Balanced Budget; Unbalanced Effects: Serbia's good intentions to save money are paid for by its most vulnerable citizens

Sustainability of services for Serbia’s most vulnerable groups (families living in poverty, the elderly, victims of violence and exploitation and children with disabilities) is one of the biggest social protection reform challenges facing the country. Civil society organisations are most often impacted by this challenge when international donor funding ends and local government funding options are minimal.

Public sector service providers now face this same challenge. Under new national cost-saving regulations put in place in 2013, locally-operated Centres for Social Work cannot hire needed temporary and permanent staff, even though local government budgets for these staff and services are in place. The national government’s good intentions to save money have been paid for by Serbia’s most vulnerable citizens. Read more about the effects here.