CRTA: stöd till civilsamhället för att främja demokrati och EU-integrering CRTA: support to CSOs to promote democracy and EU integration This intervention will generate domestic force that will safeguard the space for further development and democratisation, by supporting civil society campaigns in areas of the primary importance for Serbia’s EU integrations: rule of law, democratic culture and media freedoms. Equipped with communication skills, capacities, channels and digital tools, civil society partners (CSOs, grassroots and journalists) will be able to engage citizens more deeply and reach their communication and advocacy goals more effectively. Civil society development will also ensure the adequate civic response in addressing gaps between citizens and governments, thus restoring the public confidence and trust in institutions. By raising awareness of civil society partners’ democratisation efforts, this intervention will help improve the general level of trust towards the civil society sector as generator of democratic development, and will raise citizens’ awareness of benefits of democratization and EU integration process. Denna insats kommer skapa gynnsamma förutsättningar för och säkerställa utrymme för fortsatt utveckling och demokratisering genom stöd till kampanjer inom civilsamhället som berör huvudområdena i Serbiens EU-integrationsprocess: rättsväsende, demokratisk kultur och mediefrihet. Med hjälp av kommunikationsfärdigheter, kapacitet, kanaler och digitala verktyg kommer civilsamhället (organisationer och journalister) få möjligheten att engagera medborgare på mer effektivt sätt. Detta kommer också bidra till en förbättring av dialogen mellan medborgare och regeringen, samt återställa medborgarns tillit och tilltro till samhälleliga institutioner. Dessutom kommer en ökad medvetenhet om civilsamhällets insatser för stärkt demokratisering även leda till en större tillit till civilsamhällets roll som en viktig aktör för demokratisk utveckling. The objectives of the intervention have not changed. The overall objective of the CRTA intervention is to support Serbia’s democratization in forging closer links with the EU through fostering pluralistic civil society, empowerment and strengthening the role of civil society actors as generators of democratic development.
The activities aim to strengthen the objectives of the intervention by furthering its outreach and awareness raising efforts which in the first programme year proved to be of the utmost importance in raising the public attention to key challenges to the rule of law and mobilizing citizens around issues hampering the full exercise of their democratic rights. In this regard, CRTA intends to intensify its community building, citizen outreach and awareness raising initiatives and campaigns, while at the same time further strengthen its own capacities for public communication and citizen engagement.
The Amendment to the initial agreement between the CRTA and Swedish Embassy in Belgrade was signed in December 2020, which extended the Cooperation Agreement for additional two years and added 12 million SEK to the total budget for continued activities until the end of 2022.
Comprehensive communications capacity building support (training, technical and grant support) that CRTA provided in this period, has further raised the potential for broader influence and recognition of civil society on targeted issues in areas of the rule of law, democratic culture and media freedoms. Improvements of the approach within the third year of the Programme provided even more tailored-made and direct guidance and mentorship in development of impactful communications and outreach campaigns of supported partner organisations around issues pertaining the rule of law, democratic and media freedoms. These integrated communication and media campaigns, that are strategically, creatively and productively at a higher quality level, were designed to trigger citizen engagement, motivation and trust. This approach provided partner organisations with valuable opportunities to further strengthen communications, outreach and awareness raising capacities thus enabling the boost of their image and public support as democracy defenders.