The policy framework of the civil society‐government relations is set by the Strategy for Cooperation of the Government with the Civil Society 2007‐2011. The Strategy’s overall objective is to improve cooperation between the Government and CSOs. The Strategy was prepared with EC-technical assistance provided to the Government Unit for Cooperation with CSOs. This support enabled the provision of adequate expertise for the preparation of the document as well as the facilitation of wide‐ranging civil society consultation on the design, taking in 380 CSOs, and 6 broadly‐based public debates. The participative process was instrumental for both sides to achieve clarity as to their respective expectations, and to ensure that key CSO priorities were included in the final document. The Strategy embraces seven strategic objectives, which are further elaborated in specific measures together with an action plan that defines deadlines and institutional responsibilities for the implementation of these measures.
The objectives are: Upgrading the Legal Framework for Development of the Civil Sector;Participation of the Civil Sector in the Decision‐Making Process; Maintaining Cross-institutional Cooperation by establishment of a functional network contributing to a facilitated communication and coordination of the activities related to the development of the civil sector; Maintaining Inter-Sector Cooperation by promoting active cooperation between CSOs and the Government on central and local level as well as promoting and implementing long-term strategies for particular areas, projects and other activities of the community;
Involvement of the Civil Sector in the Process of EU Integration through the introduction of mechanisms safeguarding consultations for the civil sector involvement in the drafting, approximation, implementation, monitoring and assessment of political and legal measures, and especially in the process of developing national development plans, operation programmes and similar strategic documents; Provision of More Favorable Conditions for Sustainability of the Civil Society Sector including creation of better fiscal frame and state financing for CSOs, development of philanthropy and promotion of voluntarism; Continuous Development of the Civil Sector by development of CSOs outside of the capital and in the rural areas and institutionalization of the cooperation on the local level.
Given the context of the present state of government – civil society relations and the current level of capacities in the country generally of both public administrations and CSOs, the Strategy is highly ambitious. Progress after two‐and‐a‐half‐years is patchy. Implementation is perceived to proceed quicker when assisted by external finance or when an action is linked to the process of European integration – either in connection with the establishment of European standards or the convergence of Macedonian law to the Acquis Communautaire.
A single government office, the Unit for Cooperation with Non‐governmental Organizations, is responsible for facilitating government cooperation with civil society. The Unit was established in November 2004 under the Sector for Policy Analysis and Coordination within the General Secretariat of the Government, and commenced active work in March 2006. The Unit is responsible for: maintaining cooperation with CSOs and institutions; preparing a review of the legislation and its continuous updating, proposing initiatives to the Government and relevant ministries in order to instigate drafting of new legislation for the civil society sector; anticipating the allocation of financial resources for partially financing projects of public benefit; mediation of the inter‐ministerial cooperation, as well as of other state authorities and civil society sector etc. The Unit has developed a Strategy for Cooperation with CSOs, which was carried out in close coordination with civil society. This being said, the Unit’s ability to synchronize the work of Government departments with civil society and its real scope of work remain limited, despite it having been the subject of (and remains so) considerable technical assistance under EC‐funded projects. Progress in implementing the Strategy is slow, including improvements towards establishing effective dialogue with civil society and improving accountability and transparency of government, particularly in regard to public support of CSOs.
In August 2008, the Law on Lobbying was adopted. The Law may limit direct participation by citizens, associations, and foundations in policy and decision‐making processes. Lobbying is defined very broadly so that it includes almost any activity aiming to influence the position of national or local government or parliament on any law of regulation. The law states that CSOs or any other entity may only undertake “lobbying” activities if they are “invited” by the relevant legislative body. While it makes provision for associations to be included in the decision‐making process, it does not extend this right to foundations. So far, there is no evidence that Government offices are making use of the law and there appears to have been no discernible effect on CSO cooperation with decision makers. Also, some CSOs made attempts or complained about the law, but no overall sectoral effort has been made since to address this issue.
Institutional capacities of local‐self governments vary enormously from municipality to municipality. In general, there is a big difference between urban and rural municipalities. General speaking, urban municipalities, with larger administrations and more highly qualified staff, are better capacitated. This is reflected in a more positive approach to cooperation with CSOs. Policies or strategic documents that refer to cooperation with the civil society are often in place in bigger urban municipalities, such as the City of Skopje (Strategy for cooperation with CSOs) and the Municipality of Karpos (Strategic action plan for cooperation). These municipalities also have units or responsible persons for cooperation with CSOs. In a few cases, larger municipalities with larger budgets, such the City of Skopje, will allocate funds to local CSO projects. This kind of cooperation is very rare in rural municipalities. According to the most recent data (Directory for LSU, MCIC 2009) 52% of the municipalities have appointed person for cooperation with CSOs, but with few exceptions the institutionalized established support is still missing. Most of the municipalities that have appointed person for cooperation, this person usually is responsible for several other issues. In addition, only 22% of the municipalities have regulated their cooperation with CSOs on the basis of the written legal documents like: statute, programme, plan, rulebook, etc.
Consultation with CSOs remains a rare occurrence and in most cases it is carried out as a one‐off event, usually as part of a particular (internationally promoted) project, instead of being systematic and regular practice of the local‐self government. All consulted stakeholders agree that CSOs should be involved and are able to contribute a lot in identification of local priorities and policy making on the local level, but also to provide some services on behalf of the local‐self government.
Opening of City Skopje office for cooperation with CSOs
In 2007 the City of Skopje adopted the Strategy for Cooperation with NGOs and established the Office for Cooperation. There is NGO Forum of the city, comprised by the mayor, representatives of the city Council, staff and representatives of CSOs. Also, on the official city’s web-site there is a sub-section for civil society – NGO Port. The NGO Port offers information on directory of CSOs from Skopje, library, information on supported projects by the City of Skopje, call for proposals etc.