385 0.87 Spiritual 282 0.73 317 0.72 Informational 137 0.36 156 0.35 TOTAL 38,558 100 44,065 100 Source. Min. of Public Administration: www.uprava.hr

This diversity in the mapping of the field of operation of CSOs is evident in other research on CSO development conducted by Target in 2009. As in 2007 a majority of CSOs are active in the field of culture (30 percent) and this field is closely followed by the social and humanitarian assistance field of activity (18 percent), which has experienced a slight decline since 2007. The data from 200937 indicates that the there has been an increase in the share of technical activities undertaken by CSOs and that they keep pace with the cultural, social and sporting activities (7 percent). CSOs keep covering a wide array of interests with their activities.

Target's research from 2009 suggests that the under-represented areas of CSOs' activities include social (12.3 percent) areas and the area of human rights protection (10.5 percent), as well as the areas aimed at children and youth (10.4 percent). Apart from providing an assessment of the programme areas in which there are insufficient activities undertaken by CSOs, the same research mentions the counties of Lika-Senj and Vukovar-Sirmium as the counties in which there is the greatest lack of associations' activities.

The most common type of activity carried out by CSOs is similar to that of 2007. Different training and extra-institutional education (75.3 percent) activities, consultative and specialist professional services account for the greatest part of service delivery in the community (44.6 percent) and activities in the local community (47.8 percent) are very similar. Roughly a quarter of all CSOs (19.1 percent) report undertaking some form of advocacy activity and almost 10 percent are engaged in monitoring the political process and the work of public administrations, as in 2007.

2.2 Human resources and technical skills

At the time of the economic crisis there were numerous CSOs struggling to survive and achieve the

37 Data from this study, generated from a sample of 717 CSOs, are used extensively in Chapter 2, CSO Organisational Capacities.

full potential of their activities. As stated earlier, without stable human resources it is impossible to ensure financial viability, while a lack of financial sustainability hinders employment, especially of professionals or young, educated people. That is why among CSOs, particularly among smaller and medium sized CSOs, there are high fluctuations in staff and thus organisations lose the human capital in which they have invested. Thus, at a time when they are facing the adverse impacts of the current economic crisis which affects the citizens as well, the CSOs in Croatia are in great need of more investments in educating existing human resources and recruiting young, skilful and motivated professionals.

Croatian civil society still remains highly dependent on voluntary labour and CSOs. Even the more developed and long-established NGOs retain compact professional staff teams of limited size. The similarity between the data from Hromatko’s research (2007) and the Target research (2009) is evident when it comes to employment. CSOs still lack a structured employment system and usually have no paid employees (46.6 percent), while almost half of the CSOs have 1 to 10 employees. There are on average four employees in those associations, which offer employment possibilities.

The data obtained by Bežovan and Matančevid are very similar as, in their sample, 31 percent of CSOs do not have employees at all and (if the few CSOs with more than 100 employees are excluded) other CSOs have three employees on average.

As employment is still not systematic, but tied to a specific programme, a vast majority of CSOs have one employee working on a temporary contract. CSOs, particularly the smaller ones, keep relying on volunteers for carrying out many routine administrative and programme activities. Almost one third of CSOs (28.2 percent) have at their disposal the services of volunteers once a week, while almost one fifth of CSOs (19.9 percent) have at their disposal the services of volunteers on daily basis.

Although voluntarism is well developed within Croatian CSOs, it could be further strengthened through the promotion and development of sustainable programmes for volunteers, which includes capacity building of CSOs to accommodate and manage volunteers and the development of formal monitoring and reporting mechanisms with regard to volunteers. This is very important considering the fact that a vast majority of smaller CSOs rely on volunteers for the implementation of their activities. As 2011 was proclaimed The European Year of Volunteering, this year a special focus was put on the promotion of voluntarism in the NGO sector through the Croatian Volunteer Centres Network, the Civil Society Network web portal (www.civilnodrustvo.hr), the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs during different events such as “NGO Days”, media projects, the award ceremony, “Volunteer of the Year”, in recognition of voluntarism, and the European Year of Volunteering Journalist Award. Management of human resources has experienced a slight decline in comparison to 2007 so the number of CSOs with employees who have job descriptions has dropped by almost 20 percent (from 81.4 to 60.9 percent) and work quality monitoring has also experienced a similar decline, indicating that less than half of CSOs (45.9 percent) carry out some form of evaluation of their employees’ activities. Associations continue to invest in their organisational capacities and the quality of services. Slightly over 50 percent of CSOs have received training in basic technical skills (52.8 percent), particularly in project proposals writing, but also often in project management, financial management, team work and leadership, strategic planning and fundraising. Associations have mostly organised advanced trainings in project writing (Target, 2010), which indicates that associations are familiar with funding opportunities, particularly with EU funds, but also that there are some persistent difficulties with filling out complex donor applications and low numbers of suitably trained staff.

While only half of the CSOs have a PR strategy, as in the previous period, the number of those with a PR manager (25.1 percent) and a slogan (24.1 percent) has decreased. Project activities of NGOs have received the most media coverage. While only a quarter of CSOs have a PR manager and half of them have no PR strategy in place, one third of the CSOs, which participated in the Target survey consider they do not need additional training on PR (Target 2010). Table 3. Human resources and technical skills (comparing data from 2007 and 2009) Human Resources and Technical percent percent Skills 2007 2009 Computer skills 64.2 73.4 Websites 60.2 72.3 Foreign languages 63.8 70.1 Job description 81.4 60.9 Training 49.8 52.8 PR Strategy 48 49.2 1 to 9 (10) employees 43.2 48.8 No paid employees 53 46.6 Evaluation of employees 66.5 45.9 Volunteers - once a week 33.6 28.2 PR Manager 28 25.1 Slogan 28 24.1 Volunteers - on daily basis 24.3 19.9

The level of proficiency among CSOs in computer skills (73.4 percent) and foreign languages (70.1 percent) has remained at a high level as in the 2007 survey, and both categories show a significant increase (about 10 percent) compared to 2007. However, in comparison to 2007, there has been a significant increase in the number of NGOs that have developed their own Web sites so their number increased from approximately two thirds to three quarters (Target, 2010). The Target's survey revealed that there are significant differences with regard to the regions in which the NGOs operate so the lowest proficiency in computer skills and foreign languages was recorded in the regions of Lika, Pokuplje and Banovina. The civil society workforce continues to be highly feminised. A majority of CSOs employ middle-aged women with secondary school educations or higher education. It is still men above the age of 36 (58.7 percent) rather than women (41.3 percent) who are at the head of CSOs and two thirds of them possess higher education degrees, while the remaining third possesses high school education (Target, 2010).

2.3 Strategic strengths of CSOs in Croatia

Croatian CSOs still appear to place considerable importance on their strategic direction. The data on the existence of a clearly defined mission and vision statement (91.1 percent in 2007 and 88.8 percent in 2009) or a strategic plan (61.9 percent in 2007 and 64.9 percent in 2009) are similar in both studies. However, the majority of organisations still interpret a “strategic plan” to mean a one- year plan. As indicated in the previous TACSO Needs Assessment Report, the situation has remained the same in regards to internal democracy, which remains weak or absent. Slightly over half of the NGOs (54.4 percent) again reported they do not have any written rules and procedures on decision making, apart from those stipulated by their statute. Half of the NGOs (51 percent) stated that all of the members were involved in strategic decision making, while the decisions on daily activities and specific projects

were usually made by boards of directors, presidents, steering committees or managing committees and project coordinators, which resembles the situation in 2007 (Target 2010).

The CSI study indicated that there was a problem with internal democracy. In their sample 63 percent of CSOs practice democratic decision-making. Strategic decisions are usually made by assemblies, which assure the participation of members in decision making while operational decisions are usually made by an organisation’s staff.

Over three quarters of the respondents (81.7 percent) believe that the non-governmental sector does not exert a sufficient influence over the development of public policies. Every fifth NGO (21.2 percent) was involved in the initiative aimed at changing/amending the existing act or adopting a new one, while the Associations Act was most frequently mentioned. The respondents find that when it comes to the influence of the non-governmental sector on the development of public policies the greatest, although insufficient, activity of CSOs can be observed in the area of environmental protection, as well as in the areas of social welfare, education and health protection (Target, 2010).

The CSI Study revealed that almost half of the surveyed CSOs (45.7 percent) were successful in advocating for policy change because their policy initiative was approved. The initiatives of more than one third of CSOs (39.6 percent) were still under discussion, while a similar number of CSOs reported there was no outcome of their activity (7 percent) and that they experienced rejection of their policy initiative (7.8 percent). Success, in at least one policy-related field, was experienced by 22.4 percent of all surveyed organisations (Bežovan and Matančevid, 2011).

