The analysis of the legal and regulatory framework in Serbia for registration and supervision of Non-Profit-Organisations (NPOs) and  its compliance with the international standards was the key document discussed during a roundtable organised by the project Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing in Serbia on 24 March 2023. The aim of the round table was to present identified obstacles for effective supervision of NPOs in Serbia and to discuss proposed initiatives to address these obstacles, increase transparency of NPOs, while at the same time ensuring that the freedom of association and collective action remains protected.

The paper also highlights international best practices and lessons learnt from other jurisdictions in enabling the effective regulation and supervision of the sector to prevent its abuse for the purpose of terrorist financing and money laundering. In the first part of the session, the experts discussed with authorities the scope of the NPO definition in Serbia and their understanding of the risks in the sector. During the second session exchange on concrete practical challenges regarding the registration of NPOs in Serbia took place with the civil society, in order to identify new approaches to updating the registered information of the inactive NPOs and overcome challenges regarding the registration of beneficial ownership. Based on the discussions and comparative practices, a set of concrete recommendations for amending several laws regulating the functioning of civil society organisations in Serbia was finalised and shared with beneficiaries.

The Project “Preventing Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in Serbia” is funded by Sweden, represented by the Swedish International Development Agency and implemented by the Council of Europe.