Information Legal Centre is implementing the project “Legal inclusion and sustainable integration of Roma in Croatia” financed by the National Programme for Croatia under the IPA 2012 - Building Capacities of CSOs for Ensuring Effective Implementation of the EU Standards in the Enforcement of Human Rights. The project partners are Croatian Institute for Local Government, Brod-Posavina County and Network of Roma CSOs in Croatia.

The project’s objective is to facilitate access to free legal aid to Roma population in 6 counties, to strengthen Roma civil society organizations and Councils for National Minorities in Brod-Posavina County and to design & promote new mechanisms for monitoring Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities and local action plans.

Activities within the project include implementation of a legal service aiming to improve the provision of free legal aid to Roma, community meetings in Roma settlements, development of a brochure promoting free legal assistance to access documentation, active participation in WeBLAN cross-border cooperation with regional partners providing free legal aid in the region, capacity building of Roma civil society organizations and councils for national minorities in Brod-Posavina County, creation of local Action Plan for Roma, analysis of the implementation of the Constitutional Law on the Rights of National Minorities in Brod-Posavina County and organization of the round table as the final event.

The target groups are Roma population in six counties; government authorities, specifically civil servants and public service providers responsible for conducting birth registration, residence registration, and facilitating access to citizenship; Roma CSOs; members of councils of national minorities and citizens of all ages and sex as the final beneficiaries.

The project is being implemented in the following six counties: Brod-Posavina County, Osijek-Baranja County, Vukovar-Srijem County, Istra County, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, and Zagreb County.

Considering lack of visibility and capacities of CSOs (2 out of 241 CSOs were project leaders), their unconciousness of importance of participation in policies (communication with LGU consists of requests for support), and lack of capacities of the City for building capacities of CSOs and their inclusion into policy-making, SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE is To develop a sustainable model of advocacy and participation of CSOs and other relevant stakeholders in policy-making and monitoring of local public policies (Indicators: 1. 8 public consultations have been implemented; 2. Charter of cooperation on sustainability has been signed). The objective will be achieved through ACTIVITIES of informing/animating/educating (activity 1.), establishing a sustainable model of systematic cooperation between CSOs and local government (activity 2.), and activities of increasing visibility of CSOs and their cooperation with local government (activities 3., 4. and 6.) will be implemented. Activities will lead to the following RESULTS: 2.1. At least 8 public consultations took place; 2.2. At least 15 CSOs participated at public consultations; 4. 4 public campaigns took place.

In order to strengthen the activities of the organization and thus provide better quality service, Croatian Institute for Local Government begins with using the platform ZaDobroBit/GivenGain.

Croatian Institute for Local Government finances its activities mainly through tenders and the provision of advisory services, publishing, etc . But we invite individuals/organizations who share our vision and support our mission and want to support our work to become donors and/or activists.

You can become a donor/an activist in a following way:

1) by supporting directly the project/campaign http://www.givengain.com/cause/5522/projects/15295/ at ZaDobroBit/GivenGain platform (it is not neccesary to have a profile on the platform for you to be able to donate)
2) by supporting HILS' team members' actions or our other activists' actions and/or by paying the amount you can/want to spend.

We are looking forward to future cooperation and joint creation of changes.

In the framework of the DEAR student project, a Glossary of terms on sustainable development (DEAR) was created. Subtitle of this document is "How to reinforce local public involvement with the promotion of local sustainable human development processes through decentralized policies and Development Education and Awareness Raising DEAR activities.". It will especially be used on the workshops for elaboration of Local Agendas on Education for Development at which Local Action groups, as a aubject which represents all 3 sectors, will participate.

The Glossary of terms can be downloaded HERE.

On 21st November 2013. the Assembly for the purpose of elections of the Croatian Institute for Local Government (HILS/CILG) was held in the building of the Rectorate of Josip Juraj Strossmayer in Osijek.

On this occasion the 15th anniversary of the establishment and functioning as well as the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the European Charter of Local Self-Government was celebrated.

Amendments to the Statute regarding changes of the address of the Croatia Institute for Local Government were proposed and adopted. The new headquarters is now in the building of the Rectorate, in Tvrđa, Trg Sv. Trojstva 3, Osijek.

President Ph.D. Zvonimir Lauc, Vice President Ph.D. Davor Brunčić and secretary Ph.D. Predrag Zima were re-elected unanimously.