In December 2009 ODRAZ, the Association for Sustainable Community Development, carried out a survey on the readiness of CSOs to participate in public policy shaping and policy-making activities38. The results indicate that the state administrative bodies, the Government and the Parliament, are not ready or willing enough to include the interested public in public policy-shaping and the law- making process. In early 2009 there were 150 draft laws adopted, while the surveyed organisations participated in the development of only 62 acts. The ODRAZ study illustrates the co-operation of the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs and the process of the Code development; the Government Office for Human Rights and the process of drafting the Anti-Discrimination Act; the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Physical Planning and Construction and the development of the Report on Aarhus Convention Implementation; the Ministry of Culture and the analysis of the role of the civil society in the election of the members of the Croatian Radio and Television (HRT) Programme Council and amending the Croatian Radio Television Act and the Electronic Media Act. Although the situation has improved since the Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts was passed. In addition to other regulations and acts aimed at raising the level of democracy and transparency in the activities of public administration, additional efforts must be made in order to strengthen CSO capacities and develop a systematic consultative process with the interested public, particularly with CSOs (Vela, 2009).

Bežovan and Matančevid noticed an increase of ad-hoc civic activism as a way of dealing with some current problems. Thus 2009 saw the onset of students’ demonstrations39 for free university

38 The survey covered the period from 1 January to 31 December 2009 with the sample of 50 CSOs from across Croatia (which, in addition to other activities, undertakes policy-shaping activities). The survey was financed by the National Foundation for Civil Society Development. 39 The plenum of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb initiated students’ demonstrations for free education in 2009 and 2010 united under the banner “Stop Tuition Fees - University for All” (http://www.libela.org/vijesti/1382-studentski-prosvjed-za-besplatno-obrazovanje, Accessed on 23 August 2011) .

education followed by the demonstrations of university faculties40 prompted by the Draft Act on Scientific Activity and Higher Education, while in 2010 there was a “Right to the City” protest41 against turning part of the pedestrian zone into a ramp for an underground garage planned as part of luxury flat complexes that are being constructed in the old part of Zagreb.

Adequate involvement of CSO representatives in policy making can be illustrated with the example of the delivery of the EU–Croatia Joint Inclusion Memorandum (JIM). This process was in line with the obligations of the EU candidate status, and was characterised by a long and intensive consultation process, including different ministries and government agencies, civil society organisations, social partners as well as some representatives of regional and local governments (Bežovan and Matančevid, according to Stubbs, Zrinščak, 2010???). However, while welcoming such opportunities, the participants in consultations also recognised the challenges of limited capacity within some CSOs to participate in such processes (Bežovan and Matančevid, 2011).

Policy fields in which CSOs were most successful included youth and children, social policy (in the broader sense) and policies for people with disability. Also, notable activities were undertaken in the fields of gender equality and protection of women, environmental protection, policies for greater transparency and the fight against corruption, as well as human rights. (Bežovan and Matančevid, 2011).

Three quarters of CSOs included in the Target survey published their annual financial statements (mostly through their annual assembly meetings), which they print or provide upon request. Additionally, they provide information on their activities through Web sites, annual reports and public events (Target, 2010). Over half of CSOs (57.3 percent) covered by the CSI Study have their financial information publicly available (21.4 percent publish their financial reports, 21.4 percent provide it on request, 6.2 percent make it public through assemblies, while 2.4 percent publish it in the organisation’s journal or some other gazette) (Bežovan & Matančevid, 2011).

In regards to negotiations with the EU, almost three quarters of the respondents (71.6 percent) think that CSOs are not sufficiently involved in the activities of the negotiating teams or the consultation processes. Although almost half of them do not follow the negotiation process (due to not being invited for discussions, not being interested in negotiations, lack of specific knowledge and access to basic information), almost a quarter (22.9 percent) of those who do follow the negotiations participate in professional discussions, while the representatives of only a few (7.5 percent) of them are members of the negotiating teams (Target, 2010).

2.4 Analytical capacities

A relatively broad spectrum of CSOs in Croatia, primarily professional advocacy NGOs, still routinely carry out social research and thematic studies with the aim of contributing to CSO capacity building and public policy dialogue. There are several Croatian institutions and organisations engaged in regular research on various aspects of civil society development including CSOs needs assessments. (e.g. National Foundation on Civil Society Development, CERANEO – which undertook the Civicus Index). CSOs produce thematic policy or briefing papers in their areas of work.

40 Akademska solidarnost (Academic Solidarity) group is an informal group of academic employees (professors, teachers, scientists, research assistants, university and institute employees), primarily from the University of Zagreb and Zagreb scientific institutes, who organised a strike in January 2011 as an expression of disagreement with the proposals of new acts and their development and reviewing. (http://sites.google.com/site/akadsolid/tko-smo/, Accessed on 29 August 2011). 41 Zelena akcija (Green Action, and the Right to a City) started the civic initiative “Right to a City” in Zagreb, which became known as “We won’t let you have Varšavska Street!”.

Thus in the course of 2009 and 2010 CIVICUS and CERANEO conducted a participatory action- research in order to establish the Civil Society Index in Croatia and after the research they developed action guidelines for further activities – Policy Action Brief. In 2009 ODRAZ was conducting research on the participation of CSOs in the decision and policy-making processes.

Subjects of social research primarily concern rights-based issues and are carried out by organisations specialising in these areas (e.g. women’s rights, human rights, voluntarism, election law, etc)42. GONG regularly observes elections and participates in discussions on election procedures. In 2011 it implemented the sixth annual research cycle on the implementation of the Act on the Right of Access to Information. In 2010 (as well as in 2009 and 2008) it drafted the Report on Transparency of Activities of the Government of the Republic of Croatia, which demonstrated that the Government failed to adhere to the principle of transparency (available at http://www.gong.hr/).

Transparency International conducted research on the perception of corruption, which resulted in the Corruption Perception Index for 2009 and 2010 (available at www.transparency.hr/index.php?kategorija=17). The Partnership for Social Development (PSD) conducted comparative research on the perception and attitudes towards corruption in western Balkan countries (available at www.psd.hr/hr/?content=page&kat=130).

CSOs also joined in 2011 to draft the Joint Opinion of the Croatian Civil Society Organisations on the readiness of the Republic of Croatia for the closing of negotiations regarding Chapter 2343. (available at www.transparency.hr/dokumenti/istrazivanja/Revidirano_zajednicko_misljenje_organizacija_civilnog a_drustva_o_spremnosti_na_zatvaranje_Poglavlja_23.pdf).

Associations active in the area of disabilities do not have extensive activities related to carrying out research and analysis of the policy targeting them. A positive example is Croatian Association of the Blind, which drafted the Act on Blindness Allowance, which was included in the agenda of the Croatian Parliament in the end of 2008 (parliament did not adopt the proposal) (available at http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=23405&sec=2617).

2.5 External relationships – networks and partnerships

Since August 2009 there has been a growing number of networks established among CSOs. These are still mostly domestic, rather than international networks. One of the possible reasons for the increase in networking might be the response of CSOs to donor-driven policies where partnerships and networking are highly promoted. Two thirds of CSOs belong to some network. Some are members of both domestic and international networks. Currently, there are fewer CSOs that are not members of any network. In spite of this networking trend, no greater influence of CSOs on the government can be observed. Thus, two thirds (67.6 percent) of the CSOs that participated in the survey conducted by Target at the end of 2009 believe that the network they belong to exerts only a slight influence, while some three quarters of CSOs (81.0 percent) believe that non-governmental

42 Specific examples of recent policy research include: Voluntarism (Dulum 2009) conducted by the University in Rijeka, Association SMART, Volunteer Centre Zagreb & Volunteer Centre Osijek; Teen Dating Violence (2004 & 2007), Association CESI; Equal Opportunities in the Labour Market, Association CESI; Social exclusion, Centre for Women’s Studies; Rights of National Minorities, Serbian Democratic Forum. 43 This report is a joint effort of a group of CSOs with a long-standing track record in the area of human rights protection: B.a.B.e. – Be Active Be Emancipated, ZINH - Association of Investigative Journalists of Croatia, Centre for Peace, Non- violence and Human Rights Osijek, CESI – Centre for Education, Counselling and Research, CMS – Centre for Peace Studies, Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past, GOLJP – Civic Committee for Human Rights, Human Rights House Zagreb, GONG, Green Action, Right to the City, Centre for LGBT Equality, SDF – Serbian Democratic Forum and Transparency International Croatia.

networks overall have only a minor influence in Croatia. The networking is still strongest among advocacy-oriented organisations, in particular those working in the fields of women’s rights, the protection of children, the environment, youth empowerment and human rights44.

