The “Local Communities in the Process of European Integration - A Sustainable Model of Civic Participation in Environmental Policy Making” project has connected local authorities, CSOs, and citizens through their involvement in a process where together all of them were initially the creators and afterwards the end beneficiaries of a new policy framework for direct citizen participation in the process of creating and applying environmental policy.

The project has sought to create a sustainable platform for direct citizen participation based on the case of civic participation in a strategic environmental impact assessment and environmental impact assessment of all public and private projects that have an effect on the local environment. The platform for direct citizen participation in the design and implementation of environmental policies (based on the case of civic participation in a strategic environmental impact assessment and environmental impact assessment) is founded on the solutions of the Code of Good Practice for Civil Participation in the Decision-Making Process brought by the conference of international CSOs of the Council of Europe that offers examples of good practice in civic participation in the decision-making process.

The overall goal of the project has been to establish a sustainable process of direct civic participation in the process of preserving and improving the environment by creating a realistic base for the participation of professional associations in the process of designing and implementing local development policies.

The specific objectives of the project have been:

Establishing a sustainable model for civic participation in the process of environmental policy-making and implementation, based on EU recommendations and good practice, by using an environmental impact assessment as an example;

Strengthening the capacities of professional associations for active and equal participation in defining and implementing responsible environmental policy at the local level, in accordance with the priorities of the European integration process;

Training of professional associations and civil society organizations to use the available legal mechanisms in participating in the process of creating and implementing development policies at the local level in the process of European integration;

Functional networking of civil society organizations, academia and media in Serbia for active participation in local communities, exchange of experiences and establishment of European standards in environmental protection;

Strengthening cooperation between the state administration, civil society and the academic community for the promotion of urban sustainable development in the Republic of Serbia.

The project has been implemented in the period from May to November 2012.

The Open Society Fund Serbia has been the project partner.