Serbia

The Youth Law (2011) is the basis for the institutional framework for the implementation of youth policy. According to an Announcement on the Beginning of the Drafting of the Law on Youth, the Ministry of Tourism and Youth has begun the process of drafting a new youth law in order to address the shortcomings of its implementation thus far and to harmonise its provisions to reflect new changes to the legal system of Serbia.

Due to strategic and legislative changes in the Serbian legal system and in light of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new Youth Strategy for the Period from 2023 to 2030 was adopted in January 2023, before the previous National Youth Strategy 2015-2025 had expired. It is the third Youth Strategy of the country, and is operationalised through an Action Plan for the Period from 2023 to 2025 for the implementation of the Youth Strategy, which was adopted in July 2023.

The Youth Strategy for the Period from 2023 to 2030 formulates as its vision:

“Young people are active and equal participants in all areas of social life, who, with the support of society, fully develop their potential and contribute to personal and social development and well-being.”

It stipulates six principles for working with and for young people, namely:

1. Respect for human and minority rights, equality and non-discrimination
2. Support for personal and social empowerment of youth
3. Equal opportunities for all
4. Cross-sectoral cooperation and coordination at all levels of decision-making
5. Active youth participation and cooperation
6. Social responsibility and solidarity

The strategy defines one general goal, to improve the quality of life of young people, and five specific goals:

1. Youth work is standardised in the system of non-formal education and is continuously implemented.
2. Spatial capacities and services for the implementation of youth policy have been improved and functional in all local governments.
3. Young people are active participants in society at all levels.
4. Young people have equal opportunities and incentives to develop their potentials and competencies, which lead to social and economic independence.
5. Created conditions for a healthy and safe environment and social well-being of young people.

Each of these goals is underpinned by a set of measures and indicators. These are outlined in Chapter 6 of the Strategy, "Measures for achieving goals and analysing their effects”, as of page 79.

The Action Plan for the Period from 2023 to 2025 for the implementation of the Youth Strategy seeks to operationalise the Youth Strategy for the Period from 2023 to 2030. For each specific goal, it lays out concrete actions, indicators of success including baselines and targets, and institutions responsible for implementation. 

The previous National Youth Strategy 2015-2025 (NYS) was adopted as a guide for all youth policy actors working with and for young people. It was also underpinned by action plans: an Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy for the Period from 2015 to 2017 and an Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy for the Period from 2018 to 2020. In an analysis of the strategy's achievements, it was assessed that across the nine strategic goals, the chosen indicators had been achieved at an average level of 67% (Source: Youth Strategy for the Period from 2023 to 2030, Chapter 3 "An overview and analysis of the current situation in the field of youth policy", Section 3.3 “Ex-post analysis of NYS”, Table 3 “An overview of the implementation of the strategic goals of the NYS based on the implemented activities”, page 70).

The Youth Sector within the Ministry of Tourism and Youth is primarily responsible for youth in Serbia. It is made up of two departments: the department for strategic, normative, legal and operational affairs and the department for cooperation with youth associations and offices. More specifically, the Youth Sector is responsible for:

• The development, improvement and implementation of youth policies and strategies;
• Supporting youth in employment and volunteer work;
• Assistance and cooperation with youth organisations and associations in their work.

The National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS) is an association of over 100 youth organisations and the highest independent representative body for youth in Serbia. KOMS aims to improve the position of youth in society and acts as a link between youth, their member organisations, and the government and its institutions. The council has three main strategic goals:

1. Improving the youth policy system and mechanisms for active youth participation;
2. Promoting youth rights;
3. Contributing to the capacity building of the youth sector and strengthening of youth organisations.

The Youth Law (2011) defines youth work as:

"youth activities organised by and for young people, based on non-formal education, carried out in young people's free time and undertaken with the aim of improving the conditions for personal and social development of young people, in accordance with their needs and abilities, in which young people voluntarily participate."

The National Association of Practitioners of Youth Work (NAPOR) is:

"a professional and representative alliance of associations that carry out youth work, whose mission is to provide support to youth workers and young people to achieve their full personal and professional capacities, necessary for the development of the local community and society as a whole, by developing conditions for quality assurance and recognition of youth of work at the local, national and international level."

According to its site, since its start in 2009, NAPOR has been able to achieve many milestones in the field of youth work, including:

• Developing standards for three levels of occupations in youth work (youth leader, youth worker, and youth work and policy specialist);
• Developing quality standards for youth work and a mechanism for their implementation;
• Creating a code of ethics in youth work and a council for ethical issues;
• Developing an education programme for youth leaders and youth workers;
• Having "youth worker" officially included in the occupation codebook;
• Participating in the drafting of the Youth Law (2011) to include a definition of youth work;
• Participating in the development of the Youth Strategy for the Period from 2023 to 2030 to recognise youth work as one of the five goals of the strategy.

According to the Special Part of the 2023 Budget, the Ministry of Tourism and Youth is allocated RSD 3.2 billion (USD 30.3 million). Of this, RSD 603.0 million (USD 5.7 million) is allocated to youth policy. According to a December 2022 press release, this represents a third more than what was allocated for youth policy in 2022. Furthermore, "the most funds are earmarked for supporting the development of youth policy at the local level, youth centres, as well as encouraging the employability of young people."

The Action Plan for the Period from 2023 to 2025 for the implementation of the 2023-2030 Youth Strategy also provides a statement on the financial resources allocated to the implementation of the action plan: "The funds planned for the implementation of the Action Plan for the period from 2023 to 2025 amount to RSD 10,648,263,494.00 (USD 90.7 million). In 2023, as the first year of implementation of the Action Plan, funds in the amount of RSD 3,201,116,142.00 is planned (USD 27.3 million).” These funds are spread across several government ministries.