One third of CSOs have established co-operation on some international projects with EU CSOs. CSOs based in Zagreb account for the greatest share of such organisations, they mostly co-operate with the CSOs from Slovenia, Italy and Germany. In comparison to the 2007 survey, regional co-operation with the CSOs from East European countries has increased (one quarter as compared to one fifth in 2007), while culture was the area of the most intensive co-operation. The least intensive co- operation is still visible with regard to the provision of international development aid, but the share was decreased by almost a half, dropping from almost 10.7 percent to 6 percent. Moreover, the share of CSOs that have been implementing activities aimed at the process of European integration has also decreased in comparison to 2007 (now the figure is one fifth of CSOs compared to one quarter previously) (Target, 2010).

The CSI Study suggests that 75.7 percent of organisations are members of at least one umbrella organisation. Furthermore, 43.8 percent of the organisations are members of at least two umbrella networks, 26.2 percent are members of at least three, while 14.3 percent are members of four or more umbrella organisations or networks. Twenty-four percent of the organisations in the survey are members of at least one regional or international umbrella organisation, network or federation (Bežovan and Matančevid, 2011).

2.6 Material and financial stability and resilience

Financial viability continues to pose a problem for the CSOs in Croatia. The economic crisis which hit Croatia made the financial situation of CSOs and the entire NGO sector all the more difficult. Most of the smaller and medium sized CSOs still do not regard EU funds or foreign donors as a way out of a difficult financial situation. Thus, they, as well as the CSOs providing services in the community, rely primarily on funding available from state sources.

The Target survey has revealed that the most frequent problems with regard to the financial situation are insufficient state and local self-government support and a small number of donors. Over a third of CSOs mentioned funding available from state sources (39.4 percent), while other sources include domestic foundations (20.4 percent), local self-government (12.6 percent) self-financing (12 percent). Self-financing and foreign donors are ranked almost last (2.4 percent). (Target, 2010). The situation on the field corresponds to the survey results since the possibilities of self-financing and foreign donations remain insufficiently explored or recognised in Croatia. In order for these sources to be used more efficiently, CSOs need to be provided with more training, information and experience sharing aimed at encouraging them to use these sources.

Moreover, the need for training in financing was expressed by half of the surveyed CSOs, which corresponds to the situation from 2007 (Target, 2010). These data highlight the fact that a majority of CSOs need strong and systematic technical support in order to improve their activities, financing and operation.

The Target survey reveals that slightly below half of the CSOs (43.1 percent) have managed to secure sufficient financing to ensure survival. As before, only 10 percent of CSOs continue to have only one source of funding (which usually includes some kind of institutional support (64.6 percent), or membership fees (58.5 percent) and volunteer work (50.1 percent)) whereas 46 percent continue to

44 See Annex 7 for a list of some of the most well-established and visible CSO networks.

have four or more sources. The provision of services such as trainings, seminars or social services are the least mentioned means of financing (13.5 percent). There are still a small number of those CSOs with four or more sources of funding and they are mostly located in north Croatia (Target, 2010).

The associations with a social, humanitarian or health character still rely on state administrative bodies as their primary source of funding, while the associations operating in the area of culture, sports and scientific and educational activities rely more on local/regional self-government units as a source of funding and sports associations and the associations of war veterans rely primarily on membership fees.

Bežovan and Matančevid obtained different data indicating that a vast majority of CSOs receive financial support from cities (69.2 percent) and ministries (67.2 percent), while other types of financial support include membership fees (61.3 percent), counties (46.7 percent) and NFCSD (45.2 percent). Moreover, Bežovan and Matančevid also examined the average share in CSOs total revenues and found that the major source of income was the ministries (40 percent), which were closely followed by EU pre-accession funds (30 percent) and NFCSD (27 percent) and other foreign donors (21.5 percent). The significant percentage of financing coming from foreign donors and EU funds indicates that only more developed CSOs were included in the survey sample (a fact that the authors referred to as a limitation of the sampling in the study), which affects the application of the data to a wider civil society sector.

There has been a slight growth trend recorded in recent years in the share of CSOs whose primary source of funding includes governmental bodies, which corresponds with the opinion of more than one third of CSOs that state-based funding would be the best means of funding in the future (Target, 2010).

Degree of material stability through access to relatively favourable infrastructure and equipment has remained the same. CSOs continue to have at their disposal rent-free premises (43.1 percent), while a further 34.4 percent pay rent and 8.4 percent own their own office space, leaving only 14.2 percent without working space (Target, 2010).

In comparison to the previous situation, fewer CSOs express dissatisfaction with lack of specific equipment (two thirds compared to three quarters in 2007), since they have obtained more pieces of equipment. Less than half of CSOs have more than one computer and printer; most of them have one telephone line and one fax machine, while two thirds have Internet access (Target, 2010).

Highly developed technological and communication infrastructure was also found by Bežovan and Matančevid in the CSI Study. In regard to office space, there are significant differences among CSOs, which have to be interpreted considering the limitations of the sample. As only more developed CSOs were included in the sample, only 5 percent reported they did not have their own office space, which does not coincide with the data from the Target survey. A smaller number of CSOs covered by the CSI Study have rent-free premises at their disposal (35.1 percent), while a vast majority pay rent (46.4 percent). The share of those who own their own office space is almost the same.

3. CIVIL SOCIETY MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTS, IMPACTS AND CHALLENGES 3.1 Milestone achievements and impacts in the country

Institutional framework for civil society The single most important achievement of civil society in Croatia has been the establishment, over the last ten years, of a comprehensive institutional framework for co-operation between government

and CSOs, with an accompanying strategy for the development of civil society. The framework includes effective civil society participation and representation in all its structures, and the strategy rests on broad-based consultation with CSOs. The on-going process has been the major factor in overcoming previously confrontational relations between local and state governments and civil society.45 Early on, inclusion of CSOs often owed much to pressures imposed by international actors. Croatia’s accession to the European Union has given additional impetus to stronger involvement of civil society actors in the policy-making process. The National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development as a Common Platform, together with the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, Council for Civil Society Development and National Foundation for Civil Society Development as structures for supporting civil dialogue constitute an institutional framework for supporting civil society development in Croatia. Within the framework of Europeanisation there is an increasing number of structures for civil dialogue. Thus, there are more than 100 government advisory bodies involving around 800 representatives of CSOs, 25 Parliamentary working committees involving more than 100 representatives of CSOs and an increasing number of local agreements of co-operation between CSOs and local governments (Vidačak, 2010). The Council for Civil Society Development, as described earlier, provides and important forum for structured dialogue between CSO and state. One of the effects of Europeanisation that can be observed as well includes the Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts as an important mechanism for strengthening the dialogue with the citizens and wider public in the decision-making process. To ensure harmonised application of the Code, consultation coordinators appointed in the central state administrative bodies and in the government offices, attended the first training on the implementation of the code in July 2010 (Vidačak, 2010). Influence on the social policy agenda The results from the CSI study, carried out during 2009 and 2010, suggested that civil society organisations were key vehicles for promoting civic values such as non-violence, tolerance, the protection of human rights (including those of minorities and vulnerable groups), solidarity, challenging corruption and the protection of the environment. Rights-based NGOs are effective leaders of public debate and instigators of public policy in those areas of social and human rights policy, which remain controversial. Civil society has been the prime mover in policy debate in the following areas: • Free education; • Gender equality; • Gay lesbian bisexual and transgender rights; • Animal rights; • “Dealing with the past” (that is, issues of national and regional reconciliation, truth and justice, documenting the past, and peace building, in the aftermath of the recent Balkan conflicts and Croatia’s part in them); • Re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Serbia after the war

45 On occasion, these relations remain antagonistic. In August 2009 the Ministry of Environment, Spatial Planning and Construction brought a court case against Croatia’s leading environmental NGO, Zelena Akcija (Green Action), threatening its closure with a fine of €50,000-€110,000 for a peaceful protest held in front of the Ministry drawing attention to the Ministry’s failure to implement measures for the safe disposal of paint under the Law of Waste. The case has become a cause celebre within the national and international NGO community, with pressure growing for bringing a case against the Croatian government for violation of the Aarhus Convention.

NGO advocacy campaigns have been instrumental in bringing about certain positive changes in public opinion in favour of marginalised groups and against anti-social behaviours: • Greater public awareness and intolerance of violence against women; • Support for anti-corruption measures; • Awareness of disability rights and support for PWDs; • Awareness of other minority issues; • Awareness of the antidiscrimination law. Civil society has also influenced institutional change and the drafting and adoption of key legislation through its inclusion in policy dialogue at the national level, such as the Gender Equality Act (which created institutional gender equality mechanisms) and the Law on the Access to Information. An example of employing the concept of good governance and the application of the Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC) was included in the Joint Memorandum on the Social Inclusion (JIM) process. Delivery of the memorandum was based on a comprehensive process of dialogue and consultations with all relevant stakeholders, namely CSOs, social institutions, local government and representatives of different ministries and government agencies.

