NCD

National Coalition for Decentralization (NCD) gathers more than 60 NGOs interested in public advocacy for the implementation of essential decentralization of Serbia. 
NCD believes that the focus of each democratic society must be the interests of the citizens, not of the political parties. Decentralization is the process which can transfer the focus of political acting of the parties' interest towards authentic needs of the citizens of Serbia. By approximation of the authority to the citizens of Serbia (even in the physical sense), their active participation in decision making processes in Serbia is becoming available.
To achieve this, the following is necessary as soon as possible:

•    the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has to adopt the Law on local self-government and the Law on restitution of property to municipalities and cities. These two laws should create the surrounding in which local self-government will have bigger jurisdiction. Extended jurisdiction must be defined according to the precise scientific researches which will be led by the principles of: reality, cost efficiency, and efficiency in communication with citizens. Local and eventual regional authorities must be in a non hierarchical relation with central authorities which will have the supervisory function.

•    the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia has to adopt the Law on territorial organization which will involve the results of the research about the needs of regional establishment in Serbia. The approach to the establishment of the regions must be in accordance with the NUTS nomenclature of the European Union in the way that will provide more balanced regional development using the EU funds, but also through the recognition of the interests and the needs of the citizens.
 

•   the citizens have to be given the opportunity for decision making, as  much as possible, and through the development of effective mechanisms of their participation into decision making processes on all authority levels.

•    the functions of the authorities that will remain centralized have to be defined more clearly and the precise strategy for balanced regional representation and regional development must be created

•    the measures which will contribute to establishment of permanent decentralized system of the government and state administration must be taken

•    the strategy of decentralization of Serbia which will include all stakeholders of this prosess have to be made

Decentralization is the process which must include not only the transitional, but also post-transitional reality. Each short-term solution which is not part of serious strategy, could be very expensive for Serbia.(the history of NCD).