## 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION

### 1.1. Beneficiary country

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

### 1.2. Contracting Authority

For Bosnia and Hercegovina: The LIR Civil Society (LIR CS) Kralja Petra II no. 9, 78 000 Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina Telephone: +38765538216 Contact person: Biljana Zgonjanin, lircd@blic.net

### 1.3. Country background

The Western Balkans (WB) region is facing two levels of challenges in migration – internally and externally induced migration. Internally, the region still deals with forced migrants coming from wars from the early 1990s. Large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees from those conflicts presents a heavy burden for the social welfare systems already overwhelmed with high numbers of unemployed and excluded citizens in most of the WB countries. Due to poverty, lack of jobs and hampered development, citizens from the region are immigrating mostly to the EU, where their asylum applications constitute almost 9% of all asylum applications in the EU (Eurostat, Asylum Applications in EU27+ from Southeast Europe, 2013). Only few of the applications are recognized while rejected asylum-seekers are returned to their countries of origin under readmission agreements between EU and WB countries. Again, the safety nets and social services within social welfare systems as well as the civil society organizations (CSOs) are far from prepared to accept and integrate returnees from the EU (mostly Roma population). Externally, in recent years increasing numbers of people, including refugees, have been coming from the refugee producing countries via the so-called Balkan route - en route to Western Europe. Some have remained in the WB region. Weak national economies combined with lack of political will are failing to connect migration management and social welfare systems and to introduce much needed social services for migrants which will help protect them and include them in the local communities. In Serbia legislation in the area of social services is developed rather well. The role of providers of social services is clearly defined as well as the public procurement of the services. Almost 35% of all CSOs are working in the field of social protection. Main sources of funding for those CSOs are local public funds. Nevertheless, CSOs were not involved in the process of adoption of minimal quality standards for social services, and do not feel ownership over them. In Montenegro majority of social services are provided by the CSOs. Out of 173 registered organisations social service providers, 140 or 81% providers are CSOs. The services are mostly financed from local funds. Nevertheless, national minimal standards for social services are being developed currently, so the practice on the field is not standardised. Concerning In last 20 years Albania changed its social protection system dramatically, moving to the direction of pluralisation and decentralisation of the provision of social services. From the beginning the CSOs service providers were included in the reform process, at least in terms of relaying and planning on their capacities. There are no precise numbers, but at least 50% of social services provided in Albania are currently provided by the CSOs. In North Macedonia both the new Law on social protection (2009) and the Programme for Development of Social Protection 2011-2021 are stipulating decentralisation of social services, their transfer to the local levels and higher inclusion of CSOs providing social services in the system.

### 1.4. Current situation in the sector

All WB countries already have relevant legislation on migration and established migration management systems. However, gaps in alignment still exist and a further review is required in order

2019 Page 2 of 8

doc\_7b7d62f181cdf7212e383e8de22cc3aac5306a9a\_2404.docx