Participation of citizens in the decision-making process for 2009-2011 (overview) In November 2009 the Croatian Government adopted the Code of Consultations with the Interested Public in the Procedures for Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts, whereby GOfCNGOs was charged with drafting the guidelines for implementation of the code and the programme for continued education of co-ordinators for counselling, to be appointed by the state authorities, within three months from publication of the code in the Official Gazette. Draft guidelines were completed in February 2010. GOfCNGOs then published the draft guidelines on their Web site www.uzuvrh.hr, and organised, in co-operation with the TACSO Croatia office, four regional consultation events throughout Croatia. Over 120 representatives of the interested public participated in these public hearings, taking this opportunity to give their feedback. Representatives of state bodies involved in the consultation process with the interested public used this input in the process of the preparation of new laws, regulations and other acts. It was also used by other stakeholders and the interested public in the broadest sense of the word – citizens, civil society organisations, etc. Additionally, Cenzura Plus made a TV show on this topic in March 2011.

During the period from 2009 to 2011 several public hearings were organised in which civil society representatives gave their contribution. For example, in public consultation on the “Law of the Organisations Working for the Common Good” ten CSOs provided their suggestions and comments. Approximately fifty participants (CSO representatives, government bodies and members of the Council for the Civil Society Development) attended the public consultation on the draft “Decision on the Conditions and Methods of Financing Projects and Programmes of Interest to the General Good of the Association in the Republic of Croatia” and 30 CSO representatives were actively involved in public consultation for the “Rules for the Financing of Projects of CSO Agreed within the EU in 2011”.

At the moment (September 2011) two public consultations are open. One is published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration on the National Action Plan for Implementing the UN Security Council Resolution on Women, Peace and Security and Related Resolutions. The second one is published by the Ministry of Justice on the draft “Law on Amendments to Law on Free Legal Aid”.

The survey on the implementation of the “Law on the Right of Access to Information", conducted by GONG for period November 2009-September 2010, shows that implementation of this law is still

problematic and deficient. The results show that it is still easier to get answers to questions that are not sensitive and do not involve any financial operations of public authorities. The main recommendation of this research is to provide systematic education of public authorities’ representatives on the right of citizens to information, as they still do not seem to be fully aware of the scope of their legal obligations in this respect. Sources: www.uzuvrh.hr/stranica.aspx?pageID=165, www.gong.hr/page.aspx?PageID=69

3.2 Shortfalls in CSO performance

Leadership of civil society There is no effective civil society forum or national network, which provides the whole sector collective leadership, and there is no mechanism for individual CSOs to participate in sector-wide debate and communication. The closest thing in Croatia to a representative body for the whole of civil society is the CCSD. However, while it has a role in facilitating CSO opinion, it is ultimately a government institution and not an autonomous civil society organisation whose main function is not representation of civil society. Mobilising constituency support Despite fairly high recognition of civil society and its activities amongst the public and the importance of voluntarism to CSOs, maintaining adequate numbers of human resources, CSOs are poorly supported by the community and their memberships. This directly impacts two areas of civil society. At the grassroots level, poor performance by CSOs in communicating with the community, including local stakeholders in strategy and programme planning in order to build their constituencies, has a negative effect on organisational sustainability. Greater community support would translate into various forms of material and financial assistance, lowering dependency on project support and aiding longer-term financial planning. Low public mobilisation also contributes to an almost total lack in Croatia of CSOs conducting watchdog activities to enforce standards and respect for legislation in public life. This is a problem encountered more by national NGOs promoting human rights, minority issues, anti-corruption campaigns and the like, for which gaining public awareness and active support is difficult. By definition, watchdog activities imply a partnership between citizens and civil society in order to bring pressure to bear. The watchdog combines, in effect, public advocacy and formal monitoring. In addition, as watchdog activities bring the CSO into a relationship of tension and potential conflict with the state, the government is ordinarily unwilling to fund these activities. Lack of public support for these rights-based issues, morally and financially, effectively excludes the possibility of effective CSO watchdogs. 4. CONCLUSIONS - to be revised 4.1 Summary of strategic issues of relevance to the project

The existence of a well-developed institutional framework aimed at securing an environment supportive of civil society development is a key strategic resource for the project. All the services planned within the SIPU Project are already being delivered within the framework with the support of the government or independently. Thus, in Croatia, the project needs to adapt its approach, to offer support to the existing institutional structures to the largest extent possible and to avoid creating parallel service structures or duplicating services. Support and synergy are the two key elements of approach that we believe can produce long-lasting results in Croatia. The key challenge for the period 2011-2013 will be preparation of Croatian CSOs for active participation in the EU decision-making process after Croatia joins the EU in July 2013. This will also include the need to

increase the capacity of CSOs to access structural and cohesion funds (which will become a major source of financing) and other forms of financing (philanthropy, local foundations development).

4.2 Needs assessment conclusions to be revised The civil society environment • Croatia has developed a generally supportive legal and financial framework for governing the establishment and operations of CSOs, which complies with international standards and represents some of the best practice regionally. • There is no law governing public benefit status and its precise definition remains unclear, as is the process of its application. Public benefit status only applies to a narrow range of CSOs, which are classified as humanitarian organisations. • There is a need to improve the legal framework regarding social contracting and social entrepreneurship. • Significant funds available from state sources provide a major part of CSO financing in Croatia. Most foreign donors have phased out their support to civil society leaving the EU as the most important international funding source for CSOs. • Corporate philanthropy is underdeveloped in Croatia largely as a result of lack of awareness between both businesses and CSOs of tax deductions available to legal entities wishing to donate. • Work remains to strengthen good governance and transparency within the public sector and also within civil society. Work in this field could contribute to the fight against corruption and to the prevention of discrimination. • There is a need to increase public participation in decision-making and strengthen CSOs’ interaction with a variety of state institutions (e.g. Parliament). • Although the public image of civil society in Croatia is generally favourable, active support of CSOs by citizens, including voluntary participation in activities, remains at a low level. Advocacy and rights-based CSOs in particular do not enjoy broad-based public support. CSO organisational capacities • Civil society in Croatia is well developed in terms of the number of CSOs per capita. • The majority of CSOs are small, more-or-less voluntary organisations, lacking professional infrastructure, with limited access to financial resources, working at the grassroots level. In the main these organisations provide services to the community or are dedicated to the special interests of members, such as youth and children, women, people with disability and pensioners. • There is a concentration of well-developed, highly visible and fully professional NGOs working in Zagreb at the national level, usually carrying out advocacy and capacity building activities on a range of rights-based issues. Croatia is well furnished with NGO champions of human rights and, by extension, organisations monitoring governance and the democratic process, as well as holding the government accountable. • The capacity of civil society to influence public and political opinion and shape social policy is still rather limited. Organisations with the necessary capacities to promote alternative views in public are low in number. • Internal democracy is often absent or poorly developed in CSOs, impacting negatively on organisational strategy and accountability, often owing to weakly functioning governing boards and an over-dependence on strong executive officers.

• Although most CSOs participate in some form of informal network, civil society is not exploiting the potential influence of networking to be gained through concerted action on the decision- making process. There is a need for the development of formal issue-based coalitions and networks, which strive to achieve long-term programmatic objectives. • CSOs have limited monitoring and evaluation capacities regarding both their own project activities and activities of public administrations (especially the delivery of public services)

4.3 Recommendations for the regional project work plan - to be revised

• Establish a regional advisory group of local experts drawn from the 8 IPA countries, covering a range of technical skills and knowledge of use in the application for, and management of, EU projects; for example, project cycle management, project preparation, and the administration of the projects. • Organise regional forums of CSOs and various other joint CSO activities with the aim of strengthening and encouraging regional networking of CSOs and dialogue between CSOs in the project region. • Facilitate better communication between different grant-making organisations (national and local government, business sector) with CSOs and encourage their co-operation. • Ensure that best practices from project countries are shared by national offices, while ensuring that differences in context between the countries are recognised and taken into account.

4.4 Recommendations for the country specific work plan - to be revised

• Support ongoing initiatives in public administrative bodies to increase their capacity to conduct monitoring and evaluation of CSO activities and of CSO’s implementation of government-funded projects and contracts. • In order to enhance CSO capacities to access EU funding, establish mechanisms for ensuring that CSOs are fully informed about EU funding opportunities, rules and guidelines. Provide direct assistance to CSOs in project preparation and during project implementation (in particular regarding financial management, project visibility and project administration), possibly by means of introducing the Quality Assurance System for Non-profit Organisations. • Provide opportunities for increased CSO visibility, especially in the context of EU integration. Of particular relevance would be greater publicity for civil society projects to strengthen good governance, as well as efforts from CSOs to increase civil society’s transparency and accountability. The project could assist particularly through research and the issuing of publications.