Alongside Croatian Institute for Local Governmen, Vukovar- Srijem County is also a partner in Croatia. The project is being implemented on the territory of Vukovar- Srijem and Osijek- Baranja Counties .

The project contributes to the reinforcement of the commitment of LAs, in cooperation with local Non State Actors (NSA), for the promotion of sustainable human development policies at local level, enhancing, on one hand, local multi-stakeholders cooperation to promote an active and involved citizenship in relation to the fight against poverty, inequalities and social and economical exclusion, and, on another hand, fostering a consensus with educative board (teacher, parents, territorial education institutions, etc.) so that youngsters can benefit, in formal education, from the introduction of transversal matters dealing with sustainable human development.

The aim of the project is the empowerment of LAs so that they can be more aware of the importance of their role in sustainable human development processes and in the achievement of their citizens’ active engagement through the encouragement of the implementation of Development Education and Raising Awareness (DEAR) approach both in formal education in primary and secondary schools and in public policies.

Education Institutions Leaflet
General Informative Leaflet

Dear Student - Newsletter 1
Dear Student - Newsletter 2

HILS is a partner in the project Support for networking and twinning at European level – SNET.EU. Lead partner in Croatia is Local Democracy Agency in Osijek and in Serbia Local Democracy Agency Subotica. Other partners on the project are Evangelic Theological Seminary, Association of Local Democracy Agencies, Open University of Subotica.

Project is being implemented from September 2012 and planned ending is in March 2014.

It is being funded by the European Commission under IPA CBC Croatia – Serbia Programme.

Purpose of the project is:

• To build capacities of local institutions and local authorities for understanding regional EU policy and European integration process
• To promote town twinning as a tool for development of European active citizenship
• To contribute to twin town/municipality partner search for LA from Croatia and Serbia at European level
• To contribute to networking and cooperation between LA from Croatia and Serbia

Main activities are:

• Capacity building activities (3 conferences, 1 training, 2 seminars)
• Resource centres' activities (promotional workshops on twinning, partner search, consultations)
• Thematic networking activities (12 local thematic events in municipalities and cities in border regions of Croatia and Serbia)

Regional Development Agency of Slavonia and Baranja and Croatian institute for local government, within the IPA project HERMES, organize a conference on Social policy in the Republic of Croatia in the context of EU accession. Out of five, this is the third thematic conference that has an aim to inform public and experts on perspectives of social policy in Croatia within the context of EU membership as well as studying and employment opportunities.

Some of the conference topics are: Croatian social policy and European social model, European social dialogue, Social partnership in Croatia, Freedom of movement for workers in EU and implications for Croatian citizens, mobility programs and job opportunities in the EU institutions. The conference will take place on 25 October 2011 in the Great Council Chamber of Osijek-Baranja County, Zupanijska 4 in Osijek from 10:00 to 17:00 hours.

We would be very glad to meet you there and participate in the conference program by your contributions of quality information in the area of social policies and job opportunities once Croatia joins the EU.

Croatian institute for local government, that is implementing the project "Equality Scan” in partnership with Vukovar-Srijem County, organized the first two-day long educational training in order to present the topic of anti-discrimination policies and decision-making processes.


The training took place in Vinkovci and had an aim to educate Councils of national minorities, minority representatives and civil society organizations dealing with anti-discrimination policies on policies and fighting against discrimination.

Lecturers from the Centre for Peace studies Zagreb, Sandra Benčić and Gordan Bosanac, presented to training participants the context of drafting policy, policy aims, influence analysis and the role of Councils of national minorities, minority representatives and civil society organizations in defining policy priorities. Training participants praised the idea of organizing such a training and lecturers on presenting the topics, and also expressed their interest to participate in the forthcoming project activities.

The project implementation is to be continued in the form of educational trainings, mentorships and public consultations.

The objective of the project is to increase the effectiveness of the Croatian civil society organizations (CSOs) in an independent monitoring of anti-discrimination policies through strengthening their administrative and managerial skills and enhancing cooperation between CSOs dealing with monitoring of policies concerned with national minorities in Vukovar-Srijem County and the regional authority. The project is to be implemented within the IPA Program "Enhancing the capacities/roles of the CSOs in monitoring of the implementation of the EU Acquis in field of the comprehensive anti-discrimination strategy" that is funded by EU.