Improving Governance
To achieve its ambition of becoming an EU member
Through DFID assistance, the Serbian Ministry of Finance is creating a tool for planning government spending over three years, rather than the more traditional one year. With introducing three year planning process, which is the practice widely used internationally, the Government of Serbia will be better enabled to fund and implement its priorities through the state budget. It will also provide greater stability and predictability of government policies and clear link between government priorities and its spending.
DFID is also supporting efforts to modernise, professionalize and depoliticise public service institutions. DFID has directly contributed to development of pay and grading system and systematisation of posts within the Serbian Civil Service.
Success story
Calling for help in Serbia
One of the biggest priorities of the Serbian Government is in building a safety net for people in need. Dramatic social and political changes within the country have resulted in an increased number of people becoming dependent on the social welfare system, which is beset by complicated administrative procedures and highly-centralised management. To compound the problem, high levels of corruption and a lack of clarity in administrative procedures have led to many citizens lacking confidence in the state administration.
Yet a remedy to the problems is being sought. Since 2006, DFID has been assisting the Serbian government to build an efficient, sustainable and accessible social welfare system, which meets the needs of Serbian citizens. Key to its work is the Social Welfare Development Strategy, which aims to instil better governing practices in many of
One concrete example of how this strategy is helping ordinary citizens is the recent setting up of a call centre, geared toward linking the public and the social welfare system. With DFID’s support, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection opened the centre in January 2008 as a focal point for citizens to address their questions and concerns on the work of the social welfare system.
Here are two such cases in which the call centre has helped.
Assistance for pensioners
Olga Krstic, a 67-year-old woman who lives in southern Serbian, was one of the many people who was stuck in complicated administrative procedures, when she applied for a pension following 40 years of employment. Olga has lived on the edge of poverty since she moved from Kosovo in 1999 and being too old to find a job, was in extreme need of receiving her pension.
“Although I was entitled to a pension, I was not able to get clear guidance on how to effectuate my right. For almost three years, the only answer I was getting was that the system could not compile the data that would prove that I have 40 years of employment. Lack of almost any willingness of civil servants to look deeper into my case gave left me feeling that nobody was interested.
“Fortunately, my husband watched a TV interview with the Minister of Labour and Social Policy, where the Minister explained about the information centre that the Ministry had set up to assist citizens with their social welfare rights. When we phoned the centre, it was the first time that somebody wanted to listen to us and to understand our problem. They promised me to follow up my case and 25 days later we were informed that the pension fund had issued a certificate that would enable me to start receiving my pension. I am very grateful to those nice people and I really think that without them I would still be struggling with the complicated administrative system.”
Help for disabled people
Igor Obucina, from Uzice, was born 28 years ago with severe mental and physical disabilities. These make him completely dependent on his family, and eligible for social welfare allowance. However, when the social welfare system was changed in 2006, his application for social allowance was rejected without any clear explanation. On Igor’s behalf, his father placed three complaints without getting any answer. When further trying to find out when and by whom these complaints would be processed, he was faced with civil servants who were simply unwilling to provide an answer.
“You could understand how upsetting it was for me not to be able to get any clear answer on why they had rejected the application for welfare allowance for my son. I heard about the information centre established by the Ministry for Labour and Social Policy on a TV programme and although I didn’t believe that there would be anybody willing to look into my case, I phoned them. They identified a person in the ministry and helped me elaborate my case. Two weeks later, the local centre for social work made a positive decision on our application, and explained to me that there had been a mistake in the previous processing of our case.
“Although I still don’t fully trust the state administration, things are moving forward and we are nearer to a day when ordinary people won’t feel completely powerless.”
In the first three months since it became operational, the centre received close to 5,000 phone calls from people facing problems ranging from family violence to reluctance of employers to pay them social benefits. What makes it particularly responsive is its employees, who have all had experience with the social welfare system, either as people with physical disabilities or as refugees.