Annex 1 Acronyms use in the text

ALF Anna Lindh Foundation CARDS Community Assistance for Reconstruction Development and Stabilisation CCSD Council for Civil Society Development CESI Centre for Education, Counselling and Research CSO Civil Society Organisation DfID UK Department for International Development DIS Decentralised Management System EC European Commission EIDHR European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights EU European Union EYF European Youth foundation GOfCNGOs Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs IPA Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance JIM Joint Memorandum on Social Inclusion MELE Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship MSI NED National Endowment for Democracy NFCSD National Foundation for Civil Society Development NGO Non-governmental Organisation OMC Open Method of Co-ordination OP HRD Human Resources Development Operational Programme OSF Open Society Foundations PCM Project Cycle Management PHARE Programme of Community aid to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe PWD Person With Disability SAP Stabilisation and Association Process SEE South East Europe SIDA Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency UNDEF United Nations Democracy Fund USAID United States Agency for International Development WB World Bank

Annex XY1 - Awarded companies for the best corporate single donation and donation programme

Awarded companies in 2009 were:

 HOLCIM (Croatia) d.o.o. – Award for the best corporate donation programme Holcim (Croatia) has stood out for cooperating with the local community and for its long-term, structured approach as well as effectiveness, efficiency and monitoring results.

 CEMEX Croatia d.d. – Award for the best individual corporate donation Cemex Croatia has achieved outstanding results according to the criteria for innovation and the relative size of the donation. In collaboration with the Association Golubice (Doves), employees and management of CEMEX collected money necessary to send 20 orphans on winter holidays (Donacje.info, 2010).

Awarded companies in 2008 were:

 Zaklada Adris/The Adris Foundation – Award for the best corporate donation programme The Adris Foundation has the best structured programme of corporate donations because it has a national reach and allocates donations in four areas: Knowledge and Discovery programme, Creativity programme, Ecology and Heritage programme and Goodness programme.

 Zadruga likovnih stvaralaca/Visual Artists' Co-operative – Award for the best individual corporate donation Donations made to the co-operative are mainly related to obtaining necessary material, volunteering, and donating artwork for kindergartens and nursing homes.

 HOLCIM (Croatia) d.o.o. – Special Award Special award given for a structured programme of donations and creative interaction with the local community (Donacije.info, 2010).

Annex XY2 - Examples of social enterprises in Croatia

Some examples of social enterprises in Croatia have been emerging since 2000. Over the past few years, the Autonomous Centre Čakovec started ACT Konto/ACT Account with the existing ACT Printlab. PRONI Centre for Social Education launched PRONI Ltd. The Association Ne-ovisnost/In- dependence launched a service-manufacturing co-operative, Neos.

Recent examples of good practice in social entrepreneurship in Croatia include:

1. AUTONOMNI CENTAR - ACT KONTO d.o.o./ AUTONOMOUS CENTRE – ACT Account Ltd. Čakovec (2009)

38 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

- accounting, bookkeeping and auditing services and tax consulting for non-profit organisations

2. PRONI CENTAR ZA SOCIJALNO PODUČAVANJE – PRONI d.o.o./ PRONI CENTRE FOR SOCIAL EDUCATION – PRONI Ltd./, Osijek (2008) - training courses, translation services, graphic and web design, publishing, tourist services

3. UDRUGA NE-OVISNOST – ZADRUGA NEOS/ ASSOCICIATION IN-DEPENDENCE – CO- OPERATIVE NEOS, Osijek (2008) - car wash and machine wash of carpets, finishing works, manufacture of concrete products, maintenance of green areas, souvenir production

Annex XXX

Company Field of support

Social entrepreneurship, culture, technologies, ACT PRINTLAB d.o.o. media Education, health, environment, culture, CEMEX Hrvatska community development CEMEX in partnership with DALMACIJACEMENT Education, society development NGOs, youth, humanitarian projects, anti- COMBIS d.o.o. discrimination programmes, individuals Croatia osiguranje Culture, education, humanitarian activities Education, health, culture, society DALMACIJACEMENT d.d. development, environment Culture, children and youth, humanitarian HEP d.d. activities, environment, science and society Holcim Different fields NGOs, local communities, humanitarian HP Hrvatske pošte activities HRT Humanitarian projects Science, education, culture, art, youth, sports, Hrvatska Lutrija health protection, humanitarian projects Hypo Alpe Adria Social projects Children and youth, humanitarian projects, culture, art, health, ecology, education, INA d.d. science Children and youth, culture, art, humanitarian JANAF d.d. projects, education, science, sports Karlovačka pivovara Culture, education, environment, sports,

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humanitarian projects Culture, education, sports, humanitarian Mercator H d.o.o. projects Organisations that deal with water Hrvatske vode management Children and youth, humanitarian projects, Podravka culture, art, health, ecology Education, sports, culture, ecology, children Raiffeisenbank Austria d.d. and youth with special needs RTL NGOs, children Culture, art, education, social projects, Sunčani Hvar d.d. ecology, sports Children and youth, humanitarian projects, culture, art, entertainment, health, ecology, Večernji list d.d. education, science, economy, social progress Volksbank d.d. Education, art, culture, sports, social projects NGOs, culture, children and youth, ZABA humanitarian activities Humanitarian projects, art, culture, education, Zagrebački holding sports Scientific discoveries, creativity, culture, ZAKLADA ADRIS ecology, humanitarian projects

Annex 2 Research methodology - to be revised

The needs assessment is based primarily on desk research conducted in the period between September 21st and October 16th, 2009 by Ms. Aida Bagid, SIPU International Resident Advisor for Croatia, and Ms. Irena Slunjski, SIPU International Project Officer. The aim of the research was not to give a comprehensive overview of the current status of civil society development in Croatia, but to provide the most important information on the context in which the TACSO project will need to operate. The list of references is provided in Annex 9.

Desk research was supplemented by direct consultations with relevant civil society actors, either through individual or group interviews, in person or via telephone and email. Most of the consultations took the form of semi-structured interviews without recourse to a set of uniform, direct questions. The main topic of each interview, however, was the opinion of the interviewee as to how the TACSO project could contribute to current efforts towards strengthening the capacity of CSOs in Croatia. Thirty-one people were consulted from 23 organisations, which included leading national NGOs from the capital city, NGOs from smaller towns and rural areas, NGOs from the most developed Croatian regions and from the war-affected areas, as well as representatives of public administrative bodies, civil society development consultants and other interested parties.

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Due to time constraints and limited resources and to the late establishment of the TACSO Croatia office,46 it was not possible to carry out a series of CSO focus groups as suggested in the project methodology. Instead, the consultants used opportunities at various civil society-related events to gather information for the assessment. The list of persons consulted is provided in the Annex 8.

The authors of the needs assessment relied considerably on their extensive experience as activists, researchers and consultants in the area of civil society development in Croatia and regionally. They also utilised their personal social networks and opened a Facebook group (“Jučer, danas, sutra”), which temporarily served as the initial project information board. It was also used as a kind of virtual focus group since the members have been invited to give their opinion on the achievements and impacts generated by CSOs in Croatia; challenges faced by the CSO community in the past; strategies to overcome challenges in the future; and suggestions on the TACSO project could assist in this overcoming. The group attracted 62 members, most of them involved with civil society development as individual activists, CSOs founders, active CSO members, consultants, etc. Unfortunately, only 8 public responses, open to all users of the group, were received. The responses have been integrated into the needs assessment report.

Annex 3 Not-for-profit media sources in Croatia

Baranja.NET - a project implemented by the Association Baranjski Civilni Centar (BRICC), which provides a site where CSOs can publicise themselves and their activities to the general public. It consists of announcements, news items, forums and video clips. http://www.baranja.net. Dialogue for Sustainable Energy - a project implemented by the Association, DOOR. The goal of the project is to initiate a more promising co-operation between NGOs concerned with environmental protection and the expert community regarding important energy issues. http://www.door.hr Gay.Hr - a project run by Association Iskorak providing all relevant information on gay and lesbian issues (lifestyle, health issues, coming out, news, events, and legal aid). http://www.gay.hr/mag/ H-Alter - an independent web portal run by the Association for Independent Media Culture. Its purpose is to provide unbiased public information about relevant events in Croatia and the world, with an emphasis on NGO events. The website gathers leading figures and opinion makers, not only from NGOs, but also from public life in Croatia. http://www.h-alter.org Kulturpunkt - run by a network of associations, Klubtura/Clubture. It is network of non-profit, inclusive, participative organisations promoting and encouraging an independent cultural sector. The portal covers independent cultural events in all south-east European countries. It also provides a space for civic initiatives active in lobbying and advocacy, and promoting citizen’s participation in the social and political decision-making process. Focus areas include: youth, urban culture, civic activism and new technologies. http://www.kulturpunkt.hr Pomakonline - Magazine for Social Development, run by the association, Slap. It promotes social and non-profit entrepreneurship, inter-sectoral co-operation, NGO sustainability and education

46 The Croatia team was finally operational only on the 5th October 2009, whereas the other project country teams commenced work in August.

41 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011 for NGOs in all of the above fields. It focuses on regions of Slavonia and Baranja in northern Croatia. http://www.pomakonline.com RadioNET - a project implemented by the Association for the Development of Radio Programmes. The site’s main role is to produce informative and discussion-based programmes on national and local issues for local radio stations. http://www.radionet.hr ZaMirZINE - an online newspaper, maintained by ZaMirNet, an association dedicated to developing civil society, promoting a culture of peace and the idea of sustainable development in Croatia and the region. ZaMirNET supports individuals, organisations, and social movements in the strategic application of technologies to solve social problems. Special competencies are: ICT4D (Information and Communication Technology for Developmental Projects), E-Learning, and Gender evaluation methodology for ICT projects. http://www.zamirzine.net/ Annex 4 Web addresses of official civil society registrars

• Catholic Church: http://www.uprava.hr/PravneOsobeKatolickeCrkve/ • Citizens’ associations: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarUdruga/ • Foreign associations: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarStranihUdruga/ • Foundations: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarZaklada/ • Funds: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarFundacija/ • National minorities councils: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarVNM / • Political parties: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarPolitickihStranaka/ • Religious communities: http://www.uprava.hr/RegistarVjerskihZajednica/

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Annex 6 Programmes for Regional Development and Strengthening of CSOs

National Foundation for Civil Society Development in co-operation with five implementing CSO networks:

Programme "Emisija" (http://www.e-misija.info) Counties: Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Sisak- Moslavina, Zagreb and City of Zagreb. Implementing partners: Centre for Civil Initatives (Zagreb City) and Association IKS (Petrinja, Sisačko-moslavačka County).

Programme “Jako” (http://programjako.info) Counties: Bjelovarsko-bilogorska, Koprivničko- križevačka, Koprivnica and Varaždin. Implementing partners: Association ACT (Čakovec, Međimurje County) and K.V.A.R.K. (Križevci, Križevačko-koprivnička County).

Programme "MRRAK" (http://mrrak.info) Counties: Istra, Likčko-senjska and County Primorsko- goranska. Implementing partners: Association for Civil Society Development SMART (Rijeka, Primorsko-goranska County), Association Delta (Rijeka, Primorsko-goranska County) and Association for Civil Society Development Pokretač (Korenica, Ličko-senjska County).

Programme "Step" (http://www.programstep.info) Counties: Dubrovačko-neretvanska, Splitsko-dalmatinska, Šibensko-kninska and Zadar County. Implementing partners: Association MI (Split, Splitsko-dalmatinska County) in partnership with Association for Secretaries and Accountants in School UTIRUŠ (Trogir, Splitsko-dalmatinska County).

Programme "Šalter" (http://www.salter.com.hr/) Counties: Brodsko-posavska, Osječko- baranjska, Požeško-slavonska, Virovitičko-podravska and Vukovar County. Implementing partners: PRONI Centre, Volunteer Centre Osijek and P.G.D.I. Beli Manastir (Project for civic democratic initiatives).

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Annex 7 CSO advocacy networks in Croatia

• Koalicija za zaštitu i promociju ljudskih prava (Coalition for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights) – http://www.lsc.hr/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

• Koordinacija za djecu u Hrvatskoj (Co-ordination for Children in Croatia) - http://www.koordinacija-zadjecu.com/index.htm

• Mreža ekosela Balkana (Balkan Eco Village Network) - http://www.ekosela.org/modules/news/

• Mreža mladih Hrvatske – MMH (Croatian Youth Network) - http://www.mmh.hr/

• Platforma za izgradnju mira u RH (Platform for Peace Building in the Republic of Croatia) - http://www.izgradnja-mira.net/index.php

• Regionalni forum udruga Slavonije i Baranje (Regional Forum of CSOs of Slavonija)

• Savez udruga Klubtura (Alliance of Associations “Clubture” – Culture Clubs) http://www.clubture.org/FrontPage/

• Zeleni forum (Green Forum) - http://www.zeleni-forum.org/bin/view/Zeleniforum

• Ženska mreža Hrvatske (Croatian Women's Network) - http://www.zenska-mreza.hr/

Annex XXXX: Overview of EU funding available to CSOs in Croatia (at various stages of implementation):

1. PHARE 2006 – Grant Scheme, “Enabling the Civil Society Sector for Active Contribution in the Pre-accession Process“ Overall 59 projects in the sub-sectors of Democratisation and Human Rights, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development, and Youth Participation were contracted. The total amount of financial support awarded was €6.8 million.

2. IPA 2008 Croatia Three grant schemes, ongoing grant programmes of 16 projects amounting to €3.3 million:

Grant scheme 1: Enhancing the capacities/roles of the CSOs in monitoring the implementation of the EU Acquis in the field of comprehensive anti-discrimination strategy (5 projects).

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Grant scheme 2: Enhancing the participation of CSOs in monitoring the implementation of the EU Acquis in the field of the fight against corruption and the overall transparency, openness and accountability of public administrative bodies (5 projects).

Grant scheme 3: Developing capacities of CSOs for systematic monitoring and advocacy of sustainable development policies and integrated approaches to waste and water management, transport, regional development, sustainable use of natural resources and environmental safety (6 projects).

3. IPA 2009 Croatia Two grants schemes in the amount of €3.1 million, evaluation process:

Grant scheme 1: Building Capacities of CSOs for Implementing Innovative Social Service Delivery Programmes in the Areas of Special State Concern (€1,012,500).

Grant scheme 2: Building Capacities of CSOs for Monitoring and Advocacy in the Field of Democratisation, Human Rights, Minority Integration and Sustainable Refugee Return in the Areas of Special State Concern (€1,800,000).

4. IPA 2010 Croatia Four grants schemes, in the amount of €3 million, calls for proposals: Grant scheme 1: Supporting the efforts of CSOs for monitoring and promoting transparency, effectiveness, accountability and inclusiveness of public administration in fighting against corruption (€630,000).

Grant scheme 2: Supporting the efforts of CSOs for the prevention of violence among youth and children and fostering youth volunteering (€900,000).

Grant scheme 3: Supporting CSOs in promoting and monitoring of equal opportunities and non-discrimination related policies (€630,000).

Grant scheme 4: Supporting CSOs contribution in designing, implementing, promoting and monitoring of sustainable development and environment protection policies (€540,000).

5. IPA IV Human Resources Development

Nine grant schemes within the Revised OP HRD:

Grant scheme 1: Fostering effective inclusion of persons with disabilities into the labour market, ongoing grant programmes including 14 projects in the amount of €1.35 million.

Grant scheme 2: Establishing Support in Social Inclusion and Employment of

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Disadvantaged and Marginalised Groups, ongoing grant programmes including 18 projects in the amount of €114,000.

Grant scheme 3: Broadening the Network of Social Services in the Community, in the amount of €2.45 million, evaluation process.

Grant scheme 4: Integration of disadvantaged groups into the regular education system, ongoing grant programmes including 7 projects in the amount of €1.32 million.

Grant scheme 5: Further development and implementation of the Croatian Qualifications Framework, in the amount of €4.4 million, call for proposals.

Grant scheme 6: Capacity-building of adult education institutions, in the amount of €2.03 million, evaluation process.

Grant scheme 7: Modernisation of school curricula in VET schools in line with the changing needs of the labour market/economy, in the amount of €2.6 million, evaluation process.

Grant scheme 8: Improving Access to Sustainable Employment of Long-term Unemployed Highly Educated Persons, in the amount of €1 million, call for proposals.

Grant scheme 9: Local employment development initiatives, in the amount of €2.54 million, call for proposals are expected to be launched in the 3rd quarter of 2011.

6. IPA II Cross-Border and Transnational Co-operation - Small grants to CSOs and municipalities for a range of socio-economic two-country partnership projects with all EU and potential EU member countries. In 2009 programme investments to Croatia totalled €15.9 million, and 2010 this will grow to €16.2 million. Calls for proposals were issued for Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia–Serbia, Croatia–Montenegro, Croatia-Hungary, Croatia-Slovenia and for the Adriatic Programme (embracing all member states and potential candidates) and for the SEE Programme of Transnational Co-operation and the Transnational Territorial Co-operation Programme MED.

7. Europe for Citizens – an integrated series of activities open to applicants from Croatia since 2007, with the aim of promoting co-operation among its member countries in different areas linked with common policies of the European Community. The programme is composed of 4 main activities which are further divided into individual measures: a. Active Citizens for Europe: activities, which directly involve citizens through projects of town-twinning or through other aspects of citizens' programmes. b. Active civil society for Europe: activity targeted at civil society organisations around Europe receiving grants based on their operating programmes or (transnational) projects.

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c. Together for Europe: activities that include citizens at the level of Europe for the purpose of improving the visibility of EU action and getting Europe closer to its citizens. d. Active European Remembrance: commemorates the victims of Nazism and Stalinism.

Target groups: CSOs and networks, think tanks, local self-governments. In 2009 it financed a total of 14 projects totalling €341,699.59 and in 2010 financed a total of 14 projects totalling €604,793.27. 8. People 2 People - primarily intended for civil society organisations dealing with issues related to the EU Acquis and other civil society organisations including representatives of the academic community. 9. European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, EIDHR - in 2009 this tender was announced, in the amount of €1,164,000. The objectives of the programme contribute to the development and consolidation of democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. Grant scheme: Enhancing respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms where they are most at risk and supporting Human Rights Defenders, in the amount of €1.8 million, evaluation process.

10. Progress - employment and social solidarity programme Grant scheme: Innovative policies to support healthy, active and dignified ageing and raise the effectiveness and efficiency of spending on social, health and long-term care services and benefits in the amount of €2 million, call for proposals. 11. Community Programmes - The following programmes in which Croatia participates as an EU candidate country provide CSOs opportunities for funding and partnership: Culture, Lifelong Learning Programme, Youth in Action and 7th Framework Programme on Research. 12. Culture Programme 2007-2013 – this programme supports cultural co-operation projects involving all types of artistic and cultural activity: drama, visual arts, literature, cultural heritage, the history of culture, etc. (three types of activities: cultural actions; European-level cultural bodies; and analysis and dissemination of activities). 13. Media 2007 – this programme supports projects aimed at improving the creative and management skills of European audiovisual professionals as well as adapting their technical skills to digital technologies and to supporting the development stage of production projects submitted by independent production companies. 14. Second programme of Community Action in the Field of Health 2008-2013 - this programme draws on the results of the previous programme First programme of Community action in the field of public health (2003-2008) and contributes to fundamental improvements in this area (three main objectives: to improve citizens' health security; to promote health, which involves reducing inequalities in this area; to generate and disseminate health information and knowledge).

47 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

Annex - References

Bežovan, G. & Matančevid, J. (2011) Civicus Civil Society Index in Croatia, Building Identity: Future Challenges for CSOs as Professionals in the Societal Arena, CERANEO and CIVICUS: Zagreb, available at

Bežovan, G. & Matančevid, J. (2011) Civicus Civil Society Index in Croatia, Policy Action Brief, CERANEO and CIVICUS: Zagreb, available at

Bežovan, Gojko, Siniša Zrinščak and Marina Vugec (2005) Civilno društvo u procesu stjecanja povjerenja u Hrvatskoj i izgradnje partnerstva s državom i drugim dionicima [Civil Society in Croatia in the Process of Building Trust and Partnership with the State and Other Stakeholders], CERANEO and CIVICUS. /Civil Society Index Report/, available at

Blair, H., Blue, R.N., Feldman A., Luca C. (2007) A Final Evaluation of the USAID Project for Support to Croatia’s Non-Governmental Organisations (CroNGO) 2001-2007, available at

Buza-Vidas, M. (ed.) (2010) Europski fondovi za organizacije civilnog društva u Hrvatskoj: zbornik uspješno provedenih projekata financiranih sredstvima Europske unije [European Funds for Civil Society Organisations in Croatia: Proceedings of Successfully Implemented Projects Financed by the European Union]. Zagreb: Ured za udruge Vlade Republike d'Apolito, R., Burid, L. & Tomanjik, J. (2009) Volonterski centar u zajednici [Volunteer Centre Community]. Zagreb: Volonterski centar Zagreb

Dvornik, Srđan (2009) Akteri bez društva. Uloga civilnih aktera u postkomunističkim promjenama, [Actors without Society. The Role of Civil Actors in the Post-Communist Transformation], Fraktura: Zagreb, available at

Dulum, B., Forčid, G., Jurid, D., & Poljak, N. (2009) Stanje volunterstva u jugoistočnoj Europi i CIS regiji: Republika Hrvatska nacionalni izvještaj *The State of Voluntarism in South-East Europe and the CIS Region: Croatia national report], UNV: Rijeka, available at

EC (2008) IPA 2008 Croatia Project Fiche: CSF Enhancing the Capacities of the Civil Society Sector for the Monitoring of Implementation of the EU Acquis, HR2008-01-35- 04; available at

48 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

EC (2008) IPA 2008 Grant Application: Enhancing the Participation of the CSOs in Monitoring of the Implementation of the EU Acquis, in the Field of Fight Against Corruption and the Overall Transparency, Openness and Accountability of Public Administration Bodies, available at

Faculty of Economics Rijeka (2010) Administrative Convergence and Development of Civil Society in Croatia (Thematic research report), available at < http://balcannet.eu/materiale/Research percent20reportCroatia.pdf >

Franc, R., Šakid, V. et.al. (2006) Udruge u očima javnosti: istraživanje javnog mnijenja s osvrtima, [Associations in the Public Eyes: Public Opinion Research with Comments] Zagreb: Academy for Educational Development, available at

GONG (2009) LOTUS - Lokalna odgovorna i transparentna uprava i samouprava [Accountable and Transparent Local Government and Self-government], available at

Gerasimova, M. (2005) “The Liaison Office as a Tool for Successful NGO Government Co-operation: An Overview of the Central and Eastern European and Baltic Countries’ Experiences,” International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, Vol 7, III, June 2005, available at

Hadzi-Miceva, K. (2008), “Legal and Institutional Mechanisms for NGO-Government Co-operation in Croatia, Estonia, and Hungary,” International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, Vol 10, IV, August 2008, available at

Hromatko, A. (2007) Procjena stanja razvoja organizacija civilnoga društva u Republici Hrvatskoj [Assessment of the State of Development of CSOs in Croatia]; Zagreb: NFCSD , available at

IMPACT Centre (2009) Croatia Country Report at Conference “Strengthening the Triangle CSOs, National Governments, European Commission: Reinforcing the Europe- wide Civil Society and Building Partnerships;” Zadar, 19-20 October 2009; available at

49 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

Jeđud, I. & Kordid, I. (2009) Volonterski menadžment po mjeri - smjernice za rad s volonterima u javnim ustanovama [Volunteer management - Guidelines for Working with Volunteers at Public Institutions]. Zagreb: Volonterski centar Zagreb

Kekez, A. et.al. (2010) Vrednote u praksi [Values in practice]. Zagreb: DIM-Udruga za građansko obrazovanje i društveni razvoj

Koštro, M. & Škrabalo, M. (2011) Seminar “Društvena odgovornost u zajednici-od korporativne filantropije do strateških ulaganja u društveni razvoj [Social Responsibility in the Community - from Corporate Philanthropy to Strategic Investments in Social Development], Zagreb, 30 June 2011, available at < http://dop.hr/wp-content/uploads/DOP-u-zajednici-final-30-06-2011WEB.pdf>

Kuliš, Danijela. (2009) Mogudnosti stvaranja poticajnog poreznog sustava za razvoj i djelovanje organizacija civilnog društva i organizacija koje djeluju za opde dobro u Republici Hrvatskoj s usporednom analizom stanja u zemljama članicama Europske unije *Options for Creating a Stimulating Tax System for the Development and Operation of Civil Society Organisations Working for the Common Good of the Republic of Croatia with a Comparative Analysis of the Situation in the Member States of the European Union], available at

Kunac, Suzana (2006) Vrijednost vrednota: civilno društvo i hrvatska demokratizacija *The Value of Values: Civil Society and Croatian Democratisation]. Zagreb: Grupa za ženska ljudska prava B.a.B.e.

