Published: January 30, 2026.
The undersigned members of the OKO Coalition (Open on Tenders) call on the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Serbia to urgently publish the decisions on the allocation of funds and the results of two public tenders announced in January 2025, the outcome of which almost a year later is not known: to whom the funds were allocated, in what amount and whether they were paid at all.
These are public invitations within the program 1802 “Preventive health care” – project 0012 “Support to the activities of citizens‘ associations in the field of health care” and project 0010 “Improving the availability of health care to the Roma population“. Both competitions were announced on January 30, 2025, while the evaluation and ranking lists of projects were published on April 10, 2025.
Although it is clearly stated in the competition documentation that the minister makes decisions on the distribution of funds within five working days after the end of the objection procedure, these decisions have not been published to date. Notices on handling objections were published on May 7, 2025.
According to the available data, more than 25 million dinars of public funds have been earmarked for these two tenders. However, it is not known how much money was allocated for individual projects, nor whether contracts with civil society organizations were concluded at all. At the same time, some organizations were informally suggested to start the implementation of projects without signed contracts and without paid funds, which is financially unfeasible for a large number of organizations. This is also contrary to the published public invitations in which it is clearly indicated that the projects will be implemented on the basis of concluded contracts with the Ministry of Health.
Of particular concern is the fact that one of the tenders relates to improving the availability of health care for the Roma community, which further calls into question the responsibility of institutions in providing timely measures and services aimed at protecting the rights of members of one of the most vulnerable social groups.
The OKO coalition requests the Ministry of Health to publish without further delay:
- decisions on the allocation of funds for both public calls,
- how much money was allocated for each project, and
- information on whether and when funds were disbursed to organizations.
We would like to remind you that a similar practice of non-compliance with competition procedures is recorded in other areas of association financing. That is why we call on all relevant ministries to respect the prescribed deadlines, ensure transparency in the distribution of public funds and stop the practice of directly threatening the sustainability of civil society organizations and the exercise of citizens’ rights.
On behalf of the OKO Coalition:
Građanske inicijative
“Living Upright” Center
PRIMUS – Development center for preventive intersectoral services
Citizens’ Association Team 42
Transparency Serbia
A 11 – Initiative for economic and social rights
Autonomous Women’s Center
Youth umbrella organization of Serbia (KOMS)