Lendid Kasalo, V. (ed.) (2010) Izvješde o financijskim potporama dodijeljenim za projekte i programe organizacija civilnoga društva u 2009. godini. *Report on Disbursed Financial Support for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2009]. Zagreb: Ured za udruge Vlade Republike. Also available at < http://www.uzuvrh.hr/userfiles/file/Izvjesce percent202009 percent20lowres.pdf >

Lendid Kasalo, V. (ed.) (2010) Smjernice za primjenu Kodeksa savjetovanja sa zainteresiranom javnošdu u postupcima donošenja zakona, drugih propisa i akata *Guidelines for the Implementation of the Code of Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, Other Regulations and Acts]. Zagreb: Ured za udruge Vlade Republike. Also available at < http://www.uzuvrh.hr/userfiles/file/Smjernice_PDF.pdf >

Lendid Kasalo, Vesna (ed.) (2009) Izvješde o dodijeljenim financijskim potporama za projekte i programe organizacija civilnoga društva u 2008. godini. [Report on Disbursed Financial Support for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2008.], Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at

50 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

Nacionalna zaklada za razvoj civilnog društva (2011) Godišnji izvještaj za 2010. godinu [Annual Report in the year 2010], National Foundation for Civil Society Development, available at < http://www.sabor.hr/Default.aspx?art=39741 >

Nacionalna zaklada za razvoj civilnog društva (2010) Godišnji izvještaj za 2009. godinu [Annual Report in the year 2009], National Foundation for Civil Society Development, available at

Načinovid, Lana. (2010) Prakse doniranja u Hrvatskoj *Donation Practices in Croatia]. Zagreb: Donacije.info

Pavid-Rogošid, Lidija (2008) Izvještaj za 4. sastanak Zajedničkog savjetodavnog odbora EU-HR „Civilni i socijalni dijalog u Hrvatskoj“, 28.9.2008. [Report for 4th EU-Croatia Joint Consultative Committee Meeting, “Civil and Social Dialogue in Croatia+, available at

Plavša-Matid, Cvjetana (2005) “Good Practice in Grantmaking in Croatia”, in The SEAL, Spring 2005, available at

Regionalni volonterski centri (2011) Sažetak izvješda o radu regionalnih volonterskih centara za 2010.godinu [Summary Report on the Activities of Regional Volunteer Centres in the year 2010], available at < http://www.mobms.hr/ministarstvo/uprava-za- medugeneracijsku-solidarnost/volonterstvo/regionalni-volonterski-centri.aspx>

Regionalni volonterski centri (201o) Sažetak izvješda o radu regionalnih volonterskih centara za 2009.godinu [Summary Report on the Activities of Regional Volunteer Centres in the year 2009], available at

SAFU (2011) Hrvatska u Europi, Europa za Hrvatsku [Croatia in Europe, Europe for Croatia], Central Finance and Contracting Agency (CFCA), available at

SAFU (2011) National Programme for Croatia under the IPA – Transition Assistance and Institution Building Component for 2008: Grant Contracts Awarded during February - May 2011, available at

SAFU (2011) National Programme for Croatia under the IPA – Transition Assistance and Institution Building Component for 2008: Grant Contracts Awarded during February -

51 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

May 2011, available at

SAFU (2009) National Programme for Croatia under the IPA – Transition Assistance and Institution Building Component for 2008: Grants Awarded Under Call for Proposals EuropeAid/128948/M/ACT/HR published on 06 August 2009, available at

SAFU (2008) Croatia 2006 Phare National Programme- Grant Contracts Awarded during November 2008, available at

SMART (s.a.) Volunteering infrastructure in Croatia, available at

Škrabalo, Marina. (2008). International Funding for Civil Society Development in Croatia: Overview of Main Sources 2004-07, Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at

Škrabalo, Marina i Suzana Kunac (2008) “Procedure aktivizma: Pregled upravljačkih praksi organizacija civilnog društva posvedenih zaštiti ljudskih prava i demokratizaciji”, neobjavljeni istraživački izvještaj *Activism Procedures: Overview of Governance Practices in Civil Society Organisations Committed to Human Rights Protection and Democratisation, unpublished research report].

Target (Agencija za istraživanje tržišta i ispitivanje javnog mnijenja) (2010) Procjena stanja razvoja organizacija civilnoga društva u Republici Hrvatskoj *Assessment of the State of Development of CSOs in Croatia], Zagreb: Nacionalna zaklada za razvoj civilnog društva, available at

Ured za udruge Vlade Republike (2011) Izvješde o financiranju projekata i programa organizacija civilnoga društva iz državnog proračuna u 2010. godini *Report on Financial Support Granted from the State Budget for Projects and Programmes of Civil Society Organisations in the year 2010] , Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at

52 TACSO Croatia Draft Report 20-10-2011

Ured za udruge Vlade Republike (2011) Izvješde o radu Savjeta za razvoj civilnog društva u 2010. godini [Report on the Work of the Council for Civil Society Development in the year 2010], Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at < http://www.uzuvrh.hr/userfiles/file/Savjet-godisnje percent20izvjesce-2010.pdf >

Ured za udruge Vlade Republike (2010) Izvješde o radu Savjeta za razvoj civilnog društva u 2009. godini [Report on the Work of the Council for Civil Society Development in the year 2009], Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at

Ured za udruge Vlade Republike (2010) Izvješde o provedbi Operativnog plana Nacionalne strategije stvaranja poticajnog okruženja za razvoj civilnoga društva (2007.-2011.) za 2009. godinu [Report on the Implementation of the Operational Plan of the National Strategy for Creating an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (2007th-2011th) in the year 2009.], Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at

Ured za udruge Vlade Republike (2009) Europa za građane 2007.-2013.: programski vodič [Programme Europe for Citizens 2007-2013 – Programme Guide]. Zagreb: Ured za udruge Vlade Republike

USAID (2009) Croatia: 2008 USAID Sustainability Index for Central and South Eastern Europe and Eurasia, 12 edition, June 2008, available at

U.S. International Grantmaking (2008) Country Information –Croatia, November 2008, available at

Vela, Ariana (2009) Sudjelovanje udruga u postupcima izrade i donošenja zakona i drugih akata u Republici Hrvatskoj u 2009.", ODRAZ – Održivi razvoj zajednice: Zagreb, available at

Venables, Tony (ed.) (2009) “A European Framework Agreement with Civil Society for a Less Distant European Union? A Comparison of National Compacts.” European Citizen Action Service, January 2009, available at

Vidačak, Igor (2010) “Developing Standards and Mechanisms for Public Financing of NGOs in Croatia”, International Journal of Not-for-Profit Law, Vol 12, Issue 4, November 2010, available at http://www.icnl.org/knowledge/ijnl/vol12iss4/art_4.htm

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Vidačak, Igor (ed.) (2011) Izvješde o radu Ureda za udruge u 2009. i 2010. godini *Report on the Work of the Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs in 2009 and 2010], Government Office for Co-operation with NGOs, available at < http://www.uzuvrh.hr/userfiles/file/Izvjesce percent20o percent20radu.pdf >

Volonterski centar Zagreb (2011) Godišnji izvještaj za 2010. [Annual Report for 2010], Volunteer Centre Zagreb, available at < http://www.vcz.hr/images/pages/306.pdf>

Strategic documents, laws47

Kodeks pozitivne prakse, standarda i mjerila za ostvarivanje financijske potpore programima i projektima udruga (2007) Narodne novine br. 16/07. [Code of Good Practice, Standards and Benchmarks for the Allocation of Grants for Programmes and Projects of NGOs, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 16/07.], available at

Kodeks savjetovanja sa zainteresiranom javnošdu u postupcima donošenja zakona, drugih propisa i akata (2009) Narodne novine br. 140/09. [Code of Good Practice on Consultation with the Interested Public in Procedures of Adopting Laws, other Regulations and Acts, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 140/09.]

Nacionalna strategija stvaranja poticajnog okruženja za razvoj civilnoga društva od 2006. do 2011. godine i Operativni plan provedbe (2006) [National Strategy for the Creation of an Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development from 2006 to 2011 and Operational Implementation Plan], usvojena na sjednici Vlade Republike Hrvatske, 12. srpnja 2006. godine /adopted by the Croatian Government, 12 July 2006th/, available at

Odluka o osnivanju Savjeta za razvoj civilnoga društva (2009) Narodne novine br. 140/09. [Decision on the Establishment of the Council for Civil Society, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 140/09.]

Zakon o humanitarnoj pomodi (2003) Narodne novine br. 96/03. *Law on Humanitarian Assistance, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 96/03.]

Zakon o udrugama (2001) Narodne novine br. 88/01. [Law on Associations, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia, No. 88/01], available at

Zakon o volonterstvu (2007), Narodne novine br. 58/07. [Law on Volunteering, Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia No. 58/07.]

47 Laws and other official documents in Croatian language are available electronically at the Web site of the Official Gazette of the Republic of Croatia at www.nn.hr. Here we provide links only to the English translations.

54 Contact